Four orphans -- Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny -- discover an abandoned boxcar and move in, embarking on a life of self-reliance and hard work. They also enter a world of freedom and adventure. When Violet falls ill, they're forced to take her to a doctor, even though they'll risk losing their independence by getting a grown-up involved.
Gertrude Chandler Warner read this story to her students and rewrote it many times to make sure that it would be both engaging and easy to read. The Box-Car Children was so successful that she published 18 sequels. Warner noted that the book "raised a storm of protest from librarians who thought the children were having too good a time without any parental control That is exactly why children like it " Ranked among the all-time "Top 100 Chapter Books" in a School Library Journal survey, The Box-Car Children is also among the National Education Association's "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children."
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About the Author
American author Gertrude Chandler Warner (1890-1979) wrote several stories for children, and her 1924 book, The Box-Car Children, was so successful that she published 18 sequels. The series' popularity has continued to grow: there are currently 150 other books, written by many authors, as well as two animated films. Warner was also a school teacher who read the original story to her classes and rewrote it many times to make sure that it would be both engaging and easy to read. She noted that the book raised a storm of protest from librarians who thought the children were having too good a time without any parental control! That is exactly why children like it!
