📖 About The Boxcar Children

The Boxcar Children is a series universe written by Gertrude Chandler Warner. The complete collection runs to 167 books across 5 series, published between 1942 and 2023.

The main series is Publication Order of Boxcar Children Books with 138 books. It opens with The Boxcar Children (1942) and currently runs to The Raptor Rescue (2023).

Series included on this page:

🎯 Where to Start with The Boxcar Children

New readers should begin with the first book of the main series in publication order: The Boxcar Children (1942), book 1 of Publication Order of Boxcar Children Books. Reading in publication order lets the world and characters develop the way the author intended, and it avoids spoilers that later books may contain.

Each of the 5 series on this page is expandable — click a series heading to see every title it contains, in order, with a direct link to buy the book on Amazon.

📚 The Boxcar Children Books in Order

Publication Order of Boxcar Children Books
138 books
1
The Boxcar Children book cover1The Boxcar Children1942Buy on Amazon
The Movie Star Mystery book cover2The Movie Star Mystery1948Buy on Amazon
Surprise Island book cover3Surprise Island1949Buy on Amazon
The Yellow House Mystery book cover4The Yellow House Mystery1952Buy on Amazon
Mystery Ranch book cover5Mystery Ranch1957Buy on Amazon
Mike's Mystery book cover6Mike's Mystery1960Buy on Amazon
Blue Bay Mystery book cover7Blue Bay Mystery1961Buy on Amazon
The Woodshed Mystery book cover8The Woodshed Mystery1962Buy on Amazon
The Lighthouse Mystery book cover9The Lighthouse Mystery1962Buy on Amazon
Mountain Top Mystery book cover10Mountain Top Mystery1964Buy on Amazon
Schoolhouse Mystery book cover11Schoolhouse Mystery1965Buy on Amazon
Caboose Mystery book cover12Caboose Mystery1966Buy on Amazon
Houseboat Mystery book cover13Houseboat Mystery1967Buy on Amazon
Snowbound Mystery book cover14Snowbound Mystery1968Buy on Amazon
Tree House Mystery book cover15Tree House Mystery1969Buy on Amazon
Bicycle Mystery book cover16Bicycle Mystery1970Buy on Amazon
Mystery in the Sand book cover17Mystery in the Sand1971Buy on Amazon
Mystery Behind the Wall book cover18Mystery Behind the Wall1973Buy on Amazon
Bus Station Mystery book cover19Bus Station Mystery1974Buy on Amazon
Benny Uncovers a Mystery book cover20Benny Uncovers a Mystery1976Buy on Amazon
The Animal Shelter Mystery book cover21The Animal Shelter Mystery1991Buy on Amazon
The Haunted Cabin Mystery book cover22The Haunted Cabin Mystery1991Buy on Amazon
The Deserted Library Mystery book cover23The Deserted Library Mystery1991Buy on Amazon
The Old Motel Mystery book cover24The Old Motel Mystery1991Buy on Amazon
The Disappearing Friend Mystery book cover25The Disappearing Friend Mystery1991Buy on Amazon
The Mystery Girl book cover26The Mystery Girl1992Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Singing Ghost book cover27The Mystery of the Singing Ghost1992Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Hidden Painting book cover28The Mystery of the Hidden Painting1992Buy on Amazon
The Amusement Park Mystery book cover29The Amusement Park Mystery1992Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Mixed-Up Zoo book cover30The Mystery of the Mixed-Up Zoo1992Buy on Amazon
The Camp-Out Mystery book cover31The Camp-Out Mystery1992Buy on Amazon
The Mystery Cruise book cover32The Mystery Cruise1992Buy on Amazon
The Mystery in the Snow book cover33The Mystery in the Snow1992Buy on Amazon
The Castle Mystery book cover34The Castle Mystery1993Buy on Amazon
The Pizza Mystery book cover35The Pizza Mystery1993Buy on Amazon
The Mystery Horse book cover36The Mystery Horse1993Buy on Amazon
The Mystery at the Dog Show book cover37The Mystery at the Dog Show1993Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Lost Village book cover38The Mystery of the Lost Village1993Buy on Amazon
The Canoe Trip Mystery book cover39The Canoe Trip Mystery1994Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Purple Pool book cover40The Mystery of the Purple Pool1994Buy on Amazon
The Ghost Ship Mystery book cover41The Ghost Ship Mystery1994Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Hidden Beach book cover42The Mystery of the Hidden Beach1994Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Missing Cat book cover43The Mystery of the Missing Cat1994Buy on Amazon
The Mystery on Stage book cover44The Mystery on Stage1994Buy on Amazon
The Dinosaur Mystery book cover45The Dinosaur Mystery1995Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Stolen Music book cover46The Mystery of the Stolen Music1995Buy on Amazon
The Chocolate Sundae Mystery book cover47The Chocolate Sundae Mystery1995Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Hot Air Balloon book cover48The Mystery of the Hot Air Balloon1995Buy on Amazon
The Mystery Bookstore book cover49The Mystery Bookstore1995Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Stolen Boxcar book cover50The Mystery of the Stolen Boxcar1995Buy on Amazon
The Mystery in the Cave book cover51The Mystery in the Cave1995Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Lost Mine book cover52The Mystery of the Lost Mine1996Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Secret Message book cover53The Mystery of the Secret Message1996Buy on Amazon
The Mystery on the Train book cover54The Mystery on the Train1996Buy on Amazon
The Guide Dog Mystery book cover55The Guide Dog Mystery1996Buy on Amazon
The Hurricane Mystery book cover56The Hurricane Mystery1996Buy on Amazon
Boxcar Children Bookshelf book cover57Boxcar Children Bookshelf1996Buy on Amazon
The Mystery in San Francisco book cover58The Mystery in San Francisco1997Buy on Amazon
The Outer Space Mystery book cover59The Outer Space Mystery1997Buy on Amazon
The Mystery at the Alamo book cover60The Mystery at the Alamo1997Buy on Amazon
The Firehouse Mystery book cover61The Firehouse Mystery1997Buy on Amazon
The Soccer Mystery book cover62The Soccer Mystery1997Buy on Amazon
The Growling Bear Mystery book cover63The Growling Bear Mystery1997Buy on Amazon
The Cereal Box Mystery book cover64The Cereal Box Mystery1998Buy on Amazon
The Mystery at Peacock Hall book cover65The Mystery at Peacock Hall1998Buy on Amazon
The Panther Mystery book cover66The Panther Mystery1998Buy on Amazon
The Black Pearl Mystery book cover67The Black Pearl Mystery1998Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Lake Monster book cover68The Mystery of the Lake Monster1998Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Stolen Sword book cover69The Mystery of the Stolen Sword1998Buy on Amazon
The Mystery in the Mall book cover70The Mystery in the Mall1999Buy on Amazon
The Basketball Mystery book cover71The Basketball Mystery1999Buy on Amazon
The Gymnastics Mystery book cover72The Gymnastics Mystery1999Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Pirate's Map book cover73The Mystery of the Pirate's Map1999Buy on Amazon
The Ghost Town Mystery book cover74The Ghost Town Mystery1999Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Wild Ponies book cover75The Mystery of the Wild Ponies2000Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Empty Safe book cover76The Mystery of the Empty Safe2000Buy on Amazon
The Mystery at the Crooked House book cover77The Mystery at the Crooked House2000Buy on Amazon
The Poison Frog Mystery book cover78The Poison Frog Mystery2000Buy on Amazon
The Great Bicycle Race Mystery book cover79The Great Bicycle Race Mystery2000Buy on Amazon
The Mystery in the Computer Game book cover80The Mystery in the Computer Game2000Buy on Amazon

+ 58 more books…

Publication Order of Boxcar Children Special Books
21 books
2
The Mystery on the Ice book cover1The Mystery on the Ice1993Buy on Amazon
The Mystery in Washington D.C. book cover2The Mystery in Washington D.C.1994Buy on Amazon
The Mystery at Snowflake Inn book cover3The Mystery at Snowflake Inn1994Buy on Amazon
The Mystery at the Ballpark book cover4The Mystery at the Ballpark1995Buy on Amazon
The Pilgrim Village Mystery book cover5The Pilgrim Village Mystery1995Buy on Amazon
The Mystery at the Fair book cover6The Mystery at the Fair1996Buy on Amazon
The Pet Shop Mystery book cover7The Pet Shop Mystery1996Buy on Amazon
The Mystery in the Old Attic book cover8The Mystery in the Old Attic1997Buy on Amazon
The Niagara Falls Mystery book cover9The Niagara Falls Mystery1997Buy on Amazon
The Windy City Mystery book cover10The Windy City Mystery1998Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Queen's Jewels book cover11The Mystery of the Queen's Jewels1998Buy on Amazon
The Mystery in New York book cover12The Mystery in New York1999Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Black Raven book cover13The Mystery of the Black Raven1999Buy on Amazon
The Home Run Mystery book cover14The Home Run Mystery2000Buy on Amazon
The Honeybee Mystery book cover15The Honeybee Mystery2000Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Tiger's Eye book cover16The Mystery of the Tiger's Eye2001Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of the Screech Owl book cover17The Mystery of the Screech Owl2001Buy on Amazon
The Mystery of Alligator Swamp book cover18The Mystery of Alligator Swamp2002Buy on Amazon
The Candy Factory Mystery book cover19The Candy Factory Mystery2002Buy on Amazon
The Great Shark Mystery book cover20The Great Shark Mystery2003Buy on Amazon
The Black Widow Spider Mystery book cover21The Black Widow Spider Mystery2003Buy on Amazon
Publication Order of Boxcar Children Graphic Novels
10 books
3
The Yellow House Mystery book cover1The Yellow House Mystery2009Buy on Amazon
Tree House Mystery book cover2Tree House Mystery2009Buy on Amazon
Surprise Island book cover3Surprise Island2009Buy on Amazon
The Boxcar Children book cover4The Boxcar Children2009Buy on Amazon
Mystery Ranch book cover5Mystery Ranch2009Buy on Amazon
Blue Bay Mystery book cover6Blue Bay Mystery2009Buy on Amazon
Mike's Mystery book cover7Mike's Mystery2009Buy on Amazon
The Haunted Cabin Mystery book cover8The Haunted Cabin Mystery2010Buy on Amazon
The Amusement Park Mystery book cover9The Amusement Park Mystery2010Buy on Amazon
The Pizza Mystery book cover10The Pizza Mystery2010Buy on Amazon
Publication Order of The Boxcar Children Great Adventure Books
5 books
4
Journey on a Runaway Train book cover1Journey on a Runaway Train2017Buy on Amazon
The Clue in the Papyrus Scroll book cover2The Clue in the Papyrus Scroll2017Buy on Amazon
The Detour of the Elephants book cover3The Detour of the Elephants2017Buy on Amazon
The Shackleton Sabotage book cover4The Shackleton Sabotage2017Buy on Amazon
The Khipu and the Final Key book cover5The Khipu and the Final Key2017Buy on Amazon
Publication Order of The Jessie Files Books
3 books
5
The Friendship Feature book cover1The Friendship Feature2022Buy on Amazon
Talk of the Town book cover2Talk of the Town2022Buy on Amazon
A Dramatic Disappearance book cover3A Dramatic Disappearance2023Buy on Amazon

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How many The Boxcar Children books are there?
There are 167 books in the The Boxcar Children collection, organised into 5 series and published between 1942 and 2023.
What is the first The Boxcar Children book?
The first book is The Boxcar Children, published in 1942.
What order should I read the The Boxcar Children books in?
Most readers use publication order, which is the order the books were originally released. A chronological order is also provided on this page for readers who prefer to follow the internal timeline of the story.
Who wrote the The Boxcar Children books?
The The Boxcar Children books were written by Gertrude Chandler Warner.
Is the The Boxcar Children series finished?
The main series, Publication Order of Boxcar Children Books, has 138 books so far. The most recent title listed on this page gives the current end point of the series.
When did the The Boxcar Children series start?
The earliest title in this collection was published in 1942, and the most recent in 2023.