The spy game

When the Boxcar Children visit a neighbor's house, a mysterious old wedding photo and a riddle lead them on a "spy game" devised long ago by the original owner of the house. When the children hunt for clues they discover amazing things, like a stone path whose pieces fit together into a jigsaw puzzle! But soon the children begin to suspect that there's a mystery inside the mystery. They read about a similar puzzle in one of their new Detective Club books, and they meet a woman who looks eerily like the bride in the old wedding photo. Just who is behind this spy game?

Author Notes

Gertrude Chandler Warner was born in Putnam, Connecticut on April 16, 1890. Due to her poor health, she never finished high school and studied with a tutor. During World War I, a shortage of teachers prompted the local school board to hire her to teach first grade, a position she held for over 30 years. She wrote the first Boxcar book in 1924, while home recuperating from an illness, but the version most people are familiar with was originally published in 1942. The Alden children became so popular that she wrote 19 adventures about them including Surprise Island, Mystery Ranch, and Snowbound Mystery. She died at age 89 August 29, 1979, but the Boxcar Children are still being written about by a team of writers faithful to her vision.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (1)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 2-4-Bennie, Jessie, Violet, and Henry Alden are helping a neighbor remove some slippery stones when they discover a strange inscription. The mystery-solving siblings jump at the chance for another adventure and discover right away that Amanda has a secret of her own. They don't press her to reveal it and instead pursue additional clues. Hoping to find the mysterious gold mentioned on the stone, the busy sleuths unearth even more questions. Everything seems to be coming together when they overhear conversations that lead the children to believe that Amanda's friends are trying to steal the treasure from her. Red herrings abound, which are sure to keep readers interested and on their toes. The story is wrapped up neatly, with a few surprises. A few full-page drawings are scattered throughout. A quick read, with special appeal for reluctant readers.-Julie Shatterly, South County Regional Library, Charlotte, NC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Reviews (1)

School Library Journal Review