Comments on: Top 100 Children’s Novels Poll #99: The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Tue, 15 May 2012 23:14:36 +0000

I think I have a Boxcar Children cookbook somewhere . . . This book and Enid Blyton’s Famous Five “Five Run Away to Danger” along with “My Side of the Mountain” by Jean Craighead George were my three favorite books about kids running away from home and living on their own to some degree. My mother read this to us when I was probably seven or eight. I went on to read some of the mysteries, but really preferred just the first book.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:39:16 +0000

I have fond memories of my first grade teacher reading this book outloud to our class.

By: David B

David B — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:19:51 +0000

I loved this one, too. I read the whole series (and there were a lot of books in that series); I still remember that getting some of was my first time using interlibrary loan was to get some of the later ones. It was an odd shift though, from the “kids surviving on their own” of the first one to the low-stakes mysteries of the later books in the series. But they may be part of the reason that mysteries have remained my favorite genre fiction.

By: Sondy

Sondy — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:21:25 +0000

My good friend urged me to read The Boxcar Children (with the wonderful second cover shown here). I never read any sequels, but the story of that first one stuck with me. When my first son learned to read, I got him several in the series. They are perfect for a kid reading early, because the stories are gentle, despite the higher reading level. Though he did tire of them before he got them all read.

By: Louise

Louise — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:32:04 +0000

The Boxcar Children series got really boring after the kids were safe with their rich grandfather. This book, the first one, though? Still love it. Will be reading it to my children. The four kids being independent, taking care of each other, their innovations … they were my heroes for years. Well, Henry and Jessie, anyway. Violet and Benny always struck me as drips.

By: G.C.W. Boxcar Children Musuem

G.C.W. Boxcar Children Musuem — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:27:21 +0000

Thank you for this great endorsement of The Boxcar Children. That one book has touched so many lives and generations of families. And, everyone, please do visit our museum in Putnam Ct.

By: DaNae

DaNae — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:14:52 +0000

This book was very important to me as a child. It seemed a great handbook should I ever pursue any of the hundreds of threats I made to run away. I adored how everything had a purpose and such order could be made in the wild.

I was just thinking of it yesterday as I read SUMMER OF THE GYPSY MOTHS. I would be surprised if Pennypacker didn’t have Violet, Benny, Jesse, and Henry echoing through Stella and Angel’s summer.