Gertrude Chandler Warner - The Secret of Bigfoot Valley

THE SECRET OF BIGFOOT VALLEY

When the Aldens go to camp to study paleontology, Benny cant wait to learn about his favorite dinosaurs. He might find real evidence of creatures that lived long ago!

But when strange things start happening on the camp grounds, there are rumors that a different type of creature might be to blameone that still might be living today. Are the stories about Bigfoot Valley true? Or does the evidence lead to a different conclusion?

Albert Whitman & Co.

More than 100 Years of Good Books

www.albertwhitman.com www.boxcarchildren.com

Cover art by Thomas Girard

Copyright 2021 by Albert Whitman & Company

Printed in the United States of America

The Boxcar Children investigate legendary creatures!

The Aldens grabbed their bags and headed to their campsite with their new tentmates, Toby and Tara.

West Camp is right below Sasquatch Ridge! said Toby. We will see a bigfoot for sure!

Bigfoot? Violet asked. I thought we came to Camp Quest to look for fossils. Is that another name for a dinosaur?

Toby shook his head. Im talking about creatures from the present. You knowBigfoot! The hairy apelike creature. This whole area is nicknamed Bigfoot Valley because so many people have seen bigfoots here.

I knew there were things hiding in these woods! Benny said.

Violet wasnt so sure. She had read stories about creatures like Bigfoot. But those stories werent true, were they?

Copyright 2021 by Albert Whitman & Company

First published in the United States of America in 2021 by Albert Whitman & Company

ISBN 978-0-8075-0804-6 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-8075-0813-8 (paperback)

ISBN 978-0-8075-0808-4 (ebook)

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

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Illustrations by Thomas Girard

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D o you think there might be one out there? Benny Alden asked.

Jessie looked past her little brother out the car window. Outside, the forest was thick and dark. One what?

A dinosaur! said Benny. A real, live one.

Henry turned around from the passenger seat. He was the oldest of the four Alden children and was helping Grandfather navigate. Were going to summer camp to look for dinosaur bones, he said. Real dinosaurs dont exist anymore, remember?

I know that. Benny crossed his arms. He was still learning to read, but for weeks Jessie had been helping him memorize the names of dinosaurs, when they lived, and what they liked to eat. His favorite was a single-horned plant eater called Monoclonius.

Still, what if theres still one out there? Benny continued. If I was a Monoclonius, this is where I would live. No pesky humans, and all the food you could ever eat!

Even dinosaur Benny thinks about food all the time, Violet said with a giggle.

Violet shared Bennys imagination. But she was thinking more about the kinds of pictures she could take of the Colorado scenery than about seeing dinosaurs. She added, Dont worry, Benny. If theres one out here, Ill get a picture for you.

At a sign for Camp Quest, Grandfather slowed the car and pulled onto a dirt road. Before long the Aldens pulled into a grassy parking lot. The lot was full of families unloading sleeping bags, duffels, and backpacks from their cars.

It had been a long drive from the airport in Denver. All of the Aldens were excited to get out and stretch. As soon as Grandfather parked, Benny opened his door and ran to the edge of the forest. He got on all fours and made a grunting sound he imagined a Monoclonius would make.

A young woman dressed in a red T-shirt came over to the Aldens rental car. She looked them over. Then she wound a pen through her springy hair as she studied a clipboard. You must bethe Alden family? she said.

Good guess! said Henry. Howd you know?

The young woman pointed the pen at her clipboard. Lets see: Four children who look like they are from the same family. Two boys, ages six and fourteen, and two girls, ages ten and twelve She looked up and smiled. Thats what we do here at Camp Quest. We follow where the evidence leads.

Benny ran back to the car, still on all fours.

And you must be Benny, the young woman said.

I think hes a Monoclonius right now, Jessie laughed.

Well, my name is Michelle, and Im one of the counselors here. We divide campers between four sites: North, South, East, and West. You four will be staying in West Campwith me!

A van pulled up nearby, and more campers began to pile out. Well, its nice to meet you, Aldens, Michelle said. Ill be back in a little bit. As soon as weve got everyone checked in, we can head to our campsite.

As Michelle hurried off, a small brown dog with a bandanna around its neck ran up. The dog put its paws up on Henrys leg and let out a little bark. Behind the dog was a woman about Grandfathers age. She had long, silvery-black hair and wore a gold necklace.

Welcome, Aldens! the woman said.

You know our name too? Benny said, standing up.

Grandfather gave the woman a hug. Children, this is Dr. Iris Perez, the camp director. Shes an old friend of mine.

You can call me Dr. Iris, the woman said. Everyone does. Im so happy to finally meet you! Your grandfather wrote me that you children love adventures. He even told me about your boxcar clubhousehow very resourceful!

We like being outside, Jessie said. She turned to Benny, who was back to running along the edge of the forest. As you can see.

You sound just like your grandfather when he was young, said Dr. Iris. Would you believe he and I hunted fossils together when we were your age? Our fathers were friends, you see, and we met up during the summer to go camping together. We had a lot of fun.

Grandfather chuckled. We certainly did. And Iris went on to become a paleontologist. Shes still hunting fossils.

The camp director touched the necklace she was wearing. It had a tiny magnifying glass on the end of a chain. I still have the gift your grandfather sent me when I got my degree.

At the mention of fossils, Benny had come back to the group. What is aa paleopaleo-something? he asked.

Paleontologist, Dr. Iris said. Its a big word, isnt it?

Benny nodded. He tried to count the letters with his hands, but he ran out of fingers.

Once you know what each part of the word means, it wont seem so big, Dr. Iris said. Paleontologists study fossils, so we can learn about the history of life on Earth. Paleo is a Greek word that means ancient or very old. The next part of the word, onto, means being. Fossils come from ancient beings, you see. And a word that ends in