The Boxcar Children Mystery & Activities Specials Series

Someone is building a large, fancy house down the street from the Aldens’—a house shielded by a tall stone wall. The only way to approach the house is through an iron gate decorated with huge black widow spiders! Benny is certain the new neighbors must be hiding something…but what could it be? The Boxcar children are determined to investigate.

The Alden children are on vacation at an aquarium in Florida. The Boxcar Children will feed the penguins, swim with dolphins, and come face-to-face with a great white shark! The shark draws crowds and thrills the park’s visitors. But the Aldens soon discover that the shark is in danger—someone at the park wants it gone. The Boxcar Children are determined to fish out the crook before it’s too late for the shark.

The Aldens are down south in Louisiana bayou country, visiting an area that has come to be known as Alligator Swamp. They’re enjoying their time, but something odd is going on—food goes missing, signs disappear, and Benny sees something in the swamp that no one can explain. Could it be the ghost of Gator Ann—a long dead alligator—come back to haunt the swamp and its inhabitants?

When Grandfather’s friend Mrs. Winkles needs some extra workers at her candy factory, the Boxcar Children are thrilled to help. What could be more fun than spending their days making candy? But working in the factory isn’t as sweet as they expected. Workers are quitting, machinery is breaking down, and mysterious threatening messages are appearing on the candy hearts. It looks like someone is sabotaging Mrs. Winkles’s candy!

Grandfather’s college roommate, Edward, has spent years collecting toys, gadgets, and rides from carnivals and state fairs. When the Boxcar Children visit Edward, his mansion seems like a toy-filled paradise for the Boxcar Children. But they soon discover that something is very wrong in the old house. Strange music plays in empty rooms, machines turn themselves on and off, and furniture moves itself from room to room. When the Boxcar Children find out that the world’s most famous magician once performed there, they begin to wonder—could Edward’s house be haunted by the ghost of Harry Houdini?

Grandfather and the children are visiting Broken Moon Pond, where Grandfather used to vacation as a child. The children are enchanted by the beautiful wilderness. But they soon encounter a strange set of coincidences, mishaps, and mysteries that threaten to spoil everyone’s fun. When one night they see an empty boat rowing itself across the water, the Aldens wonder if the pond is really haunted, as the townspeople claim!

The Alden family makes an annual trip to the Sherman farm to stock up on delicious fresh honey only to discover that there is a honey shortage! The Aldens help the Shermans look for clues around the farm to see what’s wrong with the bees. Can the Boxcar Children help keep the Sherman farm from going out of business?

While visiting Pikesville, New York, the Boxcar Children join the exciting last games of the season in a strange old ballpark behind an abandoned factory. The Pikesville Half Moons are playing the Eagles, but the Eagles seem to be hitting far too many home runs. Could they be cheating? Then Violet sees strange lights in the old factory at night. Could the lights—and the losing streak—have anything to do with the sad Pikesville legend of Home Run Herman? The Boxcar Children find out there’s more to be lost in Pikesville than a baseball game.

The Aldens are sight-seeing in New York City. But before the end of their very first day in the city someone steals the priceless Elizabeth Star Diamond from their friend Mr. Pound—and the Boxcar Children spring into mystery-solving action. They track clues through New York City’s Central Park, down busy streets, and into glittering jewelry stores only to find that they have too many suspects! Can they figure out which one is the thief?

Back in the days of the gold fever, one of the Aldens’ ancestors was part of the Four Rock Miners, a group that met annually in Skagway, Alaska. Now the Aldens are keeping the tradition alive by attending a reunion with the descendants of the other miners. But when the raven statue and scrapbook that have belonged to the group for more than a century go missing, it looks like the Aldens have stumbled onto another case!

The Boxcar Children are vacationing in London, England, where there is so much to see and do. Yet, as they eat their fish and chips, watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, and see the famous crown jewels of England, Violet can’t shake the feeling that someone is following them. Have the Aldens flown across the ocean straight into a mystery?

The Aldens are on their first trip to Chicago—the Windy City—and from Wrigley Field to the Sears Tower to Grant Park, there is so much to see. However, when they are given a series of clues in rhyme, they find themselves in the middle of two mysteries—to what are the clues leading and who is writing them?

The Aldens are exploring an old house in Michigan. When they arrive at the mansion, they can’t wait to start looking through all the rooms. They find an old diary that tells that a diamond and pearl ring is hidden in the house. The only way to find the ring is to solve a riddle written in the diary. But someone has already found the ring—and sold it! Who could be responsible?

This is the Boxcar Children’s first trip to Canada, and they are very eager to explore Niagara Falls and all of the attractions in the area. They are even more thrilled when a friend of Grandfather’s asks if they want to help out in his souvenir shop. But then valuable things begin to disappear from the store. The Boxcar Children must find out who is responsible!

The Boxcar Children are going to help out at the Pretty Bird Pet Shop. They are thrilled to have the chance to work with the animals there. But things aren’t going smoothly. The Aldens’ deliveries of pet supplies keep getting mixed up. And someone has let the birds out of their cages. It’s up to the Boxcar Children to find out who’s behind all the trouble!