The Horn Book Guide

YOUNGER FICTION

MacLachlan, Patricia

The Boxcar Children Beginning: The Aldens of Fair Meadow Farm

127 pp. | Whitman | September, 2012 | Trade ISBN 978-0-8075-6616-9 $16.99

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Robert Dunn. Created by Gertrude Chandler Warner. This prequel depicts the Alden children happy at home with their parents. The centerpiece is a homespun circus the kids create, an activity that captures the era's low-tech, child-driven entertainment. MacLachlan, in her no-nonsense way, doesn't dwell on the story's inevitable poignant conclusion. Sketchlike pencil illustrations depict the tale's highs and lows and complement MacLachlan's smooth, accessible narrative.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012