The Boxcar Children #9: Mountain Top Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Boxcar Children (9)
I am re-reading the original 19 in numerical order. A fine romp that continues in the tradition of the previous books. The "mystery" this time is two-fold, first the ever-present identity of the mystery person, this time an Indian boy, and second, the hunt for a hidden treasure. This is the next summer after the previous book and the kids have decided to go where Grandfather was supposed to be taking them when they inadvertently ended up at the Lighthouse last time. The children are obviously older now, though no ages are given. Illustrations of Benny, sometimes called Ben now, show him as an older boy, not the little boy shown on this cover. John Carter is the only recurring character who returns this time but he has now assumed the role of Grandfather's right-hand man. The book has a cultural message about not forgetting the ways of the past, specifically here the "Indians", and presents them in a positive light showing how the Great-Grandmother Indian woman is passing along her skills of sweetgrass basket weaving and wampum bead making to the present generation. This is then the first time in the series in which the book ends with words presuming to tell us that there will be another adventure next summer and that will be time for another story. The series has gone through some minor changes since the early novels but one knows what to expect by this point.
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