The Box-Car Children
Warner, Gertrude Chandler, 1890-1979Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019
Rating 3.9- Word count
- 136K words
- Chapters
- 14
Tags
Children's Literature English Originals TeamworkAdventure JourneyFamily BondsChildhood MemoriesOvercoming AdversityComing of AgeSelf-GrowthHeartwarming NarrativeParent-Child ReadingYouth ReadingSummary
Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Box-Car Children by Gertrude Chandler WarnerAuthor: Warner, Gertrude Chandler, 1890-1979,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: May 24, 2013Editor's review
This is a classic of children's literature by Gertrude Chandler Warner, telling of four children who leave home for a time and make a life for themselves in an abandoned boxcar. The language is plain, the chapters short and the pace brisk, so it appeals to young readers taking on a full-length book, and its themes of family, mutual help and independence make it suitable for reading aloud with parents or for classroom discussion. As a public-domain e-book from Project Gutenberg, its value lies in offering barrier-free access to an early children's novel in its original form and to the simple charm of the story itself. As you read, notice how the children divide the work of finding food and shelter, and how they come to understand home anew. It works well as a bridge for English learners moving from graded readers to original chapter books, and as a reference for those studying children's literature or public-domain e-books.Who it's for
A good fit for
- Primary-school pupils beginning English chapter books who need short stories to build confidence
- Parents who want to read with their children and discuss independence and family
- Intermediate learners practising English reading with public-domain originals
- Readers interested in early children's literature and public-domain electronic resources
Not a good fit for
- Mature novel readers seeking complex plots and strong dramatic conflict
- Teachers wanting annotation, a guide or teaching materials
- Very young beginners who still find reading in English difficult
Reading tips
- Read one or two chapters a day and sum up the main points in a sentence or two afterwards.
- Mark unfamiliar words for everyday objects and actions, then look them up together and make a short word list.
- When reading with a child, hold a brief discussion on what abilities would be needed to live alone.
About the publisher
Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.
Contents
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
FAQ
What level of English is this book suitable for?
The vocabulary is everyday and the sentences are short; it suits intermediate learners who can already read simple chapter books, and works well as a bridge from graded readers to original children's novels.Why is it recommended for reading with a parent?
The story turns on the children's self-reliance and the mutual help among the siblings; the plot is gentle and the chapters are short, so parents can discuss the division of responsibilities and the meaning of family after each chapter without much effort.Is this a complete story or one volume in a series?
This is Warner's children's novel about four children living in an abandoned boxcar. It can be read as a standalone story without prior knowledge of other works.This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.
About the author
Warner, Gertrude Chandler, 1890-1979 AuthorGertrude Chandler Warner (1890–1979) was an American author of children's literature. Public information about the details of her life is limited, but she is known for creating the Boxcar Children series. Two of her works are included here: the children's novel The Box-Car Children and Life's Minor Collisions. The former tells of several children who support one another in difficult circumstances and make their home in an abandoned boxcar, emphasizing self-reliance, sibling bonds, and gentle adventure in simple language suited to young readers; this material later grew into a long-running series with wide influence. The latter, judging by its title, deals with small frictions in everyday life, suggesting that she also wrote light material for general readers. Overall, her writing is marked by clear plots, warmth, and plain prose.