Children's / Audio Book / Adventure
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BLURB: Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny didn’t think the old trunk in their house held anything interesting. But an unusual statue they find inside leads them to the Reddimus Society, a secret guild dedicated to returning lost treasures to where they belong.
Now the Aldens must help their new friends by traveling across the country with the statue and six mysterious boxes! Can the Boxcar Children keep these seven treasures out of the wrong hands?
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HALL WAYS AUDIO BOOK REVIEW: I have a confession: I never read any of the original Boxcar Children series books. And I don't think any of my children did either, and I'm not sure why. This year marks 75 years they've been around, so I thought I'd check them out via the new Great Adventure series. Journey on a Runaway Train is the first of 5 titles coming out in 2017.
The story is modernized with the four kids having/using their cell phones and computers, but some of it didn't quite click (for example, when they needed a phone number, they tried to find a phone book to use. A real phone book.) I loved that when the internet failed to produce any good information for the kids' research, they turned to the local library to dig deeper. For parents who want their children to not only be reading but to learn a few new things, this is a great book and it may encourage kids to want to find out more.
As far as the audio goes, the narrator, Aimee Lilly, did an admirable job of voicing all of the different characters (there are a bunch) and using different accents and pitches. Unfortunately, little Benny's voice affected me like nails on a chalkboard -- and readers hear Benny speaking more than any other character. There is a sprinkling of sound effects that add to the atmosphere, and though I feel they are unnecessary, I imagine kids will enjoy them.
Journey on a Runaway Train has secrets, mysteries, and plenty of adventure that will keep elementary school aged listeners/readers engaged -- and sufficient loose ends to get them to come back for the next installment, The Clue in the Papyrus Scroll, now out. Thank you to Oasis Audio for being at the Texas Library Association annual conference and for giving me an audio book copy with no strings attached.
ABOUT GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER: Gertrude Chandler Warner died in 1979 at the age of 89 after a full life as a teacher, author, and volunteer for the American Red Cross and other charitable organizations. After her death, Albert Whitman & Company continued to receive mail from children across the country asking for more adventures about Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny Alden. In 1991, Albert Whitman added to THE BOXCAR CHILDREN MYSTERIES so that today's children can enjoy many more adventures about this independent and caring group of children. The Boxcar Children now has more than 150 titles.
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