A dingo distraction Down Under!
It took at least half an hour to find all the stray dingoes and corral them back to the yard. Meanwhile, no one had been inside to keep an eye on things—including the Reddimus box.
The Aldens exchanged glances. They knew who might do such a thing.
“Quickly, Dr. Webb,” Henry said. “We need to be sure the artifact is safe!”
They hurried back to Dr. Webb’s office. Some of the books had been knocked off the desk and were on the ground, and the window was open where it had been closed before. Most importantly, the Reddimus box on the desk was open. There was nothing inside…
THE BOXCAR CHILDREN MYSTERIES
THE BOXCAR CHILDREN
SURPRISE ISLAND
THE YELLOW HOUSE MYSTERY
MYSTERY RANCH
MIKE’S MYSTERY
BLUE BAY MYSTERY
THE WOODSHED MYSTERY
THE LIGHTHOUSE MYSTERY
MOUNTAIN TOP MYSTERY
SCHOOLHOUSE MYSTERY
CABOOSE MYSTERY
HOUSEBOAT MYSTERY
SNOWBOUND MYSTERY
TREE HOUSE MYSTERY
BICYCLE MYSTERY
MYSTERY IN THE SAND
MYSTERY BEHIND THE WALL
BUS STATION MYSTERY
BENNY UNCOVERS A MYSTERY
THE HAUNTED CABIN MYSTERY
THE DESERTED LIBRARY MYSTERY
THE ANIMAL SHELTER MYSTERY
THE OLD MOTEL MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN PAINTING
THE AMUSEMENT PARK MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE MIXED-UP ZOO
THE CAMP-OUT MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY GIRL
THE MYSTERY CRUISE
THE DISAPPEARING FRIEND MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE SINGING GHOST
THE MYSTERY IN THE SNOW
THE PIZZA MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY HORSE
THE MYSTERY AT THE DOG SHOW
THE CASTLE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST VILLAGE
THE MYSTERY ON THE ICE
THE MYSTERY OF THE PURPLE POOL
THE GHOST SHIP MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY IN WASHINGTON, DC
THE CANOE TRIP MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN BEACH
THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING CAT
THE MYSTERY AT SNOWFLAKE INN
THE MYSTERY ON STAGE
THE DINOSAUR MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN MUSIC
THE MYSTERY AT THE BALL PARK
THE CHOCOLATE SUNDAE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE HOT AIR BALLOON
THE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE
THE PILGRIM VILLAGE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN BOXCAR
THE MYSTERY IN THE CAVE
THE MYSTERY ON THE TRAIN
THE MYSTERY AT THE FAIR
THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST MINE
THE HURRICANE MYSTERY
THE PET SHOP MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET MESSAGE
THE FIREHOUSE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY IN SAN FRANCISCO
THE NIAGARA FALLS MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY AT THE ALAMO
THE OUTER SPACE MYSTERY
THE SOCCER MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY IN THE OLD ATTIC
THE GROWLING BEAR MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE LAKE MONSTER
THE MYSTERY AT PEACOCK HALL
THE WINDY CITY MYSTERY
THE BLACK PEARL MYSTERY
THE CEREAL BOX MYSTERY
THE PANTHER MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE QUEEN’S JEWELS
THE STOLEN SWORD MYSTERY
THE BASKETBALL MYSTERY
THE MOVIE STAR MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE PIRATE’S MAP
THE GHOST TOWN MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE BLACK RAVEN
THE MYSTERY IN THE MALL
THE MYSTERY IN NEW YORK
THE GYMNASTICS MYSTERY
THE POISON FROG MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE EMPTY SAFE
THE HOME RUN MYSTERY
THE GREAT BICYCLE RACE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD PONIES
THE MYSTERY IN THE COMPUTER GAME
THE HONEYBEE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY AT THE CROOKED HOUSE
THE HOCKEY MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE MIDNIGHT DOG
THE MYSTERY OF THE SCREECH OWL
THE SUMMER CAMP MYSTERY
THE COPYCAT MYSTERY
THE HAUNTED CLOCK TOWER MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE TIGER’S EYE
THE DISAPPEARING STAIRCASE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY ON BLIZZARD MOUNTAIN
THE MYSTERY OF THE SPIDER’S CLUE
THE CANDY FACTORY MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE MUMMY’S CURSE
THE MYSTERY OF THE STAR RUBY
THE STUFFED BEAR MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF ALLIGATOR SWAMP
THE MYSTERY AT SKELETON POINT
THE TATTLETALE MYSTERY
THE COMIC BOOK MYSTERY
THE GREAT SHARK MYSTERY
THE ICE CREAM MYSTERY
THE MIDNIGHT MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY IN THE FORTUNE COOKIE
THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER MYSTERY
THE RADIO MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE RUNAWAY GHOST
THE FINDERS KEEPERS MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED BOXCAR
THE CLUE IN THE CORN MAZE
THE GHOST OF THE CHATTERING BONES
THE SWORD OF THE SILVER KNIGHT
THE GAME STORE MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE ORPHAN TRAIN
THE VANISHING PASSENGER
THE GIANT YO-YO MYSTERY
THE CREATURE IN OGOPOGO LAKE
THE ROCK ’N’ ROLL MYSTERY
THE SECRET OF THE MASK
THE SEATTLE PUZZLE
THE GHOST IN THE FIRST ROW
THE BOX THAT WATCH FOUND
A HORSE NAMED DRAGON
THE GREAT DETECTIVE RACE
THE GHOST AT THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE
THE MYSTERY OF THE TRAVELING TOMATOES
THE SPY GAME
THE DOG-GONE MYSTERY
THE VAMPIRE MYSTERY
SUPERSTAR WATCH
THE SPY IN THE BLEACHERS
THE AMAZING MYSTERY SHOW
THE PUMPKIN HEAD MYSTERY
THE CUPCAKE CAPER
THE CLUE IN THE RECYCLING BIN
MONKEY TROUBLE
THE ZOMBIE PROJECT
THE GREAT TURKEY HEIST
THE GARDEN THIEF
THE BOARDWALK MYSTERY
THE MYSTERY OF THE FALLEN TREASURE
THE RETURN OF THE GRAVEYARD GHOST
THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN SNOWBOARD
THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD WEST BANDIT
THE MYSTERY OF THE GRINNING GARGOYLE
THE MYSTERY OF THE SOCCER SNITCH
THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING POP IDOL
THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN DINOSAUR BONES
THE MYSTERY AT THE CALGARY STAMPEDE
THE SLEEPY HOLLOW MYSTERY
THE LEGEND OF THE IRISH CASTLE
THE CELEBRITY CAT CAPER
HIDDEN IN THE HAUNTED SCHOOL
THE ELECTION DAY DILEMMA
JOURNEY ON A RUNAWAY TRAIN
THE CLUE IN THE PAPYRUS SCROLL
THE DETOUR OF THE ELEPHANTS
THE SHACKLETON SABOTAGE
THE KHIPU AND THE FINAL KEY
Copyright © 2017 by Albert Whitman & Company
Published in 2017 by Albert Whitman & Company
ISBN 978-0-8075-0687-5 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-8075-0
688-2 (paperback)
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
THE BOXCAR CHILDREN® is a registered
trademark of Albert Whitman & Company.
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 LB 22 21 20 19 18 17
Illustrations by Anthony VanArsdale
Visit the Boxcar Children online at www.boxcarchildren.com.
For more information about Albert Whitman & Company,
visit our website at www.albertwhitman.com.
Contents
1. Connecting the Dots
2. Riddle behind the Scenes
3. The Coin in the Box
4. A Curious Acrostic
5. Dingoes on the Loose!
6. Owls and Penguins
7. The Mysterious Continent
8. Shackleton’s Semaphore
9. Returning the Sixth Artifact
10. The Man in the Red Hat
Connecting the Dots
Henry Alden traced his fingers over the colorful patterns painted on the boomerang. He sat with his two sisters, Violet and Jessie, in the comfortable cabin of the Reddimus Society’s private jet. The children had just received the boomerang in a package, and they knew it held a clue that would lead them to the next stop on their journey. But none of their clues had been as beautiful and detailed as the boomerang.
Benny, the youngest Alden, was interested in the boomerang, but he couldn’t stop looking out the plane window. Below, Bangkok, Thailand, grew smaller and smaller in the distance. He watched the city as it disappeared behind a layer of puffy clouds. Then he turned in his seat to look at the boomerang too.
“There are so many dots,” he said.
There really were. Black and white dots formed wavy lines. Other dots were the colors of the sunset, orange and red. The bright red reminded Benny of the Alden’s boxcar. Benny knew the boxcar, Grandfather, and their dog, Watch, would all be waiting for them when the children were done returning the seven artifacts for the Reddimus Society. But he missed seeing them. And it had been nice to have Cousin Joe, Cousin Alice, and Soo Lee with them as they traveled through China and Thailand—especially with the archrival Argents constantly trying to throw them off course.
Violet noticed Benny’s quietness. As if she knew what he was thinking, she said, “Don’t be too homesick, Benny. Cousin Alice told us someone will be waiting for us at our next stop. I wonder who it could be.”
The idea that someone familiar would be waiting for them—wherever they were going—gave Benny a warm feeling of relief. He nodded. “Maybe Grandfather?”
Jessie ruffled Benny’s hair. “Maybe! We have plenty of friends and family who might be there to pick us up. Think of it as a surprise!”
Benny imagined Grandfather and Watch waiting for them at the airport when they arrived at their next stop. His worries about the Argents faded.
“I can’t wait to see who it is,” he said. “Let’s think about our clue, so we can find out!”
They all looked at it closely to see if there was a hidden message like the previous clues they had received. Violet noticed the figure of a wiggly snake and a fish among the painted shapes. She pointed at one of the animals.
“That looks like a kangaroo. See the long feet and the tail?” she said. “I learned about this style of painting in art class. It looks like Aboriginal art.”
“What’s Aboriginal?” Benny asked.
“Aboriginal Australians were the first people to live in Australia,” Jessie explained. “There are many Aboriginal groups in Australia, like there are many groups of Native Americans in the United States.”
“So that means—” Violet began.
“We’re going to Australia!” Benny exclaimed. He had learned in school about the animals that live on the continent. Some are so special they can’t be found anywhere else in the world. “I want to see kangaroos. And koalas!”
“But where in Australia?” Henry asked. As the oldest, he was not quite as excited as Benny. When he saw the boomerang, he had thought the Aldens might be going to Australia. But he hadn’t wanted to say too much around their pilots, Emilio and Mr. Ganert. When the children had been in Thailand, they had figured out one of the pilots was working for the Argents.
The Aldens’ friend from the Reddimus Society, Tricia Silverton, had worried someone was giving information to their rivals. That’s why she hid all her instructions in riddles and clues. It was like a code only the Aldens could crack. Henry knew they would need to tell their pilots where they were going, but he didn’t want to give them any more information than he needed to.
“Isn’t Australia an island?” Benny asked.
“Yes, but it’s a very big island,” Jessie explained. “It’s almost the size of the continental United States.”
Violet was still looking at the boomerang. It wasn’t long before she noticed something.
“Look,” she said. “Some of the dots in the pattern have smaller dots inside them.”
They all looked closer. Inside some of the red dots were tiny yellow dots. They were hard to see unless the children looked closely.
“Good eyes, Violet,” Henry said.
Together, they found all the red dots with yellow centers. Violet drew an invisible line with her finger. The invisible line made letters, which she spelled out loud so she wouldn’t forget.
“S…Y…D…N…E…Y,” she spelled. “Sydney!”
“Just like connect the dots!” Benny said. “Is Sydney a place in Australia?”
“Not just a place, but one of Australia’s most exciting places!” came a jolly voice from behind them. “It’s the capital of New South Wales and one of Australia’s largest cities.”
The Aldens looked up. Emilio walked into the cabin. He and the other pilot, Mr. Ganert, took turns flying the plane.
“Ready for a great joke about Australia?” Emilio asked.
“Not right now,” Henry said politely. In the beginning, he had enjoyed Emilio’s silly jokes. But now that they knew Emilio might be working for the Argents, they wondered if maybe his jokes were part of his disguise. “It does look like we’re headed to Sydney, though. Is it a long flight from here?”
“Hmm, from here it’s about nine hours. I’ll tell Mr. Ganert to set a course right away. I’m glad you figured out the clue, even if you all seem very serious right now…We’ll save the joke for another time.”
Emilio winked before he went back to the cockpit. Benny sighed.
“I kind of wanted to hear the joke,” he said.
“I’ve got a joke that has to do with Australia,” Jessie said. “What do you call a lazy baby kangaroo?” She paused and looked at her siblings. “A pouch potato!”
Benny imagined a baby kangaroo lazing about in its mother’s pouch, and it made him laugh.
“A pouch potato! That’s a good one, Jessie.”
The four children were getting used to long flights, so the trip to Australia was not bad at all. Jessie spent the flight reading about Sydney on her laptop. Henry played checkers with Benny while Violet drew dot animals like the ones on the boomerang. She drew animals they had seen in their travels: a camel from Egypt, a giraffe from Kenya, and an elephant from Thailand.
By the time the Reddimus plane began to descend, all four Aldens went to the windows. Sydney looked like a big city, and it stretched right up to the coast. There were many little islands in the bay and a big arched bridge. The children could see boats going back and forth between the ports.
“What’s that?” asked Benny, pointing to a building that looked like a white seashell.
“That must be the Sydney Opera House,” Jessie exclaimed. “I was reading about it. It’s a very famous building where all sorts of performances take place.”
“Operas? L
ike singing?” Benny asked.
“Yes. They also have a ballet, a theater company, and an orchestra.”
“It would be so wonderful if we could listen to the orchestra,” Violet said as the opera house passed out of sight. The airport came into view, and Mr. Ganert’s grumpy voice came over the speakers to tell them they were going to land soon. Henry checked on the three remaining Reddimus boxes. To keep the boxes safe, the Aldens had put one in each of their three remaining camera cases. The fourth case belonged to Violet. But they had used it as a decoy in Thailand to help them figure out if one of their pilots was working for the Argents. Now they had three cases left, one for each Reddimus box.
When the children exited the plane onto the tarmac, they were surprised to see a familiar face waiting for them. It was Grandfather’s sister, Great Aunt Jane! She was dressed up in a splendid yellow dress and blue hat. She even had a string of pearls around her neck. She gave them all hugs when they met her.
“My, look at you all in your fancy private jet!” she exclaimed.
“Aunt Jane! It’s so good to see you,” Jessie said. “You look very fancy yourself! What’s the occasion?”
“The four of you, of course. Your grandfather called to chat the other day and told me what you have been up to. Then this morning, I got a call from Mrs. Silverton asking if I had any interest in visiting Australia! She said her granddaughter Tricia believed I was the perfect person to meet you. I couldn’t tell you why, but I’m glad to be here! She even booked tickets for the five of us to see the orchestra and tour the Sydney Opera House! That’s why I’m all done up like this. It’s a very special occasion.”
Violet and Benny exchanged looks and jumped with joy. They calmed themselves when Emilio and Mr. Ganert joined them on the tarmac. Henry introduced Aunt Jane but did not say anything about the tour or the orchestra.
“Be sure to call and let us know when you find the next clue,” Emilio said. “I’m sure Trudy will be glad to know we’re one step closer to returning all the items.”
Trudy was Mrs. Silverton’s other granddaughter and Tricia’s sister. While Tricia secretively left the clues for the Aldens to follow, Trudy was the Silverton the Aldens talked to most. She helped them make travel arrangements.
“Don’t dawdle,” Mr. Ganert added gruffly.
The Aldens said good-bye to the pilots and went with Aunt Jane to check in with their passports. After that was taken care of, Aunt Jane called a taxi, and the five of them left the airport. Violet was especially glad to see Aunt Jane. She sat next to her in the taxi. When they first met Aunt Jane, she was unfriendly, but as the children spent more time with her, Aunt Jane had grown to like them. After a little while, she mended her relationship with Grandfather and became close to the family again.