The Boxcar Children Books in Order
The Boxcar Children follows the four orphaned Alden siblings—Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny—who turn an abandoned railroad boxcar into a home and go on to solve mysteries wherever they travel. Begun by Gertrude Chandler Warner in 1924 and continued by later authors, it has grown into a long-running children's mystery series.
Publication order
In the order the books were originally released.
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Buy on Amazon1924 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
Four orphaned siblings, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, run away rather than be sent to a grandfather they believe is cruel. They make a cozy…
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Buy on Amazon1949 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
Now settled with their kind grandfather, the four Alden children spend the summer on an island he owns. While exploring beaches and caves, they…
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Buy on Amazon1953 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Aldens return to their old boxcar and turn their attention to a long-empty yellow house nearby. A faded note and an unsolved family disappearance…
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Buy on Amazon1958 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden children visit their Aunt Jane, who lives alone on a remote ranch and seems unwelcoming at first. As they settle in, they grow curious…
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Buy on Amazon1960 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
Visiting their friend Mike in a small mining town, the Aldens become caught up in trouble when a fire and a theft strike the area. Suspicion falls…
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Buy on Amazon1961 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden family travels to a tropical island in the South Seas for a vacation full of swimming and exploring. Strange footprints and signs that…
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Buy on Amazon1962 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
While staying at a relative's old New England home, the Aldens become intrigued by a locked woodshed and tales of long-ago Revolutionary War history.…
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Buy on Amazon1963 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden children spend a seaside vacation near an old lighthouse, where they meet new friends and notice puzzling goings-on along the shore.…
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Buy on Amazon1964 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Aldens head to the mountains for a vacation, staying in a cabin near a rugged peak. They become curious about a hidden cave and a reclusive…
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Buy on Amazon1965 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden children travel to help out at a small school on a remote island where supplies and money keep going missing. As they pitch in with lessons…
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Buy on Amazon1966 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
On a train trip with Grandfather, the Aldens ride in a caboose and befriend the railway crew. Along the journey, valuables begin to vanish from the…
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Buy on Amazon1967 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden family rents a houseboat for a vacation cruising along the water. When they discover clues left behind by a previous traveler and notice…
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Buy on Amazon1968 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
A fierce snowstorm strands the Aldens and a few others at a house in the country, cut off from the outside world. As they wait out the blizzard…
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Buy on Amazon1969 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
While staying next door to a family with a backyard tree house, the Alden children become intrigued by the neighbors' old home and its secrets.…
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Buy on Amazon1970 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The older Alden children set off on a bicycle trip through the countryside, staying at inns along the way. When they keep crossing paths with a…
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Buy on Amazon1971 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
Vacationing at a lakeside resort, the Aldens become curious about an abandoned house and odd happenings around the sandy shore. Strange diggings and…
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Buy on Amazon1973 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden children grow curious about a high stone wall surrounding an old estate near their home. Hints of something hidden behind it and a…
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Buy on Amazon1974 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
When bad weather forces the Aldens to wait at a bus station, they notice suspicious strangers and an abandoned bag. What begins as an ordinary delay…
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Buy on Amazon1976 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
Benny takes a part-time job at Grandfather's friend's business and quickly senses something is not right there. Missing goods and a suspicious worker…
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Buy on Amazon1991 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Aldens stay at a cabin rumored to be haunted, where strange noises and eerie events unsettle the other guests. Refusing to believe in ghosts, the…
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Buy on Amazon1991 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden children pitch in to help save an old library that is threatened with closing. As they sort through dusty shelves, they discover clues…
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Buy on Amazon1991 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Aldens volunteer at a local animal shelter that is struggling and may have to close. When animals and supplies begin to go missing, the children…
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Buy on Amazon1991 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden family stays at an old motel where odd events and unhappy guests suggest someone wants the place to fail. Curious about who would want to…
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Buy on AmazonThe Mystery of the Hidden Painting
1992 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Aldens become involved with a painting connected to their own family's history. A long-lost artwork and the secrets surrounding it draw the…
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Buy on Amazon1992 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden children spend time at an amusement park where strange accidents and mishaps keep happening. Worried that someone is causing the trouble on…
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Buy on AmazonThe Mystery of the Mixed Up Zoo
1992 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
While helping at a zoo, the Aldens discover that animals are mysteriously ending up in the wrong enclosures. Convinced someone is behind the mix-ups,…
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Buy on Amazon1992 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden children go on a camping trip in the woods, eager for hiking and outdoor fun. When supplies vanish and they notice signs that someone is…
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Buy on Amazon1992 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
A quiet, secretive girl arrives in the Aldens' town, and no one seems to know much about her. Curious about where she came from and why she keeps to…
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Buy on Amazon1992 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden family sets sail on a cruise ship for a vacation at sea. When valuables go missing aboard and a passenger acts suspiciously, the children…
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Buy on AmazonThe Disappearing Friend Mystery
1992 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
A friend of the Aldens begins acting strangely and then seems to disappear, worrying the children. Sensing that something is wrong, they set out to…
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Buy on AmazonThe Mystery of the Singing Ghost
1992 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
While staying at an old house, the Aldens hear an eerie singing sound that others believe is a ghost. Certain there must be a real explanation, the…
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Buy on Amazon1993 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden children head to a snowy mountain lodge for a winter vacation full of skiing and sledding. When belongings start disappearing and they spot…
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Buy on Amazon1993 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Aldens help out at a friend's pizza restaurant that is suddenly losing customers and having trouble. Suspecting someone wants the business to…
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Buy on Amazon1993 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden children become involved with a horse and the mystery surrounding its owner or its past. Curious about the animal and the strange events…
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Buy on Amazon1993 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Aldens attend a dog show where prized dogs and entries begin to mysteriously go missing or face trouble. Suspecting foul play among the…
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Buy on Amazon1993 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden family stays in a real castle that has been brought over and rebuilt, full of history and hidden corners. Strange happenings and rumors of…
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The Mystery of the Lost Village
1993 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Aldens travel to a village that has been abandoned and become curious about why everyone left. As they explore the empty buildings, they find…
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Buy on AmazonThe Mystery of the Purple Pool
1994 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
While staying at a hotel with a swimming pool, the Aldens are puzzled when the pool water mysteriously turns purple. Convinced someone is behind the…
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Buy on Amazon1994 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
During a seaside vacation, the Aldens hear local legends about a ghost ship said to appear off the coast. Skeptical of the spooky stories, the…
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Buy on Amazon1994 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden children set off on a canoe trip down a river, paddling through wilderness and camping along the banks. When they notice suspicious…
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Buy on AmazonThe Mystery of the Hidden Beach
1994 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
On a beach vacation, the Aldens become curious about a hidden cove and odd happenings along the shore. Signs that someone is searching for something…
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Buy on AmazonThe Mystery of the Missing Cat
1994 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
When a beloved cat goes missing, the Alden children take on the case of finding it. As they search the neighborhood, they discover that other pets…
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Buy on Amazon1994 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Aldens get involved with a stage production, helping out behind the scenes of a play. When props go missing and odd accidents threaten the show,…
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Buy on Amazon1995 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden children visit a dig site or museum connected to dinosaurs, fascinated by the fossils and bones. When something valuable goes missing or…
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Buy on AmazonThe Mystery of the Stolen Music
1995 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Aldens become caught up in a mystery when music or a valuable musical item goes missing. Suspecting a thief among the performers, the children…
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Buy on Amazon1995 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden children spend time at an ice cream shop where strange things keep interfering with business. Suspecting someone wants the shop to fail,…
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Buy on AmazonThe Mystery of the Hot Air Balloon
1995 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Aldens attend a hot air balloon festival, thrilled by the colorful balloons and races. When sabotage and suspicious accidents threaten the event,…
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Buy on Amazon1995 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden children help out at a bookstore that is struggling to stay open. When books and clues hint at a hidden secret, the siblings become…
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Buy on AmazonThe Mystery of the Stolen Boxcar
1995 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Aldens' beloved boxcar, kept in Grandfather's backyard, suddenly disappears. Determined to get it back, the children set out to discover who…
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Buy on Amazon1996 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden family travels out west, where they become curious about an old, possibly lost mine. Rumors of hidden treasure and a connection to the past…
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Buy on Amazon1996 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Aldens become involved with guide dogs in training when one of the valuable dogs goes missing. Worried for the dog and the program, the children…
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Buy on Amazon1997 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Alden children become fascinated by space and visit a place connected to astronomy or rockets. When strange events and possible sabotage occur,…
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Buy on Amazon1999 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
When a movie is filmed in the Aldens' area, the children get a behind-the-scenes look at the production. As props go missing and odd accidents…
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Companion & related books
Short-story collections and companion titles in this series.
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Buy on Amazon1993 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Boxcar Children visit an icy location and must solve a mystery connected to the winter setting and frozen landscape.
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Buy on Amazon1994 · Gertrude Chandler Warner
The young detectives travel to America's capital city and uncover a mystery involving the nation's historic landmarks and monuments.
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Frequently asked questions
What order should I read the The Boxcar Children books in?
Publication order — Widely recommended by readers and reflected in the publisher's (Albert Whitman & Company) own numbering of the series Start with “The Boxcar Children.”
How many books are in the The Boxcar Children series?
We list 64 books by Gertrude Chandler Warner , published between 1924–2018.
Where can I buy the The Boxcar Children books?
Each title above links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted an error? We continuously correct the catalog.