The Vampire Mystery (Boxcar Children Mysteries)
By Gertrude Chandler Warner

When young Benny Alden checks out the book “The Legend of the Vampire,” from the library, strange things begin to happen in the town of Greenfield.
Mr. Hudson, the author of the book and a friend of the childrens’ grandfather, needs to leave town for a few days and leaves his house in the care of Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny. Since he is trying to sell his house, the children offer to clean up the yard for him while he is gone. Unfortunately, someone has other plans for the house. Flowers are ripped from the garden, the words “Leave me to rest in peace or you will be sorry” is painted in red on the front porch. Something that looks like blood is being left on neighbor’s back porches, and a strange cloaked figure is seen at night in the cemetery behind the house.
Will the Alden children be able to solve the mystery in time? Is the legend of the Greenfield Vampire real, or is someone trying to scare Mr. Hudson and the children?

Exerpt from book:
“After they placed their order, Jessie pulled out her notebook and a pencil. When facing a mystery, the Aldens often found that writing all the facts and clues on paper helped them to see what was going on.
Jessie wrote “Vampire Legend” at the top of the page. “What do we know about the vampire legend?” she asked.
Henry took a long drink of his lemonade. “People around Greenfield used to tell stories about a vampire. We know that vampires are not real, so the people must have done it for fun or to scare each other.”
“And Mr. Hudson heard the stories when he was growing up. He turned them into a book.” Violet added.
“Then Mr. Hudson saw a vampire in the cemetery behind his house.” Benny leaned across the table, eyes wide.
“No, Benny. He saw something that concerned him. He didn’t actually see a vampire,” Henry added.
“Then what did he see?” asked Benny
“We’re not sure,” Henry said.“

True to the “Boxcar Children” series, this book keeps the reader interested and wondering what will happen next. I loved reading about Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny when I was a child; and now my children have that privilege as well. The story is well written and I love the determination of the Alden children to help out their new friend Mr. Hudson. I was captivated from beginning to end, and loved every clue that the children found along the way. This is a wonderful story for children of all ages. I can’t wait to read this again with my children. ( )