Cam Jansen and the scary snake mystery

Gr. 2^-4. Cam's photographic memory is in good form in the latest mystery, which involves a scaly reptile and a slippery thief. As summer vacation ends for Cam and her good friend Eric, a curious mystery begins outside the public library. Cam's mother has a video camera running when someone's pet snake escapes and causes a stir on the library steps. Soon after, the canvas bag holding the camera is snatched from Mrs. Jansen, only to turn up later with the camera safe inside in front of a boarded-up store. Mrs. Jansen feels the mystery is solved and is just happy that the "borrowed" camera has been returned. But Cam won't give up until she figures out why the camera was really stolen. Whether kids are seasoned Cam fans or new to the series, they won't be disappointed by this sharp entry to those very popular mysteries. --Denia Hester

Gr 1-3‘Fans of the series will not be disappointed with this new title. Cam, her friend Eric, and her mother are visiting a city museum when a woman lets her pet snake out of a bag on the museum steps. Mrs. Jansen is videotaping the children and, in surprise, turns the still-running camera toward the incident. Then her camcorder is stolen. When they find it, the tape is missing. Then they see the video of the incident on TV for the "News Scoop" contest and go to the station to track down the thief. This is an easy-to-read chapter book that solves a believable mystery in a satisfying way. Black-and-white line drawings enliven the text.‘Janet M. Bair, Trumbull Library, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.