Surprise Island

The second Boxcar Children book and the first of the formula that would come to define the series. It's summer and the children are off to an adventure to an island Grandfather *owns*, more or less by themselves (although two other adults live on the island). They make a house, explore, find mysteries, and generally have an idyllic time.

“Now, tell us, Grandfather,” cried Henry. “We ran all the way home from school.”

From an adult perspective, it remains bizarre. Grandfather left them alone with an old friend and a new stranger (at the time) to fend for themselves. They have the run of the island and nearly drown at one point. But from a child's, it's a cute story and teachers the value of adventure, learning, and self show more sufficiency, while still turning to adults when you need to and listening to the voices of experience. It's escapism and it's enjoyable.

I'd argue [b:The Boxcar Children|297249|The Boxcar Children (The Boxcar Children, #1)|Gertrude Chandler Warner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1173489650l/297249._SX50_.jpg|945340] was stronger, but it's a good bridge into what I vaguely remember/expect will be the formula for a time to come.

Then Henry said, “Grandfather, that’s one thing we can’t understand. Why didn’t we ever get to go into that little yellow house? Doesn’t it belong to you?”

Mr. Alden looked at his grandchildren. Then he said quietly, “That’s another story.”

That it is. :) show less

The story of the Boxcar Children continues with Surprise Island. The kids have grown accustomed to their new life with their grandfather. But sometimes they miss the days where they had adventures and lived on their own in an abandoned boxcar. So their grandfather has a surprise for them. They get to spend the summer on an island he owns! They have adventures....meet a new friend....and make some cool discoveries!

Another cute story in this children's adventure series! While enjoying this story, I had to smile. The adult in me kept wanting to think "oh my gosh, this is just not safe!'' But the kid still lurking in me was like "Woo Hoo! A whole summer vacation on an island! SO MUCH FUN!!'' So, I firmly told the adult in me to shut up. show more It's a children's story....let the kids have fun! :)

I listened to the audio book version of this story. Narrated by Tim Gregory, the audio (Oasis Audio) is just over 2.5 hours long. Gregory reads at a nice pace and does a great acting job, even with the children's voices. There are also some sound effects here and there. Nice listening experience! I like listening to these stories while doing house or yard work because they are happy, innocent and just fun. Brain candy! :)

Surprise Island was published in 1949. It is a little bit dated, but not badly enough to hamper enjoyment of the story. Nineteen books in this series were written by the original author, Gertrude Chandler Warner. More than 130 books have been added to the series by other writers with the newest book, Secret on the Thirteenth Floor, coming out in September 2019! I'm so curious how the newer books compare to the original series! I might have to skip around a bit and read some of the new books to see what I think. :)

On to the next book in this series -- The Yellow House Mystery! show less

I liked this even better than the first one. There were a few great surprises plus my son and I had important conversations based on what we read. They aren't called "Indians" anymore and a he is old enough to understand why. And it was great to read about a kid his age, Benny, having an inappropriate temper tantrum just like he still does occasionally; reading the family's negative reactions to this event was a nice insight for my son. Great time and he's looking forward to #3.

On the final day of school, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny rush home from school to find out Grandfather's surprise, which is....they get to spend the summer on his private island! The only other people on the island are Captain Daniels and his handyman, Joe, who is more than he appears to be. The children have a wonderful time setting up home in a barn, exploring, swimming, clamming, and discovering signs of Indian civilization in a cave at the beach. (This part doesn't age perfectly. They discover an arrowhead, an axe-head, the makings of wampum, and part of an actual skeleton.) Joe knows a lot about what the children have dug up - it turns out he used to work for a museum, and also, he's the children's cousin! Surprises abound. But show more what about the old yellow house on the island....? show less

I'm giving this three stars because my kids liked it, but I don't think I can stand to read any more of these. The children are nauseatingly wholesome and the adults are just bizarre.

In this second book, the four Alden children are spending the summer on an island. Able to make their "home" in an old barn, they spend their days cooking, cleaning, and exploring the island. The children run into one surprise after another: the first being a mysterious man who knows so much about the animals and plants on the island he can't just be a handyman; the second being a bone that appears to be human!

More of a mystery than the first one...I like how she kept the independence of the children even after they found their grandfather and moved in with him. My 3rd grade mystery group liked the balance of mystery and adventure a lot!

This was the first book I had read in this series and it will not be the last! The Alden kids take a trip to Maine to explore a forty-year-old mystery. The imagery stimulates your imagination and it feels like you are camping and canoeing with the Boxcar Children. This was a great read for me and I would highly recommend it. I would use this book to teach predictions, because there are plenty of opportunities to guess what could possibly happen next for these kids!