The Boxcar Children^® Beginning:
The Aldens of Fair Meadow Farm

By Patricia MacLachlan
Cover by Tim Jessell

Before they were the Boxcar Children, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden lived with their parents at Fair Meadow Farm.

Although times are hard, the Aldens are happy—“the best family of all,” Mama likes to say. One day, a blizzard hits the countryside, and a car is stranded on the road near their farm. The family in the car needs shelter, and when the Aldens take them in, the strangers soon become friends. But things never stay the same at Fair Meadow Farm, and the spring and summer bring events that will forever change the lives of the Alden children.

Newbery Award–winning author Patricia MacLachlan pays loving tribute to the classic novel by Gertrude Chandler Warner in this story of the Alden children’s origins and the challenges they faced before their boxcar adventures.

Sample Chapters

Get a sneak peek at The Boxcar Children Beginning: The Aldens of Fair Meadow Farm. Download sample chapters here.

About the author

Patricia MacLachlan is the celebrated author of many timeless books for young readers, including Sarah, Plain and Tall, winner of the Newbery Medal. She lives with her husband and two border terriers in Williamsburg, Massachusetts.

Q&A with author Patricia MacLachlan