The Mystery of the Stolen Snowboard is one of 153 Boxcar Children books created by Gertrude Chandler Warner.  Warner actually only wrote the first 19 stories and the rest have been written by ‘ghost writers’ giving credit to her as being ‘created by….’.

In this book, the four Alden children are at a ski facility watching Henry’s friend compete.  After the first event, his snowboard is stolen.  Other minor incidents occur giving the Aldens the clues as to who took the snowboard and why.  Although the story is fine, there are some other issues which could be brought up for discussion from this story.  First, there is a coffee shop owner who is concerned about the environment.  He’s afraid that big international companies will come and build and cut down trees and basically ruin the town.  Second, there is burger joint owner who wants the snowboarders to all wear hats and pins that advertise her establishment.  Plus she is pushing for development and wants ownership of all the restaurants.  Not that that is bad enough in itself, but the food she serves is tasteless and unhealthy. And, third, is the subject of pushing kids into sports which demand all of their time so that their lives aren’t their own any longer.  The mystery is solved without too much effort or drama and the side stories make it interesting.