THE BOXCAR CHILDREN® MYSTERIES

  THE BOXCAR CHILDREN

  SURPRISE ISLAND

  THE YELLOW HOUSE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY RANCH

  MIKE’S MYSTERY

  BLUE BAY MYSTERY

  THE WOODSHED MYSTERY

  THE LIGHTHOUSE MYSTERY

  MOUNTAIN TOP MYSTERY

  SCHOOLHOUSE MYSTERY

  CABOOSE MYSTERY

  HOUSEBOAT MYSTERY

  SNOWBOUND MYSTERY

  TREE HOUSE MYSTERY

  BICYCLE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY IN THE SAND

  MYSTERY BEHIND THE WALL

  BUS STATION MYSTERY

  BENNY UNCOVERS A MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CABIN MYSTERY

  THE DESERTED LIBRARY MYSTERY

  THE ANIMAL SHELTER MYSTERY

  THE OLD MOTEL MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN PAINTING

  THE AMUSEMENT PARK MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIXED-UP ZOO

  THE CAMP-OUT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY GIRL

  THE MYSTERY CRUISE

  THE DISAPPEARING FRIEND MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SINGING GHOST

  THE MYSTERY IN THE SNOW

  THE PIZZA MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY HORSE

  THE MYSTERY AT THE DOG SHOW

  THE CASTLE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST VILLAGE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE ICE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PURPLE POOL

  THE GHOST SHIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN WASHINGTON, DC

  THE CANOE TRIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN BEACH

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING CAT

  THE MYSTERY AT SNOWFLAKE INN

  THE MYSTERY ON STAGE

  THE DINOSAUR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN MUSIC

  THE MYSTERY AT THE BALL PARK

  THE CHOCOLATE SUNDAE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HOT AIR BALLOON

  THE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE

  THE PILGRIM VILLAGE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN BOXCAR

  THE MYSTERY IN THE CAVE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE TRAIN

  THE MYSTERY AT THE FAIR

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST MINE

  THE GUIDE DOG MYSTERY

  THE HURRICANE MYSTERY

  THE PET SHOP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET MESSAGE

  THE FIREHOUSE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN SAN FRANCISCO

  THE NIAGARA FALLS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY AT THE ALAMO

  THE OUTER SPACE MYSTERY

  THE SOCCER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE OLD ATTIC

  THE GROWLING BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LAKE MONSTER

  THE MYSTERY AT PEACOCK HALL

  THE WINDY CITY MYSTERY

  THE BLACK PEARL MYSTERY

  THE CEREAL BOX MYSTERY

  THE PANTHER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE QUEEN’S JEWELS

  THE STOLEN SWORD MYSTERY

  THE BASKETBALL MYSTERY

  THE MOVIE STAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PIRATE’S MAP

  THE GHOST TOWN MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE BLACK RAVEN

  THE MYSTERY IN THE MALL

  THE MYSTERY IN NEW YORK

  THE GYMNASTICS MYSTERY

  THE POISON FROG MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE EMPTY SAFE

  THE HOME RUN MYSTERY

  THE GREAT BICYCLE RACE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD PONIES

  THE MYSTERY IN THE COMPUTER GAME

  THE HONEYBEE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY AT THE CROOKED HOUSE

  THE HOCKEY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIDNIGHT DOG

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SCREECH OWL

  THE SUMMER CAMP MYSTERY

  THE COPYCAT MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CLOCK TOWER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TIGER’S EYE

  THE DISAPPEARING STAIRCASE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY ON BLIZZARD MOUNTAIN

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SPIDER’S CLUE

  THE CANDY FACTORY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MUMMY’S CURSE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STAR RUBY

  THE STUFFED BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF ALLIGATOR SWAMP

  THE MYSTERY AT SKELETON POINT

  THE TATTLETALE MYSTERY

  THE COMIC BOOK MYSTERY

  THE GREAT SHARK MYSTERY

  THE ICE CREAM MYSTERY

  THE MIDNIGHT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE FORTUNE COOKIE

  THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER MYSTERY

  THE RADIO MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE RUNAWAY GHOST

  THE FINDERS KEEPERS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED BOXCAR

  THE CLUE IN THE CORN MAZE

  THE GHOST OF THE CHATTERING BONES

  THE SWORD OF THE SILVER KNIGHT

  THE GAME STORE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE ORPHAN TRAIN

  THE VANISHING PASSENGER

  THE GIANT YO-YO MYSTERY

  THE CREATURE IN OGOPOGO LAKE

  THE ROCK ’N’ ROLL MYSTERY

  THE SECRET OF THE MASK

  THE SEATTLE PUZZLE

  THE GHOST IN THE FIRST ROW

  THE BOX THAT WATCH FOUND

  A HORSE NAMED DRAGON

  THE GREAT DETECTIVE RACE

  THE GHOST AT THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TRAVELING TOMATOES

  THE SPY GAME

  THE DOG-GONE MYSTERY

  THE VAMPIRE MYSTERY

  SUPERSTAR WATCH

  THE SPY IN THE BLEACHERS

  THE AMAZING MYSTERY SHOW

  THE PUMPKIN HEAD MYSTERY

  THE CUPCAKE CAPER

  THE CLUE IN THE RECYCLING BIN

  MONKEY TROUBLE

  THE ZOMBIE PROJECT

  THE GREAT TURKEY HEIST

  THE GARDEN THIEF

  THE BOARDWALK MYSTERY THE MYSTERY OF THE FALLEN TREASURE

  THE RETURN OF THE GRAVEYARD GHOST

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN SNOWBOARD

  THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD WEST BANDIT

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SOCCER SNITCH

  THE MYSTERY OF THE GRINNING GARGOYLE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING POP IDOL

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN DINOSAUR BONES

  THE MYSTERY AT THE CALGARY STAMPEDE

  THE SLEEPY HOLLOW MYSTERY

  THE LEGEND OF THE IRISH CASTLE

  THE CELEBRITY CAT CAPER

  HIDDEN IN THE HAUNTED SCHOOL

  THE ELECTION DAY DILEMMA

  THE DOUGHNUT WHODUNIT

  THE ROBOT RANSOM

  THE LEGEND OF THE HOWLING WEREWOLF

  THE DAY OF THE DEAD MYSTERY

  THE HUNDRED-YEAR MYSTERY

  THE SEA TURTLE MYSTERY

  SECRET ON THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR

  THE POWER DOWN MYSTERY

  MYSTERY AT CAMP SURVIVAL

  THE MYSTERY OF THE FORGOTTEN FAMILY

  THE SKELETON KEY MYSTERY

  SCIENCE FAIR SABOTAGE

  NEW! THE GREAT GREENFIELD BAKE-OFF

  NEW! THE BEEKEEPER MYSTERY

  Copyright © 2021 by Albert Whitman & Company

  First published in the United States of America in 2021 by Albert Whitman & Company

  ISBN 978-0-8075-2857-0 (paperback)

  ISBN 978-0-8075-2873-0 (ebook)

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  THE BOXCAR CHILDREN® is a registered trademark of Albert Whitman & Company.

  Printed in the United States of America

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 LB 26 25 24 23 22 21

  Illustrations by Hollie Hibbert

  Visit The Boxcar Children® online at www.boxcarchildren.com.

  For more information about Albert Whitman & Company,

  visit our website at www.albertwhitman.com.

  Contents

  Choose a Path. Follow the Clues. Solve the Mystery!

  Setting Out

  White-Water Ride

  Long Way Round

  White-River Falls

  Journey to the Sawmill

  The Bandit River Museum

  On the River Again

  A Fishy Detour

  Onward, Upward

  The Hiking Cabin

  Journey Through the Dark

  Race to the Mountain

  Through Rockslide Creek

  Around the Bend

  Helping Hand

  Rockslide Mountain

  The Mountain Shelter

  RACE THROUGH WHITE-WATER CANYON

  CHOOSE A PATH. FOLLOW THE CLUES. SOLVE THE MYSTERY!

  Can you help the Boxcar Children crack the case? Follow the directions at the end of each section to decide what the Aldens do next. But beware—some routes will end the story before the case is solved. After you finish one path, go back and follow the other paths to see how it all turns out!

  SETTING OUT

  “Well, what do you know? We made it!” Grandfather Alden exclaimed.

  Fourteen-year-old Henry looked out the window just in time to see a wooden welcome sign whiz by. It read, “Welcome to Hemlock, Washington. Population: 51,
201.”

  Henry’s younger brother, Benny, pushed his nose up the glass. He was six and was getting antsy after the long drive from the airport. “Can I roll down the window?” he asked.

  “Good idea,” said Grandfather. “I’ll bet these trees smell wonderful!”

  Benny rolled down his window, and on the other side of the car, his ten-year-old sister, Violet, rolled hers down too. A rush of warm August air blew through the vehicle. The smell of evergreen trees filled the children’s noses.

  Jessie took a deep breath and looked up from the map she’d been reading. At twelve, she was the second oldest of the Alden children. She liked to pay attention to the details of their trips. “I wonder if that is why the town is named Hemlock,” she said. “Because of the hemlock trees.”

  “I reckon so,” Grandfather said from the driver’s seat.

  “Are these all hemlocks?” Benny asked, looking out at the rows of tall green trees lining the road.

  “Not all of them,” said Henry. He’d learned a lot about trees this year in his outdoor adventures after-school club. “But many are. Spruce and fir and pine too.”

  The fresh air reminded Benny of the time he and his siblings had spent in the forest. After their parents had died, the children had run away. They’d found an abandoned boxcar in a forest and made it their home. That was before Grandfather found them and brought them to live with him in the town of Greenfield, Connecticut.

  Benny loved living with Grandfather, but he’d also loved all of the adventures the children had had in the boxcar. He hoped they would find another adventure now, all the way on the other side of the country.

  It wasn’t long before the car turned onto a street lined with shops. Hemlock was a small town, and that reminded Benny of Greenfield. But instead of having maples and birches along the street, Hemlock was decorated with the same evergreens they’d seen on the drive in.

  Grandfather pulled up to a building that looked like an old log cabin. He parked the car under a sign with the name HEMLOCK TOURS hand-painted in bright yellow letters.

  As the Aldens were getting out of the car, a man about Grandfather’s age came out from the cabin and waved. He had short black hair and a big smile. He was wearing a red plaid shirt and brown fishing pants.

  “James Alden!” the man said. He gave Grandfather a big hug. Then he adjusted his round spectacles and looked over the children. “And these must be your grandchildren.”

  “Yes. This is Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny. Children, this is my old friend, Jacob Sully. We met many years ago in college. He owns and runs Hemlock Tours with his daughter, Elizabeth. She’s the one who will be leading your tour.”

  “She goes by Liz now,” Jacob said, winking over his spectacles. “Nice to meet you, kids. And welcome to Hemlock. Ready for the best three days of your lives?”

  “Am I ever!” said Benny. The Aldens had spent weeks planning their river-rafting trip. After so much waiting, Benny couldn’t wait to get started.

  Jacob opened the door to the cabin. The inside was friendly and comfortable with a fireplace and a few big, comfy couches. All across the walls were hiking, rafting, and fishing gear: life vests, fishing rods, kayaks, and many other knickknacks. A big map of Washington State hung in the middle of the wall, marked with the many places visitors could go on tours.

  A woman with the same black hair and big smile as Jacob was sitting in a log armchair, tightening the laces on her waterproof boots. She stood up as the Aldens arrived.

  “This is my daughter, Liz. She leads the rafting and hiking tours,” Jacob explained. “Liz, these are the Aldens: Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny.”

  “What a great crew! I can already tell we’re going to have a great time,” Liz said cheerfully. “Have any of you ever gone white-water rafting before?”

  “We’ve been on lots of kinds of boats, but this will be our first time rafting,” Henry said.

  “Perfect! It’s toward the end of the season, so the water level will be lower. That means plenty of exciting rapids. But there are also fewer visitors, so we’ll be able to take our time.”

  “Is it more dangerous at this time of year?” Violet asked.

  “It can be,” Liz replied. “But don’t you worry. I’ll make sure you all know your way around the gear and the rapids. I promise, over the next few days, you’ll have the best tour in the Pacific Northwest.”

  “If you’re all set, you should get going,” Jacob said. “While you’re on your white-water adventure, your grandfather and I will be having a much more easygoing time—fly fishing.”

  “Isn’t that the kind where you stand in the river all day?” Benny asked.

  Jacob nodded. “That’s right.”

  “That sounds boring,” said Benny.

  Grandfather chuckled. “Yes. It’s very boring, and that’s precisely why I love it. You’ll understand one day when you’re older.”

  Benny wasn’t so sure about that. But he was happy Grandfather would be doing something he liked while they were on their rafting tour.

  “If you’re ready to head out, I have a pack prepared for each of you,” Liz said. She gestured toward the door where four hiking packs were waiting on a bench. Liz already had her pack slung over her shoulder.

  “These are heavy. What’s inside?” Benny asked.

  “Everything we’ll need for our trip,” Liz said. She grinned. “Think you can handle it?”

  Benny shouldered the pack. He tipped over a little bit from the weight but then stood up straight. “I sure can!”

  The children said good-bye to Grandfather and took their packs. Then they followed Liz outside.

  “You can load your things in my truck,” Liz said, pointing up the street. “The green one that says Hemlock Tours on it. Dad likes me to park it on the corner because he says it’s good advertising.”

  “Are there a lot of tours out of Hemlock?” Henry asked.

  “Oh yes. We have quite a bit of competition,” Liz said. “But I like to think we stand out above the rest.”

  As the group walked, loud music blasted from a truck behind them. They were about to cross the street when Liz grabbed Benny and pulled him back.

  “Look out!”

  It was just in time. A blue pickup turned in front of them, speeding through the crosswalk. On the side of the truck were the words Bandit River Tours. The truck sped away.

  “Speaking of competition…” Liz grumbled. “Anyways, come on. Here’s my truck.”

  The Aldens helped Liz load up the gear before climbing inside. It was a tight squeeze, but Liz assured them it wasn’t a long ride.

  “That truck said ‘Bandit River,’” Violet said. “Is that the name of a river around here? I didn’t see it on Jessie’s map.”

  Liz sighed. She drove the truck down a curvy road. Luckily the truck’s big tires seemed well equipped to navigate the way, and Liz did not seem worried. “The real name is Hemlock River. But some folks in town call it Bandit River after…let’s call it a local legend,” Liz said.

  Before Violet could ask more about Bandit River, the trees cleared, and the view took her breath away. A wide stretch of blue water flowed in front of them, sparkling in the afternoon sun. The road ended at a parking lot and a long boat dock.

  Several trucks and cars were parked near the dock, including the Bandit River Tours truck. As Liz parked, a man with a green bandanna tied around his forehead got out, followed by a young couple who started taking pictures with their phones.

  “This is the bottom of Sixth Street,” said the bandanna-wearing tour guide. “Here you’ll see the lamppost that went out on the night Fred Feriston made his escape.”

  The couple started taking photos of the lamppost at the corner of the parking lot.

  “It doesn’t look very special to me,” Henry said.

  “It’s not, but people will still pay top dollar to take a photo of it,” Liz muttered.

  “Hey, Liz!” the other tour guide called, louder than was necessary. “How’s it going? Seen any cool trees today?” The last part sounded especially unnecessary.

  “It’s going fine, Jonny. No cool trees today. How are you?” Liz called back, though Jessie didn’t think she sounded like she really wanted to know.

  The guide for Bandit River Tours leaned on his truck and gave a grin. “Oh, you know. Business is booming. My inbox is overflowing. The spirit of Fred Feriston is alive and well. I’m glad to see you got at least one tour booked before the end of the season,” he said, flashing a competitive smile.

  Jessie could tell that Liz and Jonny did not get along. “Just ignore him,” she suggested.

  “Good idea,” Liz agreed, turning her back on Jonny and smiling to the Aldens. Together they unloaded the truck and chatted as they made their way down to the river.