I read just about every one of these I could get my hands on when I was a child. In my later teens, I picked up the series again to see what it was that I liked so much about the series. The answer: realistic characters, believable storyline, and a kind of summer escapist's daydream into some things that I may never do or experience as much as the boxcar children did. The characters in particular were well crafted. The villains always had a reason for their crime that seemed reasonable from their point of view (unlike the standard evil villain cliches seen in many childrens' mysteries). The Boxcar Children themselves appeared kind at heart yet at the same time weren't snobs either. I've definitely outgrown the series in terms of reading ability and criticism, but that doesn't stop me from recognizing good writing when I see it (I don't believe that Gertrude Chandler Warner actually wrote all of these books, but whoever continued in her stead was a good writer and emulator). This a great series for boys and girls alike still in grade school--books that are wholesome, yet interesting and enjoyable as well.
There's this Yorkshire terrier dog and they named it Shadow and they didn't know whose it was. They thought it was a stray, but it obeyed. But it didn't obey to stop whining because it whined all the time.
