The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster

Jigsaw Jones Mystery #1

by James Preller, R.W. Alley (Illustrator)

The clever, puzzle-crazy Jigsaw Jones utilizes his Top Secret Detective Journal and enlists the help of his ace partner, Mila, to track down the missing hamster, Hermie. Original.

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Middle Grade, 2nd Grade, Juvenile

80 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

James Preller (born 1961) is the children's book author of the Jigsaw Jones Mysteries, which are published by Scholastic Corporation. He grew up in Wantagh, New York and went to college in Oneonta, New York. After graduating from college in 1983, James Preller was employed as a waiter for one year before being hired as a copywriter by Scholastic Corporation, where he was introduced (through their books) to many noatable children's authors. This inspired James Preller to try writing his own books. James Preller published his first book, entitled MAXX TRAX: Avalanche Rescue, in 1986. Since that time, James Preller has written a variety of books, and has written under a number of pen names, including Mitzy Kafka, James Patrick, and Izzy Bonkers. James Preller lives in Delmar, New York with his wife Lisa and their three children.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/jamesp...

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A kid who is a sort of PI gets a case involving a search for a missing hamster. Not bad, but he's no Encyclopedia Brown.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jigsaw Jones solves mysteries for the kids in the neighborhood for a dollar a day. At the start of the novel, he is sitting in his tree house office working on a jigsaw puzzle when he is interrupted by his neighbor, Wingnut (so called because his ears stick out). Wingnut has lost his pet hamster, Hermie, and is desperate for Jigsaw's help. With the help of his partner, Mila, Jigsaw begins an investigation by exploring the scene of the crime, conducting research, and interviewing experts and suspects.

This book made me laugh with it's clear allusions to hard-boiled detective novels of the 40's. It begins thus, "It was Sunday afternoon, 4:36 P.M. I was in my office on the dirty side of town. Oky, actually I was in my treehouse in the backyard." Jigsaw even has a girl Friday in the form of Mila who is his perfect partner with complimentary skills.

The book is also peppered with subtle education bonuses like Mila's song about short vowels and the teacher's guidance in Jigsaw's research. (Grades 2-5)

[Laila · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son liked this one and I did too. I think it's a perfect choice for kids new to chapter books. I especially liked that the kids weren't unnecessarily sarcastic.

[Chak · Rating 5 out of 5]

We've been through Young Cam Jansen, Cam Jansen, Nate the Great, etc. and were looking for a new kid-detective series and came across Jigsaw Jones. The kid seems entertained, but I LOVE these books. They're written in this noir fashion that cracks me up. There's a lot of improv material here.

This first Jigsaw Jones mystery opens with "It was Sunday afternoon,4:36 p.m. I was in my office on the dirty side of town." C'mon! Hysterical for a kid's book. The neighbor Timothy is called "Wingnut" because his ears are so big. The ubiquitous "For a dollar a day, I make problems go away," is going to be my new catchphrase.

A hard-boiled detective thriller for kids 5-8 - genius!

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 6 year old and 4 year old both love me to read this series aloud to them. We usually divide the books over two nights reading the first half one night and the second half the next. The mysteries are simple, but interesting to budding young detectives. Sometimes I laugh at things that are go over my boys' heads, but that's what makes them so much fun to read aloud. I think I'll have them re-read this series when they get a little older and are learning to read independantly.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was never much of a fan of the Jigsaw Jones Mysteries, but this was still a pretty good book. I chose to read this book to give the series a chance and because I have never read this one. The book is good for children around first or second grade to read. This book teaches a good lesson on never pointing fingers at anyone when things go missing, that all the facts need to be considered before a conclusion is made. I would probably have a few of these books in my classroom library.

[Charlotte Skibicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story to start the series off with.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me acuerdo que leí estos libros en el colegio y me encantaron. Así que he vuelto a releer el primero al encontrarlo en la biblioteca. Me ha gustado, pero es verdad que hay elementos del libro que hoy en día no estarían bien vistos. Lo que es curioso porque tampoco tiene tanto tiempo. Pero en general está bien.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jigsaw Jones was the first series I ever read. Every one of these books is amazing and I remember loving every single one. I loved them so much I almost wrote a letter to James Preller telling him how awesome they are! These should be read by every kid as the first things they read.

[Cassandra S. Kiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect reading for 2nd grade boys!

[Max Stapleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had hamsters in it.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not going to rate this whole series, even though I read all of them years ago. I loved this series!

[Julia Orr · Rating 5 out of 5]

The funniest part of the book was when Jigsaw puked on Jake's shoes.

[Leo · Rating 2 out of 5]

read for school.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, I was excited to to see what was going to happened in the end. Give it a read😊

[Valari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ive loved these books growing up. and I still love them now:

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading with Addison

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good early chapter book for 1st and 2nd grade. Mixes educational aspects into the mystery.

[Jack Norton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really just wanted to get my pages. It wasn't great.

[Shannon Leal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery
4 Stars
A unique feature about this book is that when reading it, you feel as though you are solving the case as well. You really connect with the main character and you are brought right into his head, that you feel as though his thoughts are your thoughts and it makes it very intriguing.

Grades: 2-5
Date Completed: October 9

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a great lower end intermediate reading level. My kids love mysteries. They are going to like this one.

Update: Luisa have it 4 stars just like I thought she would. We will be reading this series!

[Javi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gusta porque el hámster es uno de mis animales favoritos

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book because it looked like an easy read and what I found was a great story and great writer. There is several PBS shows that this books reminds me of, because it's about a kid who is 6, whose name is Theodore, but he calls himself Jigsaw Jones, he works on cases in his neighborhood for a $1 a day and he goes about these cases in a very believable way, he investigates and he reads and studies to find the answer.
In this book his neighbor has lost his hamster, one of two and can't find him. With the help of his friend Mila, they go to libraries, pet shops and teachers for help. They get a list of possible suspects, they put this case together like a jigsaw puzzle, hence the name.
I found this very enjoyable and there are nearly 30 books to the series, you do not have to read them in order and I am looking forward to reading as many as I can find at my local library and online.

[Joanna Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

ages 6-9. In the very first Jigsaw Jones mystery, Theodore "Jigsaw" Jones solves the case of his friend's missing hamster. The first suspect is his friend's brother's snake, and the second is a vacuum cleaner, but in the end, there's a twist about Hermie that hamster that will make children squeal and adults chuckle-- for separate reasons of course. Preller ingeniously creates a story that is both amusing for children and for adults, and he accurately captures the feelings of a young boy in an affectionate and humorous. These transitional chapter books are outstanding in their class for delivering funny, compelling narrative with solid storylines. These books are essential additions to public and school library youth collections.

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this series more than the more forced A to Z children's mysteries because it feels more natural and smoother and reactions arent as forced. That said, the logic in this one is a bit weaker...but I prefer how the protagonist is more proactive in this about obtaining clues and following leads on his own.

I also think it's lighter in tone and more fun and more relatable. Some things are very juvenile like him finding "love" yucky but some things are also extremely sweet and heartwarming like when he gives his $5 (a lot of money to him) to a Christmas money pot for needy kids in the missing coin snowman book (book 2 I think)

Overall still weak as a mystery but light and enjoyable for young boys. Some archaic/outdated ideas though.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We liked the first Jigsaw Jones mystery we read (Case Of The Kidnapped Candy), so we decided to go ahead and start the series from the beginning. We liked this story. It involves characters at the perfect age for our girls and the mysteries are fun, not scary. I love that it included a trip to the library to do research, too! We will certainly look for more of these books at our local library.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son loves Jigsaw Jones, and became a detective because of him. Luke advertises for his detective agency on our front door, and I am instructed to tell any prospective clients to come back after school. He has even had a few cases (not from people who have come to the door!) Jigsaw is a great kid and the books are lots of fun. I think we have read every one of them. We read them aloud, a great time for mom and son.

[Ahominski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster because it was a mystery that kept me guessing until the very end! I did not expect Hermie to be a girl! In the first chapter, I thought Hermie was a boy and was eaten by a snake. I really loved the way the story ended, it had a happy ending. This story was funny and made me laugh throughout. I look forward to reading another book in the Jigsaw Jones series next!

[Evelynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was, oh...nine? ten? I loved the Jigsaw Jones series. I couldn't get enough of it. I was - and always will be - a mystery-lover. Now, when I read these, I realize that they're not exactly the best written, nor the most exciting or the most intricate myster-wise. But they are definitely perfectly geared for kids, such as I was when I loved this series. I recommend it for kids who love mystery stories, or kids who love the Cam Jansen or Encyclopedia Brown series.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is our and the series 1st Jigsaw Jones book. I read it to my special needs teenager and we both enjoyed it. Probably could sit and read through it in about 30 minutes. We started it after a few books so didn't have the full 30 minutes to read the first day then finished it our second day to read. I'm excited to read the next in this series. A good series to start children out with mysteries.