The Boxcar Children / Gertrude Chandler Warner / 154 pages / First Book in a Series

This first book in the Boxcar Children series finds Henry, James, Violet and Benny orphaned and afraid to meet their grandfather who is now responsible for them.  They fear he is old and cranky and not understanding.  They decide life on their own will be better, and make a home for themselves in an abandoned boxcar.  They scavenge the dump for usable treasures.  Henry finds work doing odd jobs for a local doctor.  When the doctor reads an ad for lost children in the newspaper and sees the $500 reward, he wonders what he should do.  This story actually ends with..."and they all lived happily ever after."  First published in 1942, The Boxcar Children books remain pertinent for today's children.