The Alden children draw upon their resourcefulness to save the neighborhood firehouse from being torn down, while they also face a series of mysterious incidents connected with it.
Four orphaned children, afraid to go live with their grandfather, set up housekeeping in an abandoned boxcar and are doing fine until one of them becomes ill.
When their grandfather buys a bookstore at auction in New Orleans, the Alden children help clean it up and discover that several people seem to be obsessed with the store and its contents.
The Alden children suspect that the other guests are somehow involved when things begin to disappear at the bed and breakfast where they are staying in Washington, D.C.
When their favorite pizza restaurant almost goes out of business, the Alden children try to help their friends stay open while they find out who is behind all their problems.
When the Alden children set out to solve a jewelry store robbery, they find they must also deal with a mysterious thief who steals their favorite cereal.