Friday, June 12, 2009

Young Cam Jansen and the Lions' Lunch Mystery


Young Cam Jansen and the Lions' Lunch Mystery by David Adler (author) and Susanna Natti (illustrator)Viking, Penguin Young Readers Group, 2007.
This is book is for younger readers and could be described as an early chapter book. There are about 14 books in this “young Cam” series at present, aimed at readers in first – third grades. Author David Adler also has a series featuring the same character for slightly older readers with nearly 50 titles published. He has great resources for classrooms and book discussions online.
I was surprised by how well Adler developed the characters in less than 30 pages. The story's protagonist, Jennifer, is nicknamed Cam (short for Camera) because she has a photographic memory. Her ability allows her to solve the mystery of where class clown Danny left his lunch during a field trip to the zoo.