Boxcar Children books are still so popular at my library and I'm glad to see they're releasing some new ones. I think this new adventure style will really interest kids who read Magic Tree House books as well.

The Clue In The Papyrus Scroll is the second book in the Great Adventures series. After arriving in Egypt, they soon realize that the agent is missing but a puzzle will guide them to the next spot. While taking in the sites and escaping danger once again, the kids are off to Nairobi, Stonehenge and Rome while giving back stolen artifacts and the mystery of why other people are trying to stop their quest.

The book raises some good questions and answers that pertain to learning about our world's history, and the people who are native to different areas of the globe, all while packed into a fun mystery adventure. I think I would have preferred if the children could have spent more time in just one place to really get to know the people there better and learn more in one area,

The Alden children (Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny) are now globe-hopping with the family dog, Watch. After being introduced to a secret society that returns lost and stolen artifacts to museums and historic sites, The Boxcar Children join in the world-wide search for missing artifacts. But as if working with ancient treasures weren't already enough of an adventure, when the Aldens arrive in Cairo, the agent that they were supposed to meet has gone missing.

While the Aldens are working for the secret society, they don't know what artifact they are transporting or anything else about their 'mission' until they arrive at a destination and decode a clue. The clue here is on a papyrus scroll (hence the title), but it takes time to even get to that point as the agent is missing. Once they figure out what they have and where it's going, the Alden siblings still have to evade a thief who is following them.

These are definitely not the Boxcar Children I grew up with. These children are now world-travelers (on their own!) and much more savvy than those I read about back in the 1960's and certainly not even close to those from the 1920's! There were plenty of adventures close to home for the early Aldens, but now they travel with ease around the globe. I'm sure there's more of an educational value to this, teaching children about places like the pyramids of Egypt or Stonehenge, but it takes away from the innocence of the Boxcar Children. That's what I miss the most ... innocence. These children, with their laptop computers and they 'Facetime' don't really resemble their namesakes of old. I know this is the world we live in, but it just doesn't 'feel' right with these particular children.

But these books aren't written for me. They are written for an audience that already takes smart phones and laptops to school (yes...I know elementary school children that have laptops in school). These books are for children who already have access to Magic Tree House stories and Magic School Bus stories, where the past is approachable, as is outer space. To compete for attention, the Aldens must step up their game, and I think that the new Boxcar Children (still using the Gertrude Chandler Warner name as author) do this well. It's just a little sigh-inducing for some of us.

I received a copy of this book from the Albert Whitman & Company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book #2 of the Boxcar Children's Great Adventure has puzzling riddles, priceless historical artifacts, and an enemy in the race who just won't stop chasing the kids! Young readers who enjoy the 39 Clues series or a storyline somewhat like the National Treasure movies, would like this series too. The book raises some good questions and answers that pertain to learning about our world's history, and the people who are native to different areas of the globe, all while packed into a fun mystery adventure. I think I would have preferred if the children could have spent more time in just one place to really get to know the people there better and learn more in one area, because their visits are cut really short.

What I like? The Boxcar Children (and the reader too!) get to learn about cool facts about history and geography, and the kids have some pretty neat experiences in the countries they visit. In fact, this particular book may just be my favorite of the 5-part series, since the Aldens got to visit some of my favorite places in this one volume. From the pyramids of Cairo to to the British landmark of Stonehenge, I was all-in for this adventure! I think my favorite part may have been the camel rides.

I would best recommend for 7-11 year old readers.

This is a modern-day continuation of the Boxcar Children series. I loved this series as a child, so of course I picked up these two books, the first in a short series featuring Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny’s travels around the world.

I must say, I forgot how shallow the writing is for these books and how little adult supervision the kids get. Reading as an adult, it seems kind of ridiculous! Still, if I were a kid reading this, I’d enjoy the travel to different countries and the mysteries the children face. Don’t read it for nostalgic reasons, though–some memories should be left in the past.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's a bit difficult to write this review as I'm trying to retrieve my eyeballs that have rolled out of my head.

Grandfather Alden really needs to have a conversation with Social Services at this point. If you're letting your 6, 10, 12, and 14 year old grandchildren hop around the world to help some organization in some artifact returning/stealing ploy without a guardian, perhaps some thing needs to be examined. They go from New Mexico to Cairo to Nairobi to Stonehenge to Rome.

Also, the Alden kids are stuck in the same time warp as the BSC. They have somehow solved many many mysteries thru many seasons but haven't aged at all. But technology has finally caught up. They use laptops and Facetime. Figures the Aldens would be Apple users.

The adults in this book can't figure out simple riddles. And all if them seem fine trying to deal with dangerous artifact thieves with children.

The earlier books were believable in the sense that they often got caught up in smaller mysteries in the location they were at. This is just absurd.

At least there's educational value to the traveling they do. Even if it is superficial and almost offensively stereotyping each place.

1.5 rounds to 2 stars.

This is a great Boxcar book! We enjoyed the places that they visited in this one because it is places that we have been studying in school this year. The adventures are exciting and the suspense is fun to read through. The ending kind of leads you into another story, but that might be “normal” for this series. Overall, a great school read for the whole family.

My kids loved this book!! It brought back all the fun of my reading of Boxcar Children too

You can't possibly go wrong with The Boxcar Children, and this book doesn't disappoint! I love the new modernized cover as well!