The Boxcar Children Books In Order

Publication Order of Boxcar Children Books

Publication Order of Boxcar Children Special Books

Publication Order of Boxcar Children Graphic Novels

Publication Order of The Boxcar Children Great Adventure Books

Publication Order of The Jessie Files Books

By: Gertrude Chandler Warner, Stacia Deutsch

The Boxcar Children is an adventure-mystery literary franchise that was originally written by Gertrude chandler Warner, an American first grade school teacher. Warner only wrote the first nineteen stories. The rest were written by other authors, though they always feature the by-line “Created by G. Chandler Warner”. Its original publisher was Rand McNally in 1924 though Albert Whitman & Company reissued it later in 1942 in a short revised form. Today, this series includes over 100 titles. Whereas recent novels in this series are set within the present day, most of its original novels were actually set in the 20s and 30s. The Box Car Children is suitable for 2nd and 3rd grade readers.

The Boxcar Children is the story of 4 orphaned children, Jessie, Henry, Benny and Violet. The four make a home for themselves inside an abandoned box car in the forest. Eventually, they meet their grandfather, a wealthy and kind person (although they initially believed he was cruel). The four children decide to start living with their grandfather, who even moves their beloved boxcar into his backyard so that they could use it as their playhouse.

In subsequent novels, the four children encounter many mysteries and adventures within their neighborhood and at locations they visit accompanied by their grandfather. Most of these novels are set within locations these children visit over holidays such as Christmas break or summer vacation.

Based on an online poll carried out in 2007, NEA (National Education Association) named the original novel of the series among Teachers’ Top 100 Children Books’. And in 2012, a survey carried out by the School Library Journal ranked it among the all time Top 100 Chapter Books’

The first novel.

The first novel of this series was published under the title The Box Car’. This novel begins with the four children, taking shelter in a bakery after they buy bread with some little cash they still have. Just to be allowed to spend their night in the bakery, the four agree to give assistance around the bakery. When they later overhear what the baker has in plan for them, they decide to flee. (In the 1924 edition, the four flee because they overhear the baker saying that he would send to their grandfather, who they think will treat them cruelly. But in the second1942 edition, the reason for fleeing is because they overhear that the baker plans on keeping the older 3 siblings but send the younger sibling Benny to live in children’s home. The most recent prints of this book are based upon the 1942 edition.)

After fleeing, they find an abandoned boxcar, in which they begin a new independent life. Henry begins performing various odd jobs for a young doctor (Doctor McAllister in the original 1924 edition and Doctor Moore in other editions) in Silver City, in order to earn the much needed money to buy food and other necessities. He also starts gardening for this doctor’s mother. Later on, she allows him to take home some carrots and parsnips he had picked as they were very small. The four children’s lives are very pleasant and full of hard work till Violet becomes sick and they have to seek assistance from the doctor.

Earlier in this novel, the doctor had read in a newspaper that a certain man, James Alden (James Cordyce in the original 1924 edition) was giving out a $5,000 reward to anyone who knew the whereabouts of his 4 lost grandchildren. They run away because they believed he was cruel. When the doctor takes sick Violet as well as the other three children to his home, he finally decides to contact their grandfather, who comes to the doctor’s house. Trying not to frighten the four children into escaping again, he decides not to reveal his full names. Not knowing he was actually their “cruel” grandfather, they warm to his kindness. Eventually, they are surprised but delighted after they discover that he was their grandfather. Later on, after moving in with them, James allows them to move their boxcar into his backyard to be used for their enjoyment.

The second novel.

In the second novel titled, Surprise Island, the four children spend summer break in their granddad’s island where they also set up a small home and museum. This is because the girls want to set up the little home while the boys want to explore. The boys then find a small cave which turns out to hold lots of historical significance and belongs to a real museum. They gather together illustrations of all the things they observe in the cave, several shells and plants and take them to their museum. The boys also find arrowheads among other interesting things. They’re kept company by a very intelligent man, Joe who seems to have so much knowledge of history than any normal person can. They then find out this knowledgeable man is their cousin, who for a while, had lost his identity. The boys reunite Joe with Alden, their grandfather and the entire family is very happy being together. After summer, the Box car children leave this island with Grandpa to go back to their home.

The Box Car Children’ animated film.

In April 2014, an animated based on The Boxcar Children’ was released bearing this same title. Grandfather Alden voice is played by Sheen Martin, Doctor Moore by JK. Simmons. Joey King, Zachary Gordon, Jadon Sand and Mackenzie Foy voice Jessie, Henry, Benny and Violet, respectively.

The animated film debuted during the Toronto International Film Kids Festival (TiFF/Kids) in April of 2014. It went ahead to play at fifteen more festivals including the Woods Hole Film Festival, St. Louis Film Festival and Spain’s The Gijon Film Festival. The animated film won Best Animated Film in the 2015 St. Tropez Film Festival.

The animated film was released by e-One Entertainment. It then got a limited theatrical run within North America, before coming out on VOD and DVD on the19th of August 2014. TV and streaming rights were exclusively sold to Netflix in October April, 2014. The animated film was produced and directed by Mark A. Dippe and Daniel Chuba. Maureen Sargent Gorman was its executive producer.

The Box Car Children is an intriguing and fun novel series that can be a great starter read for early or tentative readers.