Secret of the Yellow House
(Step into Reading: Step 2 Reading with Help)

K-Gr 1--Chandler's original Boxcar Children novels have been abridged and simplified into early readers. In the first book, the four Alden children live in a boxcar until a kind doctor finds and helps them. He introduces the sleuthing siblings to their grandfather, with whom they go to live. Subsequent titles see the children working together to solve mysteries. Digitally drawn characters demonstrate a limited range of expression and diversity. The stories feel a bit like Boxcar Children CliffsNotes: they are condensed in a way that maintains the key plot points, but they lack the coziness of the originals. VERDICT Though these homages to Warner's old stories may appeal to the parents of new readers more than the readers themselves, the books still serve as fun mysteries on a beginner reading level.--Rachel Owens

Copyright 2025 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

K-Gr 1--Chandler's original Boxcar Children novels have been abridged and simplified into early readers. In the first book, the four Alden children live in a boxcar until a kind doctor finds and helps them. He introduces the sleuthing siblings to their grandfather, with whom they go to live. Subsequent titles see the children working together to solve mysteries. Digitally drawn characters demonstrate a limited range of expression and diversity. The stories feel a bit like Boxcar Children CliffsNotes: they are condensed in a way that maintains the key plot points, but they lack the coziness of the originals. VERDICT Though these homages to Warner's old stories may appeal to the parents of new readers more than the readers themselves, the books still serve as fun mysteries on a beginner reading level.--Rachel Owens

Copyright 2025 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.