The Secret Service Mystery

Cam Jansen Mysteries #26

by David A. Adler, Susanna Natti (Illustrator)

It is a big day at Cam?s school. The governor, who is running for president, is visiting for the dedication of a new library. Police officers, Secret Service agents, photographers, and news reporters are all there to hear the governor speak when . . . bang! A loud sound like a gunshot startles everyone during the ceremony. Was it really a gun, or a noisy cover for a crime? Click along with Cam as she teams up with the Secret Service to solve the mystery. An exciting installment in the much-loved series, this newest Cam Jansen mystery will win new readers and please longtime fans.

Genres: Mystery, Chapter Books, Childrens, Fiction, Picture Books, Juvenile, Audiobook

58 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 21, 2006

About the author

David Abraham Adler is an American children's author. He was born in New York City, New York in 1947. He graduated from Queens College in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics and education. For the next nine years, he worked as a mathematics teacher for the New York City Board of Education, while taking classes towards a master's degree in marketing, a degree he was awarded by New York University in 1971. In that same year, a question from his then-three-year-old nephew inspired Adler to write his first story, A Little at a Time, subsequently published by Random House in 1976. Adler's next project, a series of math books, drew on his experience as a math teacher. In 1977, he created his most famous character, Cam Jansen, originally featured in Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds, which was published that year.

Adler married psychologist Renee Hamada in 1973, and their first child, Michael, was born in 1977. By that time Adler had taken a break from teaching and, while his wife continued her work, he stayed home, took care of Michael, and began a full-time writing career.

Adler's son, Michael S. Adler, is now the co-author of several books with his father, including A Picture Book of Sam Adams, A Picture Book of John Hancock, and A Picture Book of James and Dolly Madison. Another son, Edward, was the inspiration for Adler's Andy Russell series, with the events described in the series loosely based on adventures the Adler family had with Edward's enthusiasm and his pets.

As of November 2008, Adler has three sons and two grandsons. He lives in Woodmere, New York.

(source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fifth-grade sleuth Cam Jansen returns in this twenty-sixth entry in David A. Adler's beginning chapter-book series devoted to her crime-solving adventures. When the governor, who is running for president, and two benefactors come to Cam's school for a library-opening ceremony, they are accompanied by Secret Service agents and police. When a loud gunshot-like noice is heard during said ceremony, these figures spring into motion, but for all their experience, they fail to prevent the theft of a valuable pearl necklace, or to even realize that the theft has occurred. It is Cam who stumbles upon the puzzle and, naturally enough, solves it...

Like its predecessors, Cam Jansen and the Secret Service Mystery presents a fairly simple story of suspense, one in which the eponymous heroine's photographic memory - although her real name is Jennifer, our crime-solver's unusual memory led people to nickname her Cam, short for 'camera' - plays a vital role. Unlike other entries in the series, here the help is provided, not by Cam's best friend Eric, who is her usual companion, but by mischievous Danny, who has featured in a few previous entries in the series. I don't know that I found this one of the more convincing entries in Adler's series - it stretched my suspension-of-disbelief a bit, that fifth-grade Cam would understand the sharp report of a falling object better than a Secret Service agent - but I think fans of the character will enjoy the book, and it is to them that I would recommend it.

[Anna Salvesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

At school they hear a loud BANG when the governor and famous people named the Pearls are at the school. When they hear it, everyone gets down and someone grabs Mrs. Pearl and throws her behind a desk and steals her necklace. A young boy named Danny found out where the guy who took the necklace is hidden, and Cam knows what he looks like. So they team up and they get the thief.

[Emily Beckett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cam Jansen was a good book. The governor Zellner visit Cam Jansens school and library. At the library this woman drops a book on the desk.It sounds like a gun all of the kids and adults drop to the floor there is a woman name miss. Perl she had a perl neckless the woman that drop the book pushed miss.Perl behind a desk an stole the neckless. Cam Jasen solved the mystery.

[Emily Farquhar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun mystery book about a girl named Cam Jansen who teams up with secret services to solve a mystery that involves her school and the governor in the midst of the dedication of her new school library.

F&P: L
AR: 2.4

Six Traits:
Organization, Sentence Fluency, Idea

[WKPL Children's/YA Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Linda really enjoys the Cam Jansen series of books and suggests them for 2nd grade readers. Young Cam Jansen is another series that is suitable for 1st grade readers.

[Mr.Zhou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sensitive!

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because there were a couple of here and there hints as to the answer to the mystery!

[Patricia Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just discovered this series on audiobook through our library and my 7-year-old is loving them! My 9-year-old also enjoys them but finds them a bit simple, so I’d recommend younger readers.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't a bad mystery, but it didn't answer the questions: Who were the two thieves, and how did they get into the school? My second grade son and I talked a bit after reading the book and decided this would not happen in a school these days.

[Madison Gervais · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cam Jansen and the Secret Service Mystery is a very cute chapter book. It is part of a series of books that are about a girl who has a photographic memory and how she uses her gift to solve mysteries. This is a great book for reading groups in 2nd or 3rd grade. It is a smaller chapter book and can be a semi quick read for students. This is a great way to introduce students to chapter books. This book can also be used for doing predictions. There are a few points throughout the book where you slowly find out more information and it would be good spots to make predictions about who committed the crime. The Cam Jansen series could also be used in 1st grade as class reads and they can do predictions as a class. David Adler does a great job of keeping the reader guessing without giving away the ending.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another fun story in the Cam Jansen series of books by David A. Adler and Susanna Natti. We've read many of these books and are always searching for new ones that we haven't read yet at our local library. This is an interesting tale involving politics, a theft, and a generous donation to the elementary school library. That last part in particular made me smile.

[Marsha · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is your typical Cam Jansen story. Cam's school is dedicating their new library and the special guest are the Governor, who us running for president, and his wife. Secret service agents are also there to protect the Governor. During the ceromony, the class hears a big bang and the lights go off. Everyone believes that the sounds are gunshots and they hit the deck. When the dust settles, the Govenors wife is missing her pearls. Cam uses her photographic memory to solve the crime. It's formatted, uniteresting, and boring.

[Edith Bernabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Governor is putting a libary in Cams school. THUD! The people said that she Governor hit the selfs the and the books fell flat. But books dont fall flat. Cam told the sercet service agent but they didnt belive her. Mrs. Pearls lost her pearl necklace. Cam told the Secret Service Agents the person pushed Mrs.Pearls and took her necklace. The peolpe thanked Cam.

[Michelle Bridges · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple mystery that takes place over the course of a day. Cam has a photographic memory which she uses to help solve crimes. The book, plot and characters are all simple and like able enough but not very memorable. I would call this book very vanilla. But for beginning readers who need a simple plot and to focus on learning to read this could be a good book. Recommend for 1-2 graders maybe?

[Tanja · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I think the title could have been chosen better, it is all in all a nice little mystery. Knowing that some boys are reluctant to check out the series due to the female main character, having a boy alongside Cam in this episode may win over some new readers.

[Tam Tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. Nothing new or fascinating, but enjoyable nonetheless.

More details here: http://www.littlezombies.net/2012/08/...

[Sharlet Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cam Jansen always has fun mystery to solve. These books will keep the mind thinking. Why does the book fall that way. Science experiment, you got to try this.

[Kaytee · Rating 3 out of 5]

somebody dropped a book to sound like a gun they droped to the floor then a guy put mrs. pearls down to the floor then cam realized that her necklace was gone.

[Partridge Public]

Adler,David

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Be able to tell the difference between the sound of a book falling on the floor and a gunshot."

[Sicou Tounkara]

The book is really good!!