Module 9: Cam Jansen and the Chocolate Fudge Mystery

Book Summary:

Cam Jansen has a photographic memory and an eye for detail. When she see something she thinks is important, she closes her eyes and says click. Then she has the image forever. She uses this skill to solve crimes. When her friend Eric and herself are out selling chocolate bar and rice cakes for charity they see a suspicious looking woman. They follow her to see what she does. The soon discover that she may be helping a bank robber who may be hiding in a house. Cam's dad calls the police and Cam follows the strange woman until the police arrive. When she is corned in the groceries store the woman takes off her disguise and tries to blend into the crowd but Cam can remember her shoes and helps the police catch her. At the end, Cam, Eric, and Mr. Jansen watch the bank robber being taken to jail.

APA Reference:

Adler, D. (1993). Cam Jansen and the chocolate fudge mystery. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

My Impressions:

This is a good book to introduce younger elementary kids to mysteries. The plot is not overly complicated and the students could solve it. It moves at a fast enough pace to keep them interested and there are no extra facts. This is important for young readers because too much information will turn them off to the genre.

Professional Review:

Cam (short for Camera) Jansen and her faithful companion, Eric Shelton, encounter yet another mystery as they try to raise funds for charity by selling fudge bars and rice cakes. (They never do explain the mystery of that unlikely combination.) This time Cam spots a woman behaving suspiciously in the vicinity of a supposedly vacant house. It requires only Cam’s photographic memory (which she activates by saying “Click” constantly), deductive reasoning, and a short surveillance for the duo to ascertain that a criminal is hiding out and to alert a grateful police force. Cam satisfies the childhood fantasy of being smarter than adults and dealing successfully with mystery and danger, and young readers seem to be able to tolerate the clicks and to suspend reality in order to marvel at her wonderful ways. Another fix for the beginning readers who demand mystery books. (Reviewed Oct. 15, 1993)— Sheilamae OHara  

OHara, A. (1993, October 15). [Review of the book Cam Jansen and the Chocolate Fudge Mystery, by David A. Adler]. Booklist. Retrieved from: http://booklistonline.com/Cam-Jansen-and-the-Chocolate-Fudge-Mystery-Susanna-Natti/pid=125539?pid=125539

Library Uses:

I would use this book to introduce younger elementary students to the mystery genre by using it in story time. I would leave off at an exciting point so the kids can guess what will happen.