FICTION

Surprise Island Adventure: Bk. 2

by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Random. (Boxcar Children Early Reader (Step into Reading)). Jan. 2025. 32p. Tr $14.99. ISBN 9780593901854; pap. $5.99. ISBN 9780593901847.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 1–Chandler’s original Boxcar Children novels have been abridged and simplified into early readers. In the first book, the four Alden children live in a boxcar until a kind doctor finds and helps them. He introduces the sleuthing siblings to their grandfather, with whom they go to live. Subsequent titles see the children working together to solve mysteries. Digitally drawn characters demonstrate a limited range of expression and diversity. The stories feel a bit like Boxcar Children CliffsNotes: they are condensed in a way that maintains the key plot points, but they lack the coziness of the originals.
VERDICT Though these homages to Warner’s old stories may appeal to the parents of new readers more than the readers themselves, the books still serve as fun mysteries on a beginner reading level.
Reviewed by Rachel Owens , Jan 01, 2025

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