40 pages • 1 hour read
Gertrude WarnerThe Boxcar Children
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1924A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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BetaChapters 10-13Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 10 Summary: “Henry and the Free-for-All”
Mr. Alden is a rich mill owner nearby. Every year, he holds a Field Day, a series of races for boys and girls. The highlight is the “free-for-all” (102) race anyone can enter. Dr. Moore interrupts Henry’s lawn-mowing and drives him to the Field Day, asking him to make note of all the winners.
Sitting in the bleachers, Henry talks to a little boy who tells him about the free-for-all, which anyone can enter. Henry decides to run the race. He hasn’t trained and doesn’t expect to win but thinks it’ll be fun. He signs in, gets some racing clothes, and heads out to the start. It’s a long race, so he decides to begin easy.
The starting bell rings, and everyone takes off. Henry falls behind, then speeds up to see what he can do. Soon he has passed all but one other racer. Sensing he might win, he runs all out and just passes the lead runner for the win.
Henry is carried on people’s shoulders to Mr. Alden. The boy wins prize money and a silver cup. An official asks his name. Not wanting to reveal his last name, he says simply, “Henry James,” and the scorekeepers put that up on the board. Dr. Moore is now sitting in the bleachers: “The doctor laughed to himself as Henry James shook hands with James Henry” (109).
Henry walks back to Dr. Moore’s and resumes cutting the grass. Dr. Moore arrives, and Henry gives his report on the races. The doctor asks who won the free-for-all; Henry says, “I did.” Dr. Moore acts surprised and asks what Henry plans to do with the prize money. Henry says he’ll give it to Jessie. Dr. Moore says, “Good.”
Back at the boxcar, Henry shows his brother and sisters the silver cup. They’re so excited they can barely eat lunch. He also gives Jessie some fat brown potatoes; she knows how to cook them and promises they’ll be delicious.
After Henry returns to work, Jessie tells Benny it’s time for him to learn how to read. They have no books, but Violet suggests they use some leftover paper and write one. Jessie asks how they’ll make words without a pen or pencil, and Violet says they can burn a stick and use its ashy end to write. Jessie does this and writes “See me” on a page. Benny doesn’t understand, so the girls write “See” on one page and “me” on another, set them on the ground, and Jessie asks Benny to point to “See.” Benny still doesn’t get it.
Just then, Watch barks and puts his paw on “See.” Benny thinks Watch is learning to read, too, and he doesn’t want to fall behind, so he concentrates and quickly learns the two words. By the end of the afternoon, he knows “See me. See me run. I can run. Can you run?” (114)
Jessie wraps the brown potatoes in wet paper and places them under the hot stones of the fireplace. By the time Henry gets home, they’re blackened, and the others think Jessie burned them, but she knows better. She hands them out, and everyone puts butter and salt on them. They’re delicious.
Benny tells Henry he can read and does so from the pages of his “new book.” Henry is pleased. He picks up his tired and sleepy little brother and carries him to the boxcar for the night.
Chapter 11 Summary: “The Doctor Takes a Hand”
Henry brings home new socks for Benny. Jessie uses his old socks to make for him a toy bear. Benny insists that the bear have a long, thin tail so he can pull it as he walks. Surprised but laughing, Jessie agrees to do it. Jessie names the bear “Stockings.”
One day, Jessie trims Benny’s hair. Benny takes the scissors and clips Watch’s fur. He leaves a clump on one side in the shape of a “J” because “You are Jessie’s dog” (120). Jessie sees it and laughs. Violet laughs, too, but her laughs turn to crying, and Jessie realizes her sister is ill.
She makes Violet comfortable in the boxcar, but Violet soon feels worse and starts to shake. When Henry gets home, Jessie says Violet needs a hospital, but Henry says their grandfather will learn about them that way. Instead, he runs to Dr. Moore and asks him for help. The doctor drives Henry to the boxcar—he knows the way without asking—and brings Violet and all the children, plus Watch, back to his house.
The Moores put Violet to bed, and Mrs. Moore opens rooms and beds for the others. Dr. Moore watches over Violet through the night. In the morning, a man visits and asks to see the doctor, but he’s told to wait. The man offers $5,000 to speak to the doctor, but Benny says he’s taking care of Violet and won’t leave her.
The man says he has a grandson Benny’s age, and he’s searching for the boy. Benny says, “Well, if you don’t find him, maybe you can have me […]. I like you” (125-26). Benny asks if the man has a dog; the man says he did, but the dog died. He shows Benny a picture of the dog on the face of his watch. Benny says his dog is named Watch; at this, Watch trots in, followed by Dr. Moore.
Benny and Watch run off to play. The doctor explains that Benny is one of the man’s grandchildren but that all of them are afraid of their grandfather. Henry even changed his name at the Field Day to hide them from him. The man remembers Henry: “I liked that boy. So I am his grandfather” (127).
Chapter 12 Summary: “James Henry and Henry James”
The man, Henry James Alden, wants to bring his grandchildren to live with him, but Mrs. Moore warns him that they’re afraid of him. She suggests he stay awhile, let the children get used to him, and then tell them who he is. He agrees. He offers Dr. Moore the $5,000, but the doctor refuses: “I just want these children to be happy” (129).
At lunch, Mr. Alden meets all the kids but Violet. Mrs. Moore calls him “Mr. Henry,” and Benny laughs because he and Henry have the same name. Henry knows he’s seen the man but can’t remember where. The kids enjoy talking to Mr. Alden. They like him: He’s very kind.
Mr. Alden stays at the house while Violet recovers. He brings her flowers from his garden and chats quietly with her. She says she’d like to visit his garden. Benny wants the man to stay with them. Henry finally remembers where he saw Mr. Alden and asks Dr. Moore the name of the man who gave him the Field Day prize. Dr. Moore gives him Mr. Alden’s full name. Henry is stunned. He goes to Mr. Alden, who admits he’s their grandfather. The other children quickly learn it, too. They realize they’ve been hiding, not from a mean person but from a very nice man.
Mr. Alden asks where the kids are living. They describe their life at the boxcar. Dr. Moore says he knows. The children don’t believe him, but he says he followed Henry part way home one day to see what area he lived in and returned that night to find the boxcar. Jessie and Henry realize Dr. Moore made the noise they heard in the woods the night after Henry’s first day at work. The doctor visited again when the children were picking cherries to make sure the kids had enough food and dishes. Even Mrs. Moore saw the boxcar and inspected their dishes.
Mr. Alden asks why the doctor didn’t inform him. Dr. Moore says, “They were having such a fine time that I didn’t want to tell” (139). Only when Violet got sick did he contact Mr. Alden. The children are eager to show their grandfather their boxcar home. After Violet recovers, they all drive to the boxcar, where the kids give Mr. Alden a tour of everything: the pool, fireplace, “refrigerator” under the waterfall, pine-needle beds, and kitchenware. They all sit on the ground and enjoy a picnic lunch.
As they drive back, Mr. Alden invites them to see his house the next day.
Chapter 13 Summary: “A New Home for the Boxcar”
Mr. Alden drives the children to his house. It’s very large and beautiful. Inside are lots of rooms and flowers and maids. There’s a bedroom for each grandchild. Violet’s room is done in violet; Benny’s room is blue, with bears and dogs and rabbits on the walls, plus plenty of toys. Jessie’s room includes a bed for Watch, who promptly lies in it.
A man comes to the door to get Watch. Jessie is afraid, but Henry assures her they won’t let the man take her dog. Watch greets the man happily. He says he owned Watch and sold him to a lady, but Watch ran away that night. He must return the dog to her. He proves Watch belonged to him by describing a black spot on Watch’s paw that none of the children noticed. Mr. Alden offers to buy the dog, and Henry asks if the lady might accept another dog instead of Watch. The man says that might work, and he gives them the lady’s address.
They drive there. The lady is young and pretty. The kids tell her how Watch came to them and ask if she’ll take another dog so they can keep him. She agrees, and Mr. Alden pays for Watch.
Life at Mr. Alden’s house is wonderful, but the children miss their boxcar. One day, he sends them to visit Dr. Moore while he prepares a surprise. Later that day, they return to their new house, and in the backyard, they find their boxcar with its kitchenware and dinner bell and everything. Mr. Alden had it moved to his house so they could play in it.
Violet thanks her grandfather for the wonderful surprise. She promises: “We’ll never go away from you again” (155).
Chapters 10-13 Analysis
The final chapters introduce the Boxcar Children’s grandfather, James Henry Alden, and bring him together with the kids. The children discover that the man they most fear is the best one to protect and care for them.
Mr. Alden is rich and powerful: “His big mills stood just between Greenfield and Silver City” (101-02). The text isn’t clear about what type of mills these are—mills make everything from ground meal to logs or paper or even steel—but it’s obvious that they’re the source of his great wealth. Running such an operation calls for someone who’s smart, tough, and sometimes bossy. Mr. Alden must dial back some of his hard-charging personality if he wants to win over his grandchildren.
Knowing that Henry and his siblings are Mr. Alden’s grandkids, Dr. Moore drives Henry to Alden’s Field Day races. He wants to see how Henry and Mr. Alden might interact. He knows Henry is very fit and guesses that the boy might enter the free-for-all race. His guess pays off: Henry enters the final race and wins.
The winner’s prize is $25 and a silver cup. Henry “knew how much the twenty-five-dollar prize would mean to Jessie and the rest of the children” (107). For a cash prize to have the same worth today, Mr. Alden would have to give $500. That’s a lot of food for the Boxcar Children.
The doctor watches as Henry accepts his prize and shakes hands with Mr. Alden. The two don’t recognize each other. To the doctor, this means the children have never met their grandfather. It’s a puzzle, and Dr. Moore decides to move cautiously before suddenly bringing them all together.
When Violet becomes ill, Dr. Moore brings her and the other kids to his house. He cares about them, understands their fears about their grandfather, and waits to inform him about them until the time is right. Mr. Alden shows up at Dr. Moore’s house shortly after the kids arrive. The story doesn’t explain how he learns that his grandchildren are there, but it’s clear that, with his vast resources, he has his own people out searching for the children.
The Moores warn him that his grandkids fear him and will run away if he tries too soon to bring them to live with him. The author hints that Mr. Alden, a wealthy and powerful man, can become impatient when people don’t do what he asks. It’s only human that he eagerly wants to connect with his grandkids, but he’s willing to bribe a doctor to get to them.
Dr. Moore uses the power of his authority as a physician to block Mr. Alden’s haste and help him see that he needs to show restraint. The children must find out for themselves that he’s not an ogre before they learn that he’s their grandfather. To his credit, Mr. Alden agrees. He also proves his honesty by insisting that Dr. Moore is still entitled to the $5,000 reward. The doctor, in turn, refuses: He’s doing what’s best for the kids for their own sake, not for a cash prize. Both men thus show that they rank the children’s well-being above their other concerns.
Every book in the Boxcar Children series contains one or more mysteries. In this first book, several of them need to be solved. Dr. Moore must unravel the enigma of Henry and his siblings. The children hear a noise in the woods at night; they later reason that this was Dr. Moore discovering the hidden boxcar home. Henry, meanwhile, figures out who their grandfather is. The original owner of Watch comes forward, and together the Alden family solves the puzzle of how to keep Watch while being fair to his previous owner.
Once the children get to know and like their grandfather, he feels free to shower his generosity upon them. The kids are delighted with their new home, but they’ve just had a grand adventure at the boxcar, an experience that taught them a great deal about self-reliance and cooperation. They miss that experience.
Mr. Alden realizes he can solve this dilemma. He has the boxcar moved from the woods to his backyard, where the children can use it as a clubhouse. In doing so, he manages to move an entire train car to a residential home where no tracks lead to the backyard and does it in a single day. This says much about the sheer size of his wealth and power.
The children are lucky to have found a kindly benefactor with unlimited resources. As the book series continues and the children begin to solve mysteries and crimes, they’ll be glad their grandfather is there to help.
