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  THE BOXCAR CHILDREN MYSTERIES

  THE BOXCAR CHILDREN

  SURPRISE ISLAND

  THE YELLOW HOUSE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY RANCH

  MIKE’S MYSTERY

  BLUE BAY MYSTERY

  THE WOODSHED MYSTERY

  THE LIGHTHOUSE MYSTERY

  MOUNTAIN TOP MYSTERY

  SCHOOLHOUSE MYSTERY

  CABOOSE MYSTERY

  HOUSEBOAT MYSTERY

  SNOWBOUND MYSTERY

  TREE HOUSE MYSTERY

  BICYCLE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY IN THE SAND

  MYSTERY BEHIND THE WALL

  BUS STATION MYSTERY

  BENNY UNCOVERS A MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CABIN MYSTERY

  THE DESERTED LIBRARY MYSTERY

  THE ANIMAL SHELTER MYSTERY

  THE OLD MOTEL MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN PAINTING

  THE AMUSEMENT PARK MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIXED-UP ZOO

  THE CAMP-OUT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY GIRL

  THE MYSTERY CRUISE

  THE DISAPPEARING FRIEND MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SINGING GHOST

  THE MYSTERY IN THE SNOW

  THE PIZZA MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY HORSE

  THE MYSTERY AT THE DOG SHOW

  THE CASTLE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST VILLAGE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE ICE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PURPLE POOL

  THE GHOST SHIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN WASHINGTON, DC

  THE CANOE TRIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN BEACH

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING CAT

  THE MYSTERY AT SNOWFLAKE INN

  THE MYSTERY ON STAGE

  THE DINOSAUR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN MUSIC

  THE MYSTERY AT THE BALL PARK

  THE CHOCOLATE SUNDAE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HOT AIR BALLOON

  THE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE

  THE PILGRIM VILLAGE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN BOXCAR

  THE MYSTERY IN THE CAVE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE TRAIN

  THE MYSTERY AT THE FAIR

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST MINE

  THE GUIDE DOG MYSTERY

  THE HURRICANE MYSTERY

  THE PET SHOP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET MESSAGE

  THE FIREHOUSE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN SAN FRANCISCO

  THE NIAGARA FALLS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY AT THE ALAMO

  THE OUTER SPACE MYSTERY

  THE SOCCER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE OLD ATTIC

  THE GROWLING BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LAKE MONSTER

  THE MYSTERY AT PEACOCK HALL

  THE WINDY CITY MYSTERY

  THE BLACK PEARL MYSTERY

  THE CEREAL BOX MYSTERY

  THE PANTHER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE QUEEN’S JEWELS

  THE STOLEN SWORD MYSTERY

  THE BASKETBALL MYSTERY

  THE MOVIE STAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PIRATE’S MAP

  THE GHOST TOWN MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE BLACK RAVEN

  THE MYSTERY IN THE MALL

  THE MYSTERY IN NEW YORK

  THE GYMNASTICS MYSTERY

  THE POISON FROG MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE EMPTY SAFE

  THE HOME RUN MYSTERY

  THE GREAT BICYCLE RACE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD PONIES

  THE MYSTERY IN THE COMPUTER GAME

  THE HONEYBEE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY AT THE CROOKED HOUSE

  THE HOCKEY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIDNIGHT DOG

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SCREECH OWL

  THE SUMMER CAMP MYSTERY

  THE COPYCAT MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CLOCK TOWER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TIGER’S EYE

  THE DISAPPEARING STAIRCASE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY ON BLIZZARD MOUNTAIN

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SPIDER’S CLUE

  THE CANDY FACTORY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MUMMY’S CURSE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STAR RUBY

  THE STUFFED BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF ALLIGATOR SWAMP

  THE MYSTERY AT SKELETON POINT

  THE TATTLETALE MYSTERY

  THE COMIC BOOK MYSTERY

  THE GREAT SHARK MYSTERY

  THE ICE CREAM MYSTERY

  THE MIDNIGHT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE FORTUNE COOKIE

  THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER MYSTERY

  THE RADIO MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE RUNAWAY GHOST

  THE FINDERS KEEPERS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED BOXCAR

  THE CLUE IN THE CORN MAZE

  THE GHOST OF THE CHATTERING BONES

  THE SWORD OF THE SILVER KNIGHT

  THE GAME STORE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE ORPHAN TRAIN

  THE VANISHING PASSENGER

  THE GIANT YO-YO MYSTERY

  THE CREATURE IN OGOPOGO LAKE

  THE ROCK ’N’ ROLL MYSTERY

  THE SECRET OF THE MASK

  THE SEATTLE PUZZLE

  THE GHOST IN THE FIRST ROW

  THE BOX THAT WATCH FOUND

  A HORSE NAMED DRAGON

  THE GREAT DETECTIVE RACE

  THE GHOST AT THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TRAVELING TOMATOES

  THE SPY GAME

  THE DOG-GONE MYSTERY

  THE VAMPIRE MYSTERY

  SUPERSTAR WATCH

  THE SPY IN THE BLEACHERS

  THE AMAZING MYSTERY SHOW

  THE PUMPKIN HEAD MYSTERY

  THE CUPCAKE CAPER

  THE CLUE IN THE RECYCLING BIN

  MONKEY TROUBLE

  THE ZOMBIE PROJECT

  THE GREAT TURKEY HEIST

  THE GARDEN THIEF

  THE BOARDWALK MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE FALLEN TREASURE

  THE RETURN OF THE GRAVEYARD GHOST

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN SNOWBOARD

  THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD WEST BANDIT

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SOCCER SNITCH

  THE MYSTERY OF THE GRINNING GARGOYLE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING POP IDOL

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN DINOSAUR BONES

  THE MYSTERY AT THE CALGARY STAMPEDE

  THE SLEEPY HOLLOW MYSTERY

  THE LEGEND OF THE IRISH CASTLE

  THE CELEBRITY CAT CAPER

  HIDDEN IN THE HAUNTED SCHOOL

  THE ELECTION DAY DILEMMA

  JOURNEY ON A RUNAWAY TRAIN

  THE CLUE IN THE PAPYRUS SCROLL

  THE DETOUR OF THE ELEPHANTS

  THE SHACKLETON SABOTAGE

  THE KHIPU AND THE FINAL KEY

  THE DOUGHNUT WHODUNIT

  THE ROBOT RANSOM

  THE LEGEND OF THE HOWLING WEREWOLF

  THE DAY OF THE DEAD MYSTERY

  NEW! THE HUNDRED-YEAR MYSTERY

  NEW! THE SEA TURTLE MYSTERY

  Copyright © 2019 by Albert Whitman & Company

  First published in the United States of America in 2019 by Albert Whitman & Company

  ISBN 978-0-8075-0753-7 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-0-8075-0746-9 (paperback)

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  THE BOXCAR CHILDREN® is a registered trademark of Albert Whitman & Company.
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  Printed in the United States of America

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 LB 24 23 22 21 20 19

  Illustrations by Anthony VanArsdale

  Visit the Boxcar Children online at www.boxcarchildren.com.

  For more information about Albert Whitman & Company, visit our website at www.albertwhitman.com.

  100 years of Albert Whitman & Company

  Celebrate with us in 2019!

  Contents

  1. What’s in the Water?

  2. Not a Bird’s Nest

  3. A Clue in the Night

  4. Real Writing, Real Clue

  5. Rangers on Patrol

  6. Too Many Suspects

  7. The Expert at the Restaurant

  8. Turtles Everywhere

  9. Seaweed Marks the Spot

  10. They’re Off!

  What’s in the Water?

  Six-year-old Benny Alden was confused. He tilted his head to the side and looked at the map in his sister Violet’s hands. Violet was ten, and she was helping teach Benny how to read the map. The two were in the back seat of Grandfather’s car on their way to a place called Padre Island. Benny pointed. “I know this word says island, but I thought islands were round. This one looks like a big line on the map.”

  “Padre Island is a barrier island,” said Henry from the front seat. Henry was the oldest of the Alden children. At fourteen, he had learned about different land formations in school. “Most barrier islands are long and narrow and not very far from land. They’re kind of like big sandbars.”

  Benny’s twelve-year-old sister Jessie spoke up next. “Look out the window! We’re about to cross the bridge to the island!”

  Within just a few minutes, Grandfather pulled into a parking lot and stopped the car. It had been a long journey. But the view was worth it.

  Behind them, seagrasses and flowering vines covered the sand dunes. The beach and the ocean were right in front of them. The four children jumped out and ran down to the water. Grandfather followed with Watch, the Aldens’ wirehaired terrier.

  Violet couldn’t believe what she saw. “There are millions and millions of shells here!” she said, picking up a couple. “All different kinds too.” She was so excited about the shells she didn’t even notice when a big blue heron flew overhead.

  “It’s such a wide-open space. We can see for miles,” said Jessie. “I’m going to take lots of pictures.”

  “Where are all the buildings?” asked Benny.

  “There aren’t any houses or shops on this part of the island,” said Grandfather. “This is a national seashore, which is a lot like a national park. The land has been set aside so it can be protected.”

  Henry walked back toward the car to a sandy area in front of the dunes. “Jessie, don’t you think this is a good place for the tent?” he asked. “It’s close to the visitor center and the ranger station.”

  “Yes, it’s perfect,” said Jessie.

  The children piled everything at the spot Henry had chosen. When they were finished and Grandfather was closing up the back of the car, a truck sped past them. It drove right off the road and onto the sand. Then it sped down the beach.

  “I didn’t know people could drive on the beach,” said Henry. “That looks like fun.”

  “This seashore is very long,” said Grandfather. “It would take a lot of time to travel all the way down it on foot. Vehicles help people get there faster. There are speed limits, but you’ll have to watch out for cars on the beach.”

  “We will,” said Jessie.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to camp with us, Grandfather?” Benny asked.

  Grandfather smiled. “I’m sure. I’ll be happy sitting in a rocking chair on the porch of the inn back on the mainland. But when I see you in the evenings, you’ll have to tell me all about your adventures.”

  The children promised they would, then said good-bye. After Grandfather had gone, the Aldens got to work setting up the tent and organizing the supplies. When they were done, Jessie looked over everything. She liked to keep things organized. “It looks like we have everything we need,” she said.

  “It’s a lot more than we had when we lived in the boxcar,” said Henry.

  “That seems like such a long time ago,” Violet said. “I can’t believe we didn’t even want to meet Grandfather back then.”

  After the Aldens’ parents had died, the children had run away. They hadn’t wanted to live with their grandfather because they were afraid he would be mean. They found an old boxcar in the woods and had lived in it until their grandfather found them. He turned out not to be mean at all! Now they lived with Grandfather back in Greenfield, Connecticut, and the boxcar was their clubhouse.

  Jessie picked up her camera and put the strap around her neck. “It was nice of Grandfather to arrange this vacation for us. I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m ready to explore the beach.”

  “Yay!” Benny yelled, running down to the ocean. “The water is so warm!” he called to the others. He jumped up and down, splashing. Then all of a sudden he stopped and looked down. Then he looked back up at the others. Jessie could see that he was scared as he ran back to the beach.

  “There’s something in there!” he yelled. “It’s after me!”

  “Whoa, Benny, don’t be scared,” Henry said. “The water is too shallow for a big fish.”

  Jessie waded in and looked down at the water. “Sometimes the way the waves move over the sand makes it look like something is moving in the water. It’s just a trick on your eyes.”

  “But I did see something,” Benny said. He stretched his arms out as wide as he could. “Something this big.”

  Henry and Watch came to the edge of the water as a big wave came in and then rolled back. Watch barked and stepped back a few steps.

  “There!” yelled Benny.

  Where Benny pointed, a big clump of sand seemed to rise up from the sandy bottom. Watch barked again at the strange shape. Then another wave washed some of the sand away, revealing a strange-looking creature. Benny was right. There was something in the shallows. Something big!

  Not a Bird’s Nest

  “A giant sea turtle!” said Violet. The turtle was much bigger than any she had seen. It had a smooth, light gray shell and long flipper arms, which it was using to pull itself up onto the beach.

  “It’s moving so slow,” said Benny. “Even for a turtle. Is it sick?”

  “I think it’s moving so slowly because it doesn’t have legs like a land turtle,” Jessie said. “I’ve seen these kinds of turtles on TV. It’s amazing how they use their flippers to glide through the water and ride the currents.”

  “Should we help it?” Violet asked. “I think it’s confused.”

  “Silly turtle. Go back to the water,” Benny called.

  “Even if it is confused, we can’t pick it up,” Henry said. “It’s too big.”

  As they watched the turtle crawl up the sand, they heard a voice call, “Don’t go any closer! Stay back! Stay back!”

  Violet jumped. She hadn’t noticed anyone nearby, but a man got out of a white van near the dunes and ran toward them waving his arms. “Stay away! Keep your dog away!”

  The man sounded upset, and the Aldens stepped back.

  “We weren’t going to hurt it,” Henry told him. “We were just wondering why it was out of the water.”

  The man glared at them. “This whole area is a sea turtle nesting ground. This particular species is endangered, so we have to protect them as best we can.”

  “What does endangered mean?” Benny asked.

  “It means there aren’t many of them still living in the wild,” the man said.

  “Are you a park ranger?” Violet asked him. The man wasn’t wearing a uniform, but he wasn’t wearing normal beach clothes either, except for a big straw hat. His tan pants and white shirt looked like the clothes Grandfather wore to his office in the summer.

  “No, I’m not a ranger, but I am a turtle expert.” The man motioned at t
he beach. “You should go play somewhere else.”

  “So this turtle is going to its nest?” asked Violet. She didn’t see anything that looked like a nest.

  “It digs a hole in the sand,” the man said. “That is its nest.”

  Just as the man said this, the turtle stopped crawling. It started using its flippers to wiggle down into the sand.

  “I’ll go get my sandcastle shovel and help it dig!” said Benny.

  “No!” the man shouted. “You might scare it. Turtles always dig nests like this. It knows what it’s doing and doesn’t need any help.”

  Other beachgoers started to notice the turtle. Soon at least a dozen people were gathered. The man with the straw hat kept telling the crowd to leave the turtle alone. As more people stopped to look, the man’s face started to get red with frustration.

  Then a shaggy brown dog wearing a red scarf around its neck ran up. It was panting and dragging a leash. The man grabbed the end of the leash and pulled the dog away just before it got to the turtle.

  “Sandy, no!” a woman called as she ran toward the crowd. She was struggling to hold on to several beach bags as she ran. The woman was wearing a bandanna made of the same fabric as the one around the dog’s neck.

  “Martina, keep better hold of your dog!” the man snapped at her. “I’ve seen him running loose more than once now. If you can’t keep him on a leash, I’ll see that he gets banned from the beach.”

  The woman named Martina took the end of the leash from the man. “He won’t hurt the turtles or the eggs,” she said. “He’s just curious. I know you don’t like dogs, Mr. Chatman, but don’t assume Sandy is a bad dog because of that.”

  The man in the straw hat glared at her. “Even if he doesn’t mean to hurt the turtle, he might scare it. That could make it go back to the water without laying its eggs. Keep him away!”

  “Come on, Sandy,” said Martina. The woman led the dog down the beach and then stopped at a distance to watch the turtle.

  As more people joined the crowd, Mr. Chatman’s face turned even redder. Violet heard him mumble, “It’s no use. There are too many people here now.” He took out his cell phone and made a call. “We’ve got one. Right past mile marker six.”

  As Mr. Chatman was on the phone, Henry noticed a silver truck coming fast down the beach. Too fast. As it got closer, the driver slowed a little, but only to honk at people to get out of the way. Then it sped away. As the truck passed, Henry noticed a picture on its side door of a fish leaping out of the water. Underneath were the words Fischer’s Custom Fishing Trips.