I have not yet read this book.

In the 80s and early 90s when the Boxcar Children mysteries had a resurgence, it seemed like hundreds of them were published-- but not all of them were up to the standards of the originals. When I looked at the publication information, I was surprised to find that this was *not* one of the Boxcar Children books that Gertrude Chandler Warren wrote herself. The ghost writer had the perfect touch, with the same easy-reader writing, the same sparky characters, and the same independence. Nowadays I can't imagine any children being able to have the kind of adventures the Boxcar children did-- they are allowed too long a leash. But the attention to detail (like what foods are packed for picnics and snacks) are still there, along with the obligatory red-herring stranger, the mysteries that seem more ominous than they really turn out to be, and the suspicious parties who turn out to be working for the greater good. ( )