The children are off at a cabin in the woods and suddenly SQUIRRELS! IN THE CEILING! Oh, and they also get snowed in by a freak storm that dumps four feet of snow on them. But from the way they go on, the squirrels are totally the problem...

In any case, the first 80% or so of the book is pretty good. It's nice to see the kids mostly out on their own and the setting is fun. The mystery is... pretty terrible. The secret ingredient in family buns? Really? (And we, the read, never find out!)

Then we get out of the snow and for some reason spend a huge chunk of the book with Grandfather just outright buying a store for someone and setting them up... and even working the counter for a while for a lark?

"That's why we came," said Mr. Alden. "You need a change. We'll sell while you go out to eat lunch."

Feels weird. Could have just been left out as far as I'm concerned.

Not the strongest, but pretty good. ( )

BL3

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny are spending a week in a log cabin in the woods. When a terrible snowstorm hits the area, the Boxcar Children are trapped!

I liked the book for many reasons. The language was very descriptive, yet simple for students to read and comprehend. The writing was engaging for readers because this may have been one of the first mystery books they would be exposed to. The characters worked well together and they were well-developed The plot provided suspense for readers when the children were trying to figure out what the family was hiding. When they figured out the family wanted the recipe they all worked together to find the recipe for biscuits that the father's dad made. They needed to figure out the secret ingredient. The moral or message of the story would be to work together and when you work together, you will achieve your goals faster. ( )

When a terrible snowstorm hits the area, the Boxcar Children are trapped. To make matters worse, there's something very suspicious about their cabin. What are all those strange markings on the closet door? And what are all those strange noises the Boxcar Chldren hear in the night?