在與祖父共同生活後的第一個暑假，爺爺幫他們安排到祖先買下的小島去，Henry, Jessie, Violet和Benny這四個兄弟姐妹們也因此展開了孤島的探險之旅，然而這島上似乎藏著很多秘密跟驚喜等他們去探索，而最大的驚喜又是什麼呢？
這一系列的故事描寫的是Henry, Jessie, Violet和Benny這四個兄弟姐妹們如何在父母過世之後和未曾見過面的祖父相認之前及之前所經歷的生活探險故事。而為什麼會叫 “The Boxcar Children”呢？因為這是他們在四人相依為命流浪時，所找到最好的棲身之所，也因為那個廢棄的箱型車開啓了他們之後一連串的探險故事。適合9歲以上兒童閱讀。
Adventure abounds as the Alden children spend a summer living on their grandfather's island. They display a wealth of confidence in their ability to face life's everyday challenges armed only with their clever inventiveness and the support of eachother. Few subjects are as sure to capture the imaginations of children as the idea of living on their own. A hint of suspense is woven through the story until the mysterious true identity of Joe the handyman is finally revealed.
