Children's Book Express 

Lauri Berkenkamp (Children's Literature) 
In this graphic novelization of the first book in the beloved  Boxcar Children series, the Alden children struggle to find food, shelter, and a way to stay together. Orphaned and homeless, the four siblings find an abandoned boxcar in the woods and decide to make it their home. Their eldest brother, Henry, finds work at a doctor s house to support his brother Benny and sisters, Jessie and Violet, all the while keeping their existence a secret from his employer. The family is happy together in their boxcar in the woods, until Violet becomes very ill. The doctor discovers the children are the missing grandchildren of the very rich Mr. Alden. The doctor introduces the children to their grandfather, and the family is whole once again. This adaptation of the full-length chapter book to graphic novel may appeal to reluctant readers, but the plot is cut to the bone, illustrations are