Young Cam Jansen and the Dinosaur Game

Title: Young Cam Jansen and the Dinosaur Game
Author: David A. Adler
Genre: Mystery
Age Level: Five to Eight Years Old
Characters: Cam Jansan, Eric, Mr. Bell, and Robert
Plot: Cam Jansan's real name is Jennifer but she was called the camera because of her photographic memory. Soon, people shortened it to Cam. This young girl attended a birthday party one day with several of her other friends. The first activity they did at the party was estimate how many toy dinosaurs were in a jar. Cam and her friend Eric were the last ones to arrive, so they were the last ones to guess. Eric guessed that there were 150 dinosaurs in the jar. After the chocolate cake was cut and served, Mr. Bell told them that there were 154 dinosaurs in the jar. He announced that Robert had guessed 154 exactly. Cam looked at the strip of paper and noticed that there was chocolate smeared on it. She took a mental picture of it. Later, while they were playing musical chairs, she confronted Robert. Their were only seven children at the party, but there were eight guesses. Cam explained to Robert that he had slipped away after Mr. Bell had told the number of dinosaurs. Robert admitted to this and gave the prize of dinosaurs back. Eric was given the jar of dinosaurs since he had really deserved it. The boy shared them with the rest of his friends. Everyone had a great time at the party.
Precautions: There are not any precautions on this book. It was written specifically for children who are beginning to read on their own. The plot of this book is mystery, but it is not scary. This is the type of mystery that will not scare young children.
Ratings: I highly recommend this book for young children who are just beginning to read by themselves. Cam Jansan will keep them intrigued throughout the whole entire book. This book also introduces the concept of chapters. By the way, there are several other books in the Young Cam Jansan series so be sure to read those too.