Boxcar Children Special Books in Order
Boxcar Children Special by Gertrude Chandler Warner contains 21 books, published between 1993 and 2003. The first book is The Mystery on the Ice (1993) and the newest is The Black Widow Spider Mystery (2003). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 21
- Published
- 1993–2003
- Pages on record
- 2,313 in 19 of 21 books
- Reading time
- 39–58 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,313 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 19 of 21 titles with a page count on record.
The Boxcar Children Specials are children's mysteries about orphaned brothers and sisters, published between 1993 and 2003 under Gertrude Chandler Warner's name. The Mystery on the Ice (1993) is the first of 21 books. Many titles name a place, as in The Mystery in Washington D.C., The Niagara Falls Mystery and The Windy City Mystery. The books run to a median of 121 pages, and The Black Widow Spider Mystery (2003) is the last.
How many Boxcar Children Special books are there?
Boxcar Children Special has 21 books, released between 1993 and 2003.
Boxcar Children Special Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 21 Boxcar Children Special books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 1The Mystery on the Ice1993 · confirmed 2/41993–2/4
- 2The Mystery in Washington D.C.1994 · 110 pages · confirmed 2/419941102/4
- 3The Mystery at Snowflake Inn1994 · 100 pages · confirmed 2/419941002/4
- 4The Mystery at the Ballpark1995 · 124 pages · confirmed 2/419951242/4
- 5The Pilgrim Village Mystery1995 · confirmed 2/41995–2/4
- 6The Mystery at the Fair1996 · 120 pages · confirmed 2/419961202/4
- 7The Pet Shop Mystery1996 · 121 pages · confirmed 2/419961212/4
- 8The Mystery in the Old Attic1997 · 113 pages · confirmed 2/419971132/4
- 9The Niagara Falls Mystery1997 · 121 pages · confirmed 2/419971212/4
- 10The Windy City Mystery1998 · 120 pages · confirmed 2/419981202/4
- 11The Mystery of the Queen's Jewels1998 · 121 pages · confirmed 2/419981212/4
- 12The Mystery in New York1999 · 121 pages · confirmed 2/419991212/4
- 13The Mystery of the Black Raven1999 · 133 pages · confirmed 2/419991332/4
- 14The Home Run Mystery2000 · 120 pages · confirmed 2/420001202/4
- 15The Honeybee Mystery2000 · 135 pages · confirmed 2/420001352/4
- 16The Mystery of the Tiger's Eye2001 · 121 pages · confirmed 2/420011212/4
- 17The Mystery of the Screech Owl2001 · 117 pages · confirmed 2/420011172/4
- 18The Mystery of Alligator Swamp2002 · 128 pages · confirmed 2/420021282/4
- 19The Candy Factory Mystery2002 · 114 pages · confirmed 2/420021142/4
- 20The Great Shark Mystery2003 · 144 pages · confirmed 2/420031442/4
- 21The Black Widow Spider Mystery2003 · 130 pages · confirmed 2/420031302/4
Is there a chronological order for Boxcar Children Special?
No separate chronological order is on record for Boxcar Children Special, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.
Do you have to read Boxcar Children Special books in order?
You should read the Boxcar Children Special books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Boxcar Children Special book also stands alone.
Where to start with Boxcar Children Special
Start with The Mystery on the Ice (1993), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Boxcar Children Special book?
The Black Widow Spider Mystery (2003) is the newest Boxcar Children Special book released so far.
Is there a new Boxcar Children Special book coming?
No next Boxcar Children Special book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Boxcar Children Special at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Boxcar Children Special title on record dates from 2003, 23 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Boxcar Children Special books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 2,313 pages across the 19 of 21 books with a recorded length, a median of 121 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Boxcar Children Special books, 13 of 21, were published in the 1990s.
What the Boxcar Children Special books are about
20 of the 21 Boxcar Children Special books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: brothers and sisters is tagged on 20 of 20. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Brothers and sisters 20 of 20 books
- Orphans 20 of 20 books
- Mystery & detective 18 of 20 books
- Children's fiction 12 of 20 books
- Boxcar children (Fictitious characters) 9 of 20 books
- Brothers and sisters in fiction 4 of 20 books
- Orphans in fiction 4 of 20 books
- Baseball 2 of 20 books
More books by Gertrude Chandler Warner
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Gertrude Chandler Warner books in order 200 books
Characters in the Boxcar Children Special books
The character linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Boxcar Children books in order 182 books
Other series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Each series linked below has its own reading-order page.