The Boxcar Children: The Pizza Mystery
Written by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Illustrated by Charles Tang
Reviewed by Stephanie L. (age 7)
This book is about three children named Tom, Benny, and Violet who are trying to solve a mystery. The mystery they try to solve is who is trying to shut down a restaurant called Piccolo's Pizza. Somebody doesn't like the pizza, so he wants the restaurant to close. The children gather clues and help solve the mystery. They also learned how to cook pizza.
I like this book because I like mystery books. I like reading clues and trying to figure out the mystery for myself. My favorite part of this story is when the children solve the mystery because the book is a little boring before then. It is exciting, though, to see how everything comes together. Violet is the one who finds most of the clues. It is hard for some of the other kids, but it is easy for Violet. She is my favorite character.
Second graders would definitely like this book. Kindergartners and first graders might like it if someone reads it to them. They might like to see how the kids in the book learn to cook pizza. It might also make them hungry, or make them want to go home and cook pizza themselves (with a little help).