The Boxcar Children Beginning: The Aldens of Fair Meadow Farm. by Patricia MacLachlan. September 1, 2012. Albert Whitman & Company. 144 pages. ISBN: 9780807566169Long before they become those well-loved orphans living secretly in a boxcar to escape their supposedly evil grandfather, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny live at Meadowview Farm with their parents. In the final year before their parents die, the four kids care for animals, open their home to strangers whose car breaks down during a bad snowstorm, and even put on a free circus for their neighbors to distract them from “hard times.” Above all, even when the inevitable sad ending arrives, they care for and love one another. This book is being published to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the publication of The Boxcar Children.
I had mixed feelings about reading this book, but my curiosity won out over my reservations. Having read many of the original titles as a kid, I found that I really wanted to know what life was like before that opening scene in The Boxcar Children where the four kids stand hungry before the bakery window. I was worried, though, that even the talents of Patricia MacLachlan could not preserve the charm and warmth of the original series. It turns out I was a little bit right about that, but I still wasn’t entirely disappointed.
The first thing I noticed, for better or for worse, is the fact that the writing style in this prequel is clearly that of Patricia MacLachlan. I guess I didn’t really expect her to try imitating Gertrude Chandler Warner, since that would feel even less authentic, but I found the change in voice from the original books to this one to be quite jarring. This is why I think this book should be seen as a tribute or homage to the original author and her narrative world rather than a true part of the series. If this were the first book a child read in the Boxcar Children series, I think that would be too bad and would somehow diminish the overall reading experience.
Once I settled into the story, I became further convinced that this is definitely a book to be read after becoming familiar with the Boxcar Children, not before. There are lots of hints throughout the text to the death of the Alden parents, which I suppose could be seen as foreshadowing, but really won’t have nearly as much meaning for anyone who doesn’t know already how things turn out. There are lots of details, too, that hint at the roles each of the children will play later on in the series, characterizations which on their own are easy to breeze by, but combined with knowledge from the series give the reader a bit of a knowing smile.
On its own, without considering the series as a whole, the book was just okay for me. I felt a strong sense of detachment from the characters, as though I could never really get close enough to them to feel what they were feeling, or worry about what worried them. The tone of the book is very upbeat and positive. Even when “hard times” strike, the Alden family seems to greet them with a smile, always ready for the next challenge. I know some parents will be pleased to have such a wholesome story to share with their kids, but I would argue that it’s even more wholesome than the already tame original series, and that it borders on painfully sweet. I also think the latter half of the book zips by far too quickly, with barely a climax before the denouement and conclusion. I felt like the parents’ death happened mainly because it was supposed to for the sake of continuity, and not because it made any logical sense as an ending to this particular story. I almost think I would have liked it better had MacLachlan stopped short of telling that segment of the story, and just gave us a glimpse into the Alden kids’ lives before becoming orphans.
Finally, it is worth noting that there is no mystery in this book. I found that to be the oddest thing of all, given that it is a mystery series. I was fully expecting there to be some sort of detective work happening on the family farm, but there was none, and that was a disappointment. Kids who read this series for its mysterious storylines might give up on this one early on once they realize how far it deviates from the formula they’re used to.
Recommend The Boxcar Children Beginning to chapter book readers already familiar with the series, and buy copies for nostalgic folks who read the series as kids.
I received a digital ARC of The Boxcar Children Beginning from NetGalley.
For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.
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