The Mystery Of The Dinosaur Bones (1984) - Plot & Excerpts
I really enjoyed reading this book! The main characters, Cam and Eric, are friends who seem to get involved with a lot of mysteries together. Cam's name is actually Jennifer but they call her Cam, short for 'The Camera". She got this nickname because she takes pictures of everything with her mental camera and says "click" as she is taking these mental pictures. In this book, Cam and Eric go on a class field trip to the Kurt Daub Museum with their fifth grade class. They travel around the museum with a tour guide and look at dinosaur bones and lots of other cool things. Cam had been to this museum before and had looked at these dinosaur bones and taken mental pictures of them. As she was examining them on the field trip, she noticed that there were a few bones missing from one of the dinosaurs. She raised her hand and tried to tell the tour guide, but she didn't seem receptive to Cam's observation. Cam knew they were missing and she had to get to the bottom of this mystery. Cam and Eric knew that the bones had to have been taken when the museum was closed, otherwise someone would have seen it happen. She told Eric that they should stay after the museum closed to see if they could find out who was taking the bones. In the end, they finally figured out who was taking the dinosaur bones and they turned them in to the director of the museum. Cam and Eric saved the day! I would love to have the Cam Jansen series in my classroom library. I would use this book as an introduction to mysteries. We could also talk about science topics and dinosaur bones along with this book. If my class had the opportunity to go to a science museum on a field trip, it would be cool to read this book before going. It would be a great way to show the students the importance of being observant and looking at things closely in order to gain more knowledge. These are just a few examples, but there are a lot of great applications to use this book in the classroom.
Cam Jansen realizes that three bones on a dinosaur model in a museum are missing and sets out to solve the mystery.Ages 8-12Cam Jansen's real first name is Jennifer, but her friends call her Cam because of her photographic memory. When she takes a mental picture, she says "click". In this story, part of a large series of mysteries, Cam and her friend Eric are touring a natural history museum. Cam remembers that one of the dinosaurs had more bones in its tail the last time she visited. The tour guide denies this, and seems hostile to her inquiries.Just as they leave the museum, Cam and Eric notice a mysterious milk truck picking up a carton outside the museum. Cam remembers that the brand of milk in the museum cafeteria is different. She and Eric set out on a dangerous mission to solve the mystery on their bicycles. It doesn't really matter that the situation is unlikely. This book would be an entertaining read for new chapter book readers. With a similar feel to easy readers, but slightly denser text and smaller font, the book contains black and white pictures every 2-5 pages or so. Nothing violent happens, so the story would be suitable for readers 6 and up. Because this book was originally published in 1981 and it is part of a large series, it was difficult to find online reviews of this book in electronic databases. Amazon.com quotes reviews from Booklist and School Library Journal, but it is unclear whether they refer to this specific book. The quote from School Library Journal praised the clever plot and heroine, and said the book was a "zestful mystery". The Booklist quote was less helpful, and merely praised the heroine. Amazon's publisher review helpfully mentions that this book is suitable for readers who are transitioning to chapter books.
What do You think about The Mystery Of The Dinosaur Bones (1984)?
David A. Adler, Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones (Scholastic, 1981)Straightforward early-grade mystery that's about as complex as an Encyclopedia Brown story, but takes up a good deal more space; one wonders at the expansive real estate. Still, mystery novels for kids were not a huge commodity back in the eighties (before the term “chapter books” had come about to describe this category of kidlit), and as with any vertical-market application, authors could get away with more, which is why when someone came out with a really good novel-length kidlit mystery, my whole school went nuts. (If you're old enough, remember how popular The Westing Game was when it appeared, for example?) Still, the plot is fun and the characters are as well, and if you don't mind your mystery elements predictable and simplistic, it's not bad. Just don't expect something as complex and engrossing as the average modern kidlit mystery. ***
—Robert Beveridge
I really loved this story. I just remember her going to a museum and then she saw someone stealing the bones from the exhibit.
—Tara Frye
Cam Jansen and her friend, Eric Shelton, are excited to be visiting the Kurt Daub Museum. It’s not their first trip there, but every trip is exciting – and the best part of all is the dinosaur exhibit! But as Cam studies the fossil of a Coelophysis, she realizes that something is wrong – some of the bones are missing!Can Cam find the bones before they are used for some ill purpose?Discussion.Cam Jansen doesn’t used deductive reasoning to help her solve her cases. And she doesn’t spend all of her time tracking down clues, either. No, Cam Jansen is a unique detective who solves her cases through the use of her photographic memory. Any time Cam wants to remember a scene, she just says “Click.”, closes her eyes, and has a perfect mental image of the scene she captured with her mental “camera”.In this particular story, Cam and Eric match their wits with a pair of fossil thieves. Although in one scene they attempt to stay in a museum after its closing time, they are caught and no other misbehavior occurs.Conclusion. Super, super simple – readers of this age would probably prefer the TCDC series.Visit The Blithering Bookster to read more reviews!www.blitheringbookster.com
—Laura Verret
