Author: Gertrude Chandler Warner (later books in the series are written under her name, but by different authors)
Recommended Age: 8-11
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Books in Series: I have read and reviewed the first five books (as listed here), but there are well over 150 adventures in the series with more being released every year.
Summary: After their parents die, the four Alden children run away to live in a boxcar in the woods. There they hide from their grandfather who they believe to be unkind and cruel. But could they be wrong about him?
Notes from The Radical Reader:
- Noble Characters: The Alden children were some of my favorite literary characters as a child. While they sometimes exhibit practically perfect characteristics (a trait which may irritate older readers), qualities like honesty, courage, and sibling affection are always encouraged and portrayed by these amateur detectives.
- Captivating Plots: The mysteries the Alden children find themselves in are never graphically violent, grotesque, or crude. The children often recall their parents’ deaths with sadness, but the details are never descriptively given on how they died.
- Elaborate Worlds: The Alden children and their grandfather journey all around the world helping friends through their problems, willingly stepping in when trouble arises, and always embarking on adventures. But mysteries always seem to be close behind. And the Alden siblings are some of the best detectives to be found!
