Title: The Boxcar Children: The Camp-out Mystery
Author: Gertrude Chandler Warner
Genre: Mystery
The Boxcar Children. Doesn't sound interesting, does it? Well, it’s a mystery, and who can resist a good, hardy mystery? This story takes place in the early spring, in a campsite called Blue Mound State Park. The Alden family are going camping, when it’s still cold. They follow an arrow at a split road path, which leads them to a dead end. They drive back and fix the arrow, turning it so it leads whoever is next to go camping. After they did that, they meet a store owner, Dorothy, who acts really unusual. Since the Alden's grandpa met her before, he knew she was acting different. She, and the park ranger (who they meet further on), are both urging them to leave. However, the Aldens refuse to leave. That night, they hear loud music and dancing lights through the forest trees. Then food starts going missing. It could be an animal, that’s what Violet, one of the Aldens, thought. One day the 4 children, Henry, Violet, Jessie, and Benny went hiking, leaving their dog, Watch, behind with their grandpa. They were surprised to meet another family (the Changs) camping … with a radio. Benny suspects that they were the ones disturbing the peace at night, but the family denies. They say that they were too tired last night and they didn't hear any loud music. The next day, the Alden’s lantern disappear, just as the Changs were about to leave. The Changs warn them that this campsite was dangerous – and that the Aldens should leave, too. Something tells them to leave, but they are determined to stay. That’s how they felt, until they find a terrifying note pinned to a tree with an arrow. When their grandpa went missing, that was the last straw. The children needed to get to the bottom of it. Who’s doing it and why? The choices are there for you to decide. Is it the Changs? Dorothy? Or the park ranger? Or maybe some that wasn't mentioned yet? Read “The Boxcar children: The Camp-out Mystery” to find out.
I would recommend this book to everyone who can read. Whatever age you are, The Boxcar Children will remain exciting. However, it's a bit simple for older grades. It is also suitable for passionate readers, who usually don’t peek at the end of a book. That will spoil the huge surprise at the end. The content is appropriate for beginners and the text is big, making it easy to follow. The story itself was well-written, though they could work on the cover page. A lot of people will pick up this masterpiece, and then put it back down, due to the lack of excitement. I chose the book since the saying goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” When I read it, it was a thriller from beginning to end. Each page drew me to the book, filling my mind with beautiful images. It’s hard to forget about, and I am still thinking about it now. Need a good book? Then “The Boxcar children: The Camp-out Mystery” is perfect for you.
