The Moffats (The Moffats, #1)

Four Moffat children and a hard-working widowed mother live on New Dollar Street in Cranbury village. During kindergarten recess, one accidentally hitches a ride out of town on a boxcar. One winds up trapped in the breadbox outside the deli. One offers to escort a Salvation Army man to his destination - and accidentally bumps him from his horse-drawn wagon.