Week 8: Cam Jansen and the Birthday Mystery

Book Cover Image:

 Book Summary:

Cam is a young detective that is very skilled at what she does. She has a special gift; a photographic memory. This helps her solve crimes and mysteries that many others cannot. In this volume, Cam has thrown a surprise birthday party for her parents but their partying is cut short. Her grandparents call from the airport in a fright and say they have been robbed. Much to Cam’s dad’s dismay, Cam insists on going and helping to solve the crime. Cam will use her special skills to find the culprit and get her grandparents’ things returned. She surely has impressed everyone, especially the police officers who could not solve the crime. This is part of a series of mystery books and they are all well suited for grades 2-4. 

APA Reference:

Adler, D. A. (2000). Cam Jansen and the birthday mystery. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

My Impressions:

I really liked this mystery book. It was nice and short, just the right length for children in younger elementary grades. Children generally love mystery books and ones that they can read without too much difficulty. It encourages them to keep on reading and practicing their reading skills. Mystery books are a very important part of a school library. It is one of the youth’s favorite genres, boys and girls alike. This book series is appropriate for girls and boys but I love the fact that Cam is a girl detective. It gives girls a good, smart role model to read about. I liked the way Cam used her natural gift of a photographic memory to later realize where the criminal was. I also like the way she says, “click” when she is wanting to remember a scene. Much like these mystery books, I loved the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Mystery books when I was this age. It really did get me excited about reading. I know these Cam mysteries will do the same for kids these days. This would be a great book (and books series) to have in any school library.  

  

Professional Review:

“Gr. 2-4. In this beginning chapter book, the twentieth in the Cam Jansen series, Cam throws a surprise birthday party for her parents. An even bigger surprise comes when her grandparents call from the airport to ask for help in recovering their luggage and parcels, which a man has just stolen. Police and parents bumble about, well meaning but ineffective, but Cam's photographic memory provides a clue that leads to the thief's arrest. Though the plot relies on coincidence (Cam's dad happens to park next to the van where the thief has stashed the stolen goods), series fans will enjoy seeing their heroine triumph once again. Susanna Natti's cheerful ink drawings appear throughout the book. For larger collections.”

Review Reference:

Phelan, C. (2000, November 1). [Review of the book Cam Jansen and the birthday mystery,

            by D. A. Adler]. Booklist, 97(5), 536. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/  

Library Uses:

Focus ages: grades 2 through 4

This book would be great to include in a “Mysteries” themed book trailer.

This book would be a great one to use with reluctant or struggling readers. It is shorter but still has chapters so they can feel a sense of accomplishment when they have completed it. Along the way, the teacher and librarian can ask predicting questions to see what the student(s) think will come next.