Mike's Mystery

So... the children own a town now? That's cool. And Mike's family ([b:Surprise Island|156809|Surprise Island (The Boxcar Children, #2)|Gertrude Chandler Warner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1172264372l/156809._SX50_.jpg|151321]) lives there. Such mystery!

No, actually the mystery comes up when Mike's house burns down. Which ... actually ends up working out because instead of doing laundry (which she doesn't care for) now Mike's mother can make pies for a living. 60 pies a day! Sure.

It's a cute enough book, but the way money is treated by the various characters is just bizarre. The children think nothing of buying all sorts of equipment to help get Mrs. Wood set up and basically give her a show more building. Nothing is said about paying it back or paying rent. They sell pies (we assume?) but is that sustainable? Who even knows! The kids don't care, but I do!

It's fine. Probably the weakest of the first five, but still worth reading. show less

ISBN 0807551414 - The Boxcar Children series became a quick favorite for me when I discovered them - decades after their first publication! The language is a bit stilted, I assume that's partially because the books were written in the 1950s and 1960s and people simply spoke more correctly.

The children return to the ranch they own to visit Aunt Jane and see all the changes that have taken place in the past year. The first person they run into is Mike Wood, a boy they met on Surprise Island. Benny and Mike immediately take to bickering with one another again, but they're all on the same side when Mike's house is burned to the ground. It appears to be arson and a rumor starts that Mike was the cause of the fire, but the children know show more better - and they want to catch the man who did it before he causes even more destruction.

It's nice to see that the author has connected two previous books (Surprise Island (Boxcar Children) and Mystery Ranch (Boxcar Children)) to this one, for the continuity and because kids will enjoy recognizing characters beyond the Alden children. Illustrations by Dirk Gringhuis are nice, not spectacular. For funny, and one thing kids might miss, there's some astonishment that the kids are being picked up at the train station by Maggie, driving a car, as if cars - and women driving them! - are very unusual. The copyright is 1960, so they probably were less common, but it's still amusing. Mike's Mystery shares a message about helping others, as well as being fun entertainment. RL3, ages 7-12.

- AnnaLovesBooks show less

The Aldens return to Aunt Jane's ranch/uranium mine, and Benny's friend Mike's house burns down - arson! The kids are on the case.

The gang revisits the URANIUM mine and help figure out who burned a house down. Not surprising, they all live happily ever after. Until the radiation kills them. :-)

This book is about Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny who go to visit their Aunt Jane’s house over the summer. The is the 5th book in the Boxcar Children series and builds on the 4th book in the series titled “Mystery Ranch”. The mystery in this story is a case of arson. The house by Aunt Jane’s burns down, leaving a few clues for the Boxcar Children to solve. Mike is Benny’s friend and the day after Benny met him, his house burned down. Mike is being blamed for the arson, but thankfully his friends are trying to prove his innocence.

It looks like the cover art has been updated to reflect 2012 fashion of t-shirts, jeans and shorts. However, the inside has the original illustrations and text. Some of the language might be a bit show more old-fashioned for young readers, but the author had created these books as early reader chapter books in the 60’s. I can’t really say anything bad about this book because I used to love them when I was little. The series, written by Gertrude Chandler Warner, was designed for elementary students. The series has won so many awards and been reprinted so many times, I would say it is a good addition to any school or public library. As an adult, the text seems very simplistic…but it is perfect for early readers who are ready to start chapter books. The adventure and mystery is exciting to them. The series will make young readers want to live in a boxcar and solve mysteries. show less

The Aldens head back to Mystery Ranch for another summer! They are thrilled to learn their friend Mike has moved to Yellow Sands--a new town nearby. But when a house fire breaks out and Mike is blamed for starting it, the Aldens must find the real culprit to help their friend.

While the children are visting Mystery Ranch, their friend Mike is accused of starting a fire. They know Mike is innocent, but how do they prove it?