Gertrude Chandler Warren (1890-1979) was an American teacher and author. She lived her whole life in the small town of Putnam, Connecticut. A shortage of male teachers due to World War I prompted her to start teaching 1st grade in 1918, where she stayed until her retirement in 1950. While she wrote a number of books, she is most famous for her Boxcar Children series – she wrote the first 19 books, and the rest were written by a ghost-writer under her name. The first book, The Boxcar Children, was originally published in 1924, and she later rewrote it to make the vocabulary simpler for her first graders. She continued the series in 1949 with book 2, Surprise Island. Gertrude was a lover of nature and wove that love into her books, especially in Surprise Island. She never married, and did most of her writing while convalescing due to illness or injury. If you ever find yourself near Putnam, CT, you can visit a museum dedicated to her and her books – in an actual boxcar! Definitely worth a visit.

Our library has most of the first 19 Boxcar books that she wrote. They are great for those early readers who are ready to move past the short chapter books. Check them out today!