Paperback, 190 pages
English language
Published by Hubei shao nian er tong chu ban she.
Orphaned siblings Henry, Jessie, Benny, and Violet are determined not to be separated after the deaths of their parents. Fearing being sent away to live with their cruel, frightening grandfather, they run away and discover an abandoned boxcar in the woods. They convert the boxcar into a safe, comfortable home and learn to take care of themselves. But when Violet becomes deathly ill, the children are forced to seek out help at the risk of their newfound freedom.
This original 1924 edition contains a few small difference from the revised 1942 edition most readers are familiar with, but the basic story beloved by children remains essentially untouched.
This book was one of a handful that helped me graduate from children's books. It's was kind of a young adult or tween fiction of its time, and it was easily one of the favorite books of my childhood.
I like these books even as an adult. It's sort of hard to imagine that kids back in this era was as resourceful as they are. I'd but to have read more about their survival in the boxcar, but those details weren't given. All the kids have different personalities, yet they get along so very well.
