Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Corn Popper

Cam Jansen Mysteries #11

by David A. Adler, Susanna Natti (Illustrator)

Fifth-grade sleuth Cam Jansen uses her photographic memory to catch a thief during a department store sale.

Genres: Mystery, Chapter Books, Childrens, Fiction, Juvenile, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

64 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1986

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]

It's the start of a new school year, and Cam Jansen and her best friend Eric Shelton are shopping for school supplies at Binky's Department Store when they become involved in solving a series of thefts. Customers in the crowded store keep having their bags stolen, and Cam soon has an idea of who the guilty party is. The only question is, what are they doing with all the stolen goods, which they never seem to have on them...?

First published in 1986, Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Corn Popper is the eleventh entry in David A. Adler's beginning chapter-book series devoted to the mysterious adventures of Cam and Eric. As in other entries in the series, Cam uses her photographic memory to solve the mystery. That said, Eric also has a contribution to make, using his knowledge of his younger twin sisters to help a security guard restore a lost child to his mother. Although a minor point, I appreciated this, as I sometimes feel that Eric is too much of a sidekick in these books, and isn't allowed to contribute enough to the mystery-solving. Recommended to beginning chapter-book readers who enjoy mysteries, and to fans of Cam Jansen.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a somewhat startling coincidence, this is set in Binky's Department Store, and we started it just after we finished reading Binky the Space Cat! But Binky's Department Store isn't owned by a space cat; instead, it's owned by a woman who loves the color green and who can't seem to hire competent staff for her Returns Department. The plot has holes that you could drive a dump truck through if it were written for adults, but it's written for young kids, so I'll willingly suspend my disbelief. Cam and Eric of course solve the mystery - but really, does Eric ever do anything, or is he just there to explain Cam's 'amazing memory' to people?

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 4 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)

*Please Note that the following review is the general review on the Cam Jansen Mysteries *

I loved this series as a kid. I believe I was about 6 to 8 when I read these books and it would be the beginning of my love of mysteries. Cam Jansen, about 10 years old, uses her photographic memory to solve mysteries. They remind me of Agatha Christie novels but for children beginning to read chapter books. I would call these one step above the easy readers.

[Melissa Mahle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Cam Jansen stories. I remember reading them out loud to my daughter. I'd read a page and then she'd read half a page. We laughed together at Cam's attitude. This is a great series and I am studying it as part of my research on chapter books.

[Megan Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute book about Cam and her friend who solve a mystery of the stolen corn popper. These two friends show how creative minds can work together as a team. This book would be great for a first, second, or third grader who is starting to begin to read chapter books.

This would be a good book for a teacher to read every day for about a week as a whole class activity. The students would enjoy listening to the mystery and coming up with ideas on what they might think will happen. Another activity a teacher could use for this book is for the students to work in pairs and create a mystery themselves. Other pairs can work together to solve one another mysteries and could be a great way team building activity.

[Anna Salvesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cam and Eric were going to a shopping store to buy school supplies, and then a man yelled out "my bag's missing!" He explained that he put it down for a second and then it went missing. Multiple other people started to say the same thing. Cam and Eric saw a girl wearing a blue dress with flowers holding a lot of bags. Cam saw her in line for returns with a lot of stuff. They figured out it was her because she kept coming back and coming back and coming back to return stuff for money. They security guards called the police and she got arrested. She had to give all the money back and everyone got their things back. The corn popper was in the first man's bag because he bought it as a gift for people who liked to watch movies so they could make their own popcorn at home.

[Madison Van Niekerk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book was really nice because everything was so back and forth in this book so if you are looking for a book that is just full of mystery I recamend Cam Jansen and the mystery of the stolen corn popper.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doesn't give many clues with which kids can figure out the mystery...

[McKendra Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy for the class to follow along. (story line) Good story line on doing the right the "right" thing.

[Dee brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute mystery.

[Mr.Zhou · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Returns part is truly creative!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luisa: I love mysteries. I like how it wasn't what they thought it was going to be.

[Annm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should have written this review sooner, because I don't remember the book. I read it to help me figure out how beginning chapter books are laid out.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute and clever. I prefer the cam jansen books that don't rely solely on her memory. this one had a great deal of logic and human behavior in it. I can't wait for my niece to read it!

[Brynlee A]

In this book, they are in a store called Binky's department Store, and they are shopping for school supplies. When Cam and Eric, was at the store there was a person in a blue flower dress, with blue curly hair and glasses steeling people's things and Cam has a memory o pictures, so when she wants to remember something she goes click like a camera.

In this book they are having a problem where there is a woman in a blue flower dress and she is stealing peoples things and returning the things for the money. When cam was think she said let me use my memory so i can find who it was. so she made the clink sound and she found out who it was.

I like his book because it was very intresting to see what she would find out who stole the things. nad i also like the psart when they find the little kid it was so cute. i just klike this book over all.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cam and Eric go to Binky’s Department Store to buy school supplies. The theft of a corn popper wrapped in gold paper with a big green bow interrupts their plans. When a second shopping bag goes missing, Cam starts looking through her photographic memory and compares the people shopping near the first victim with those by the second. She sees a woman with long, curly brown hair, glasses, and a blue-flowered dress. At first, the store’s security guard doesn’t take Cam’s description of the suspect seriously, but Cam convinces him of her skills by remembering things about him. As Cam and Eric walk back to the school supplies, they see the woman in the flowered dress. She’s in the shoe department, but she doesn’t have any shopping bags. Could Cam be wrong? Then Cam has an idea. They find the woman in line at the returns counter, and Cam knows that she has solved another mystery.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Traci · Rating 5 out of 5]

These were my absolute favorite books in elementary school! They are so exciting and fun and easy reads. They were probably the first books I read when I was able to read longer books. I read so many! So when I found this one again I was so excited and had to read it. It brought back all the happy feelings I had about them when I was little. I miss those days. It was definitely a kids book and not one that I would just read now but it still entertained me. Cam Jansen has a photographic memory which helps her solve mysteries because she can remember everything and everyone she saw. I wish I could do that. In this one, someone stole a corn popper so she and her friend had to help find out who it was. I really enjoyed reading this and I think almost any kid would like them.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another fun mystery from the Cam Jansen series. In this tale, she and her friend Eric are shopping for school supplies at the local Department store and help catch a thief. The story was quite busy, with a couple of plot lines going at one time and lots of activity. It was a good story, but at times it felt like the author was adding filler to the story to make it longer. In any case, our girls really love this series and we will certainly read more!

(As much as we love the new covers, this one really has nothing to do with the story - the old cover was more appropriate to the plot.)

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cam Jansen is a 5th grader with a photographic memory. She uses her memory to solve mysteries. She says the word "click" as she takes a picture with her eyes. She can then compare memories like you would compare two photos. That alone doesn't allow her to solve mysteries, but she is able to figure out the mystery anyway.

The books are relatively short, and can be read quickly. She is similar to Encyclopedia Brown, but the mystery takes the entire book, instead of a couple of pages. This allows the characters to have more depth.

In this case, they are shopping for school supplies as the beginning of school. A man has his corn popper stolen, and Cam has to figure out who did it.

[Alyssa Birnbaum]

The Cam Jensen books were my absolute favorite when I was younger. When my mom would but a new one for our family's collection, my sister and I used to fight over who got to read it first. Cam's attitude, the intense mystery, and the silly adventures has lead to have an interest in these books even now. As I become a teacher and maybe even a parent, I would recommend this book to any young children for a fun and easy chapter book to read.

[Victor Lam]

Ages 8 & Up • When a customer at Binky's Department Store realizes that his shopping bag—containing a brand-new corn popper—has been stolen, Cam and Eric put their school-supply shopping on hold. Now they're searching for the thief instead!

[Brooke Birchler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book series when I was younger. I still loved reading it now and would highly recommend it to any child who loves mystery books. Especially someone who is just transitioning into chapter books.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

You shouldn't steal things.

[Gabriela · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.75

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is lots of people who got stuff stolen from them. There is this man and with Cam's good memory she saw this man in every crowd of people that got stuff stolen from them so it was him.

[Elyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this made me remember that I read a ton of these growing up. I loved Cam Jansen then and I'm glad they are still popular.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly serviceable early chapter book mystery. Make sure you check out the Cam Jansen musical if it's ever performed near you.

[Hillvan]

550L

[Francesca]

sadgvfrdb

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book so much. when i was reading with Mr.Mergler he read 1 of my pages