Rock 'n' Roll Mystery (7 page)

The members of the Greenfield Four turned around and looked at the three Alden children who were standing by the stage. For a moment they all stared at each other, frozen.

Then Violet had an idea.

“Play that new song of yours,” she called to Karen, “with the acoustic guitars.”

Benny wanted to asked what “acoustic” meant, but then he remembered—an acoustic instrument was one that didn't need any power in order to make sound.

“Good idea,” Alan said with a nod.

Alan turned back to the crowd. “Well, it looks like someone forgot to pay the electric bill this month,” he said. Everyone laughed. “So, until we can get the problem fixed, the band would like to play a nice little song that we wrote a few months ago with some instruments that don't need any electricity.”

Dave came out from behind his drum set and tapped his sticks together. Amy and Karen picked up their acoustic guitars. Then Alan led the band down the steps at the side of the stage and onto the ground. They walked into the middle of the crowd, and the four of them began to play. Within minutes the audience was singing and clapping along to the beautiful song.

When they finished, the crowd gave them thunderous applause. Then, suddenly, all the lights came on, and the audience clapped again for Raymond and the rest of the crew who had fixed the electricity. A night that could have been a disaster had turned into something magical instead.

After the show, behind the stage, Alan Keller patted Henry on the back.

“You did it, my friend.”

“Not fast enough,” Henry said, frowning. Karen waved her hand to show that this was a silly idea. “We covered it up pretty well with that acoustic song.”

“And that was Violet's brilliant idea,” Amy pointed out. Violet blushed.

“That's my sister,” Jessie said, putting her arm around her.

Then the man in the white walked towards them. It was the man who owned the record company.

“I have to tell you, I was very impressed by the way you handled that power failure,” he said. “It takes a band with a lot of smarts and experience to do that. You made sure to keep the crowd's attention. You knew exactly how to make sure the show went on.”

“Thank you,” Amy Keller replied.

“A band with that kind of talent is exactly the type of band I'd like to have making music for me,” he told them, putting his hand out so Alan could shake it. “Congratulations, I'd like the Greenfield Four to record an album for me.”

The members of the band were speechless. Then, finally, Alan Keller said, “Well, we'd like to take all the credit for tonight's show, but we had a little help. In fact, we had a lot,” he said, looking at the Aldens.

“Oh?”

“That's right,” Karen continued. “These kids solve mysteries as well as we make music—maybe even better.”

“I don't know that's true,” said Violet.

“Now, don't be modest,” Alan replied. “If it weren't for the four of you, we would've sounded awful tonight.” Alan quickly explained the whole story. “In fact, we've talked it over and decided to write a song about it. We'll call it ‘The Ballad of the Aldens.'”

The children didn't know what to say, but the man from the record company did. “Sounds like your first big hit,” he said.

“The first of many,” Violet added.

Then Benny, dazzled by the thought of being mentioned in a song, said, “Wow, I'll be famous!”

Everyone laughed. “Too famous to go on solving mysteries?” Henry asked him.

Benny smiled. “No,” he replied. “I'll never stop doing that. Ever!”

G
ERTRUDE
C
HANDLER
W
ARNER
discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book,
The Boxcar Children,
quickly proved she had succeeded.

Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write the mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car — the situation the Alden children find themselves in.

When Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.

While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner's books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens' independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible — something else that delights young readers.

Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.

The Boxcar Children Mysteries

T
HE
B
OXCAR
C
HILDREN

S
URPRISE
I
SLAND

T
HE
Y
ELLOW
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY
R
ANCH

M
IKE'S
M
YSTERY

B
LUE
B
AY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
W
OODSHED
M
YSTERY

T
HE
L
IGHTHOUSE
M
YSTERY

M
OUNTAIN
T
OP
M
YSTERY

S
CHOOLHOUSE
M
YSTERY

C
ABOOSE
M
YSTERY

H
OUSEBOAT
M
YSTERY

S
NOWBOUND
M
YSTERY

T
REE
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

B
ICYCLE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY IN THE
S
AND

M
YSTERY
B
EHIND
THE
W
ALL

B
US
S
TATION
M
YSTERY

B
ENNY
U
NCOVERS
A
M
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T
HE
H
AUNTED
C
ABIN
M
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T
HE
D
ESERTED
L
IBRARY
M
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HE
A
NIMAL
S
HELTER
M
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T
HE
O
LD
M
OTEL
M
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HE
M
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P
AINTING

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A
MUSEMENT
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ARK
M
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IXED
-U
P
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AMP
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UT
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M
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G
IRL

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M
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RUISE

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D
ISAPPEARING
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RIEND
M
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INGING
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HOST

M
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IZZA
M
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ORSE

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HOW

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ASTLE
M
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L
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ILLAGE

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CE

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URPLE
P
OOL

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HOST
S
HIP
M
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M
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W
ASHINGTON
, DC

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ANOE
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RIP
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EACH

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AT

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NN

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ALL
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HOCOLATE
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UNDAE
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OT
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IR
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ALLOON

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OOKSTORE

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ILGRIM
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ILLAGE
M
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TOLEN
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OXCAR

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AVE

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RAIN

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AIR

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M
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INE

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UIDE
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OG
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URRICANE
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ET
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HOP
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ESSAGE

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IREHOUSE
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RANCISCO

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IAGARA
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ALLS
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LAMO

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UTER
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PACE
M
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M
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LD
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TTIC

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ROWLING
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EAR
M
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M
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AKE
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ONSTER

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ALL

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INDY
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ITY
M
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LACK
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EARL
M
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EREAL
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OX
M
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ANTHER
M
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T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
Q
UEEN'S
J
EWELS

T
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S
TOLEN
S
WORD
M
YSTERY

T
HE
B
ASKETBALL
M
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T
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M
OVIE
S
TAR
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
P
IRATE'S
M
AP

T
HE
G
HOST
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OWN
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
B
LACK
R
AVEN