The Boxcar Children: Where's Child Services when you need it?

Although the Boxcar Children series was originally published (the first 19 that is) in 1942, I remember reading and really liking them as a kid. The reason I clarify that only the first 19 books in the series were published then is because that since Gertrude C. Warner’s death, other authors have written over 100 other books in the series. And they generally toyed with the series timeline as they pleased. What was set in the 1940-50s has steadily been moving forward, and some of the new books have tropical cruises as well as the internet, giving the entire series a more modern feel, as well as having the children grow up – only to snap back to the original ages in the next novel.
 
The series is generally meant to be read by younger children – from grades two to six—and can be read in any order, after the first 19 books. Status quo is God in this extended series, and the kids haven’t really aged in all the years they’ve been around, and if they do, it doesn’t last. Continuality, as you can tell, isn’t a big priority when there’s so much pervious material to go through.
A bit more about the characters, then: The eldest Henry (usually 14), followed by Jess (the “Team Mom”), Violet (a shrinking violet, just for pun) and Benny, the baby of the family at (usually) 6 years old.

 In the first novel, the children – recently orphaned, thought that is never explained – take refuge in a bakery. And when the bakery owners, presumably, threaten to call the children’s grandfather (whom they think to be cruel) they run off, stumble across a boxcar in the middle of the woods, and move in. Along the way, they forage for dishes and furniture in the nearby dump, while Henry gets a job in town to attempt to support them. However, by the end of the novel, the children are taken in by their grandfather (who isn't cruel at all, and also stinking rich to sweeten the deal) and life continues on.

But throughout the children living off the land, the police are never called to my knowledge, nor are Social Services ever brought in to investigate. Granted, this could be the time period – but I got the era from Wikipedia. I don’t think the year is ever stated in the novel. Where are the police? Surely it can’t be that hard for the grandfather to just call the cops and tell them his grandkids are missing?
Logic flaws: this book has it.
But, in its defense, if was a series aimed at children, and children wouldn’t have thought about the realistic results of four kids living in a boxcar, near a dump, with no heat, running water, or steady income or food supply. And, really, the independence of the siblings is one of the attractive aspects of the series.
Later on, after the first novel, there’s a mystery genre component added in, and the kids are independent in that too – they don’t need any meddling adults to get the job done.

So why were these books so great? They had shoddy continuality, character inconsistences, and the characters were rather flat. But at the same time, they were mysteries, they were engaging, and they were interesting for kids to read – because it was early escapism. Who didn’t want to run off and live without parents or rules as a kid? And they had a dog, for God’s sake – that’s like, quintessential little-kid-cool.

So maybe they aren’t the best for a literary discussion; there aren’t themes or symbolism. But they’re a fluffy read for kids who want a little more fuel for their daydreams. If you haven’t read them, at least skim the Wikipedia entry and see if it’s something you might look back on fondly. My childhood, and yours, will thank you.