Cam Jansen and the Scary Snake Mystery (Cam Jansen Adventures Series #17) ANNOTATION
Cam investigates when a thief steals her mother's video camera and a tape containing footage of a big scary snake.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Best friends Mandy and Mimi can't wait to see the new "Mummy Wonders" exhibit at the museum. But when they sneak in for a preview, they get wrapped up in more than they bargained for. The museum director spots a mummified Mandy, and the chase is on! Can M and M untangle themselves from their mummy mess?
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Martha Cunningham
The Cam Jansen series is a popular one, geared to eight-to ten-year-olds or to children deemed "reluctant readers." This particular effort, number seventeen in the series, lacks the detail and suspense of many, but is still worth promoting; for along with the story of the purloined snake, to be used as a "news scoop," it shows a relaxed mother and two "normal" kids who nonetheless enjoy visits to the museum and are not afraid to speak up for the sake of fairness. As it is thinner than most of the Cam Jansen series, I would not want to introduce children to the series with this entry; but the author spends effort explaining the background of the girl and her talent, the photographic memory, which to many readers may be redundant. Part of the Puffin "Chapters" series.
School Library Journal
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
Home
