The School Play Mystery (Cam Jansen Series #21)

by David A. Adler, Susanna Natti (Illustrator)

Overview

The Cam Jansen series is perfect for young readers who are making the transition to chapter books. The first fifteen books in the series have received updated covers, and the series redesign continues with books 16-22, bringing new life to these perennial bestsellers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780142403556
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	02/17/2005
Series:	Cam Jansen Series , #21
Pages:	64
Sales rank:	420,934
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.75(h) x 0.18(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

David A. Adler (www.davidaadler.com and www.camjansen.com) is the author of more than 175 children’s books. Before becoming a children’s book author, he taught math and science, and completed master’s degrees in marketing and economics. He lives in Woodmere, New York.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 1-3-Cam Jansen is at it again, this time solving the puzzle of who stole the ticket money at the school play. When two of her classmates are assigned to collect money and put it in a taped box, Cam joins them and watches the people filing in, paying for tickets, and getting to their seats. When the three friends finish the job and open the box, only a few dollars are inside, despite a packed house. The teacher calls the police, and Cam begins clicking her way through the scenes in her photographic memory until she figures out who committed the crime and how. Adler spoon-feeds readers the solution as the young detective figures it out, taking away the fun of learning to read for information. No clues exist in the text that would allow children to say, "I got it!" while they read. Other parts of the story seem incomplete as well, such as the scene in which the thief is made to watch the end of the play, which is about "Honest Abe Lincoln." The scene consists of two characters greeting each other with a "Hello" onstage. The teacher then says to the thief, "I hope you watched that. You can learn a lesson from Honest Abe Lincoln." Well, perhaps, but not from that pointless bit of dialogue. Of course, Cam has a following and children will probably want to read this book, but there are better mysteries out there.-Holly Belli, Bergen County Cooperative Library System, West Caldwell, NJ Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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