Mystery in San Francisco (8 page)

Shortly thereafter, Aunt Jane and Uncle Andy arrived.

“Is everyone ready for dinner?” Aunt Jane asked.

“We sure are,” Benny answered.

Vito said, “Come to my place. Dinner’s on me.” He turned to Joe. “You’re not charging me for those fish you brought in this morning, are you, Joe?”

Joe shook his head. “No. They’re my gift to you,” he mumbled. “It’s the least I can do.”

Kate introduced the Beans to her sister, Kim, and to Sam Goodall. Then everyone — except Joe, who stayed behind to repair the nets — headed for Vito’s Vittles. On the way there, the Aldens excitedly discussed the events of the day.

In the distance, the sky was a brilliant red. The lights on the Golden Gate Bridge looked like bright beads strung across the bay. This was truly a beautiful city. And there was so much of it left to see.

“So, Vito, what’s the catch of the day?” Uncle Andy asked.

The Aldens smiled at one another. They had just helped uncover a troublemaker. That was the real catch of the day.

Laughing, Jessie said, “It was a big one, Uncle Andy. A really big one!”

G
ERTRUDE
C
HANDLER
W
ARNER
discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book,
The Boxcar Children,
quickly proved she had succeeded.

Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write the mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car — the situation the Alden children find themselves in.

When Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.

While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner’s books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens’ independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible — something else that delights young readers.

Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.

The Boxcar Children Mysteries

T
HE
B
OXCAR
C
HILDREN

S
URPRISE
I
SLAND

T
HE
Y
ELLOW
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY
R
ANCH

M
IKE’S
M
YSTERY

B
LUE
B
AY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
W
OODSHED
M
YSTERY

T
HE
L
IGHTHOUSE
M
YSTERY

M
OUNTAIN
T
OP
M
YSTERY

S
CHOOLHOUSE
M
YSTERY

C
ABOOSE
M
YSTERY

H
OUSEBOAT
M
YSTERY

S
NOWBOUND
M
YSTERY

T
REE
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

B
ICYCLE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY IN THE
S
AND

M
YSTERY
B
EHIND
THE
W
ALL

B
US
S
TATION
M
YSTERY

B
ENNY
U
NCOVERS
A
M
YSTERY

T
HE
H
AUNTED
C
ABIN
M
YSTERY

T
HE
D
ESERTED
L
IBRARY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
A
NIMAL
S
HELTER
M
YSTERY

T
HE
O
LD
M
OTEL
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
IDDEN
P
AINTING

T
HE
A
MUSEMENT
P
ARK
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
IXED
-U
P
Z
OO

T
HE
C
AMP
-O
UT
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY
G
IRL

T
HE
M
YSTERY
C
RUISE

T
HE
D
ISAPPEARING
F
RIEND
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
INGING
G
HOST

M
YSTERY IN THE
S
NOW

T
HE
P
IZZA
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY
H
ORSE

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
D
OG
S
HOW

T
HE
C
ASTLE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
OST
V
ILLAGE

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON THE
I
CE

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
P
URPLE
P
OOL

T
HE
G
HOST
S
HIP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN
W
ASHINGTON
, DC

T
HE
C
ANOE
T
RIP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
IDDEN
B
EACH

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
ISSING
C
AT

T
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M
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S
NOWFLAKE
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NN

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M
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TAGE

T
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D
INOSAUR
M
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T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
TOLEN
M
USIC

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
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ALL
P
ARK

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C
HOCOLATE
S
UNDAE
M
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HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
OT
A
IR
B
ALLOON

T
HE
M
YSTERY
B
OOKSTORE

T
HE
P
ILGRIM
V
ILLAGE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
TOLEN
B
OXCAR

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
C
AVE

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON THE
T
RAIN

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
F
AIR

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
OST
M
INE

T
HE
G
UIDE
D
OG
M
YSTERY

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H
URRICANE
M
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P
ET
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HOP
M
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HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
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ECRET
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ESSAGE

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F
IREHOUSE
M
YSTERY

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HE
M
YSTERY IN
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AN
F
RANCISCO

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N
IAGARA
F
ALLS
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
A
LAMO

T
HE
O
UTER
S
PACE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
S
OCCER
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
O
LD
A
TTIC

T
HE
G
ROWLING
B
EAR
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
AKE
M
ONSTER

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT
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EACOCK
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ALL

T
HE
W
INDY
C
ITY
M
YSTERY

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B
LACK
P
EARL
M
YSTERY

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C
EREAL
B
OX
M
YSTERY

T
HE
P
ANTHER
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
Q
UEEN’S
J
EWELS

T
HE
S
TOLEN
S
WORD
M
YSTERY

T
HE
B
ASKETBALL
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
OVIE
S
TAR
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
P
IRATE’S
M
AP

T
HE
G
HOST
T
OWN
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
B
LACK
R
AVEN

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
M
ALL

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN
N
EW
Y
ORK

T
HE
G
YMNASTICS
M
YSTERY

T
HE
P
OISON
F
ROG
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
E
MPTY
S
AFE

T
HE
H
OME
R
UN
M
YSTERY

T
HE
G
REAT
B
ICYCLE
R
ACE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
W
ILD
P
ONIES

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN THE
C
OMPUTER
G
AME

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
C
ROOKED
H
OUSE

T
HE
H
OCKEY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
IDNIGHT
D
OG

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
CREECH
O
WL

T
HE
S
UMMER
C
AMP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
C
OPYCAT
M
YSTERY

T
HE
H
AUNTED
C
LOCK
T
OWER
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
T
IGER’S
E
YE

T
HE
D
ISAPPEARING
S
TAIRCASE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON
B
LIZZARD
M
OUNTAIN

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
PIDER’S
C
LUE

T
HE
C
ANDY
F
ACTORY
M
YSTERY