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Jigsaw Jones Mystery #13
El detective disfrazado (Nino Puzle / Jigsaw Jones Mystery)
C. Nino Puzle. Un nino de nueva anos que ayudado por su amiga Mila tratan de resolver casos que le plantean sus vecinos y companeros de clase. C. Nino Puzle Infantil - Aventuras
80 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2001
5 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
James Preller
201 books142 followersJames 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...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/jamesp...
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 19, 2019
This is set in the winter, in January. Jigsaw and Mila haven't had a case in a while, and since Jigsaw was going to stay at a family friend's sandwich shop after school, he figured it would be a good idea to put up a poster advertising their services.
It's already ridiculous that first graders are being treated like real detectives and go around being hired by everybody to solve crimes. But it was so outrageous that Mary said it's a good thing Jigsaw was here because they've been having problems and she's thought of calling the police. Yeah, a first grader can provide the same services as the police! If a theft occurred in your business why wouldn't you immediately call the police? Why would you ever mention it to a kid?!
At the end of every day for a week Mike and Mary have been short a few brownies and sometimes customers ask for some but they're out. They were worried their competitor down the street would start getting their customers and they would be put out of business.
Jigsaw took the opportunity to try the remaining brownies out for himself. He discovered how delicious they were and asked if they were going to have any. Mike looked sad as he looked at Mary, who shared that they can't have any more sweets because they're on a diet. And that's when it hit me: Mike was the thief. He wasn't happy about the diet and he has access to the brownies. I was dismayed that I had figured it out the first thing but it was so obvious.
Jigsaw came to the conclusion that no one was going to try any funny business with him around because his poster was up and most people who came here know him. He decided he'd have to wear a disguise. Hence the funny cover!
I always enjoy the secret codes he comes up with, and this was no different. The zigzag code is really cool. At first it looks so complicated until he explained it.
C N O S L E Y Y T R C D
A Y U O V M M S E Y O E
You start with the C and then you go down to the second line and then back up to the first to the next letter, zigzagging back and forth to complete the message.
So it says Can you solve my mystery code
So simple but so clever! I love them! They're the best part of these books.
There was an important lesson involving Martin Luther King Jr. in which he believed in equality for everyone. The assignment had the students think about what they could do to make it a more peaceful world. The teacher wanted them to dream of a better world. Kids wrote things like helping the homeless, being a doctor and helping the sick, talking to kids who don't have anyone to talk to, planting flowers, standing up for people, making friends and creating world peace, protecting animals, talking to lonely kids, picking up litter, not making fun of people, and giving food to poor people. Some of the less impactful ones were putting a smile on your face, being nice on the playground (just the playground?), not punching back when someone punches you (?), and not pushing in the cubbies which shouldn't have been included at all.
I like books that inspire and teach, so this would be a great time for readers to think of what they could do to make the world a better place in their own lives. I liked that the examples were things that you could start out small, and then there are bigger examples that could get kids thinking about careers and what to devote their lives to.
Jigsaw's 5th grade buddy, Ben, had a Peyton Manning autographed football that he brought to school but it was stolen. And I figured out who that culprit was too. There had been a boy who tried to talk to Ben, Bobby, but Ben wasn't paying attention to him. Bobby saw Jigsaw's poster and sneered at it, said anyone can do that and Jigsaw's name isn't even Jigsaw, it's Theodore. Ben was annoyed and said he didn't see Bobby solving any mysteries. When Ben said his football was missing, Jigsaw said he and Mila would find it, but Bobby nudged Jigsaw out of the way and said he's the better detective and he'll find it. So it was clear that Bobby was jealous of Jigsaw and wanted Ben's friendship. He wanted to prove himself by solving a mystery.
Jigsaw looked so cute in his detective disguise. He was sitting at a table wearing a french it's and hat and fake beard, looking into his rearview sunglasses.
He noticed that though people were buying brownies, the only ones who touched them were Mike and Mary. So it just further cinched it that Mike was the culprit.
I didn't notice this with the other Jigsaw books I've read but he kept ending on cliffhangers and that bothered me. At the end of ch. 5, when the fifth graders came to his class, Jigsaw noticed something was wrong with Ben, but then at the start of ch. 6 when I expected him to pick up with Ben, he moved on to the project. And we had to wait until after the project to find out what happened. Then at the end of ch. 7 in the sandwich shop the boy who caught Jigsaw investigating out back told Mike that he caught a kid snooping around. I flipped he page, expecting for him to describe Jigsaw, or for Mike to know that it was Jigsaw and burst the boy's bubble that tattle-telling didn't get him anywhere. But ch. 8 jumped to that night with Jigsaw calling Mila. What happened with the boy? How can you do that?! It wasn't until deeper in the chapter that Jigsaw was talking to Mike and Mike mentioned what the boy had told him.
Mila told Jigsaw that Bobby-Sue, the girl who bought brownies, is the daughter of the rival shop owner. And the boy is a neighbor who Mike believed to be concerned. So the field had a couple more players. But it was really confusing having two characters named Bobby, one a girl and one a boy. You really couldn't think of another name?
Mila reported that Mike Radcliffe was always too busy to talk to her and he seemed to be avoiding her. I wondered who in the world Mike was and because it didn't seem to fit with Mike the shop owner. I thought surely he did not repeat a name again. He did. Mike the shop owner and Mike Radcliffe a student. Why are names so hard to think up and are you trying to confuse readers? When Jigsaw told her Mike and Mary were the only ones touching the brownies, she said "Hmmm" but of course Jigsaw was distracted and didn't ask what she meant by that, just to drag things out.
When Jigsaw questioned Bobby-Sue about why she's eating at Mike and Mary's, she revealed that her dad's brownies are dry and she'd rather pay for theirs. So she was off the list of suspects.
Jigsaw went to the shop disguised as a football player one day. He looked so cute in his uniform and helmet. No one brought brownies but one turned up missing anyway. Mike had gone out with trash and Jigsaw timed him, then went out and timed how long it took him. Mike had taken too long and Jigsaw wondered what he had done with the extra seconds.
Bobby came to school one morning and announced that he had found Ben's football, that Mike Radcliffe was a witness to kids taking it, and he got the $5 reward.
The whole story started unraveling with a few well-placed questions. Jigsaw asked why they waited so long to give it to Ben, what time they found it, and their answers were so far-fetched. The biggest problem was Mike saying thunder rumbled and then lightning lit it up. Mila said that lightning always comes first, because light travels faster than found. Mike confessed that Bobby had hatched the plan to solve the case because he was jealous, so they "borrowed" the football where they found it on the grass. Exactly as I had guessed because it was so obvious!
Ben took the $5 and gave it to Mila for solving the case. Then it was on to the shop to crack the other one. Jigsaw gave Marc, the teen in the back, a walkie talkie, which seemed unnecessary. When Mike went out with the trash they carried out their plan and then met up to confront Mike and Mary. Sure enough, Jigsaw said Mike has been sneaking brownies every day when he goes out. Marc has seen him. Mary wasn't mad, said he's off his diet as long as he's happy.
It was so cute that Jigsaw made a new friend, a teen, and he figured out how to make the world a better place like Martin Luther King Jr. He would solve things one piece at a time like a puzzle.
I literally guessed both thieves in both cases. So much for a surprise. I've never guessed a double mystery before. Everything was SO obvious despite a couple decoys meant to distract us and throw us off the trail that didn't work.
August 12 pg. 72 "Aug 12 I didn't really like the stories or mysteries. No element of surprise because I guessed both ppl. Everything was so obvious."
August 10, 2019 – page 37 46.25% "Aug 10 It's okay so far but I think I may have guessed the culprits. I hope it isn't so obvious tho. I do like the secret code and the nice message for kids but I hope the mystery picks up and he starts trying to solve it. It felt sidetracked and not enough action taking place."
February 18, 2019 – Shelved as: to-read
It's already ridiculous that first graders are being treated like real detectives and go around being hired by everybody to solve crimes. But it was so outrageous that Mary said it's a good thing Jigsaw was here because they've been having problems and she's thought of calling the police. Yeah, a first grader can provide the same services as the police! If a theft occurred in your business why wouldn't you immediately call the police? Why would you ever mention it to a kid?!
At the end of every day for a week Mike and Mary have been short a few brownies and sometimes customers ask for some but they're out. They were worried their competitor down the street would start getting their customers and they would be put out of business.
Jigsaw took the opportunity to try the remaining brownies out for himself. He discovered how delicious they were and asked if they were going to have any. Mike looked sad as he looked at Mary, who shared that they can't have any more sweets because they're on a diet. And that's when it hit me: Mike was the thief. He wasn't happy about the diet and he has access to the brownies. I was dismayed that I had figured it out the first thing but it was so obvious.
Jigsaw came to the conclusion that no one was going to try any funny business with him around because his poster was up and most people who came here know him. He decided he'd have to wear a disguise. Hence the funny cover!
I always enjoy the secret codes he comes up with, and this was no different. The zigzag code is really cool. At first it looks so complicated until he explained it.
C N O S L E Y Y T R C D
A Y U O V M M S E Y O E
You start with the C and then you go down to the second line and then back up to the first to the next letter, zigzagging back and forth to complete the message.
So it says Can you solve my mystery code
So simple but so clever! I love them! They're the best part of these books.
There was an important lesson involving Martin Luther King Jr. in which he believed in equality for everyone. The assignment had the students think about what they could do to make it a more peaceful world. The teacher wanted them to dream of a better world. Kids wrote things like helping the homeless, being a doctor and helping the sick, talking to kids who don't have anyone to talk to, planting flowers, standing up for people, making friends and creating world peace, protecting animals, talking to lonely kids, picking up litter, not making fun of people, and giving food to poor people. Some of the less impactful ones were putting a smile on your face, being nice on the playground (just the playground?), not punching back when someone punches you (?), and not pushing in the cubbies which shouldn't have been included at all.
I like books that inspire and teach, so this would be a great time for readers to think of what they could do to make the world a better place in their own lives. I liked that the examples were things that you could start out small, and then there are bigger examples that could get kids thinking about careers and what to devote their lives to.
Jigsaw's 5th grade buddy, Ben, had a Peyton Manning autographed football that he brought to school but it was stolen. And I figured out who that culprit was too. There had been a boy who tried to talk to Ben, Bobby, but Ben wasn't paying attention to him. Bobby saw Jigsaw's poster and sneered at it, said anyone can do that and Jigsaw's name isn't even Jigsaw, it's Theodore. Ben was annoyed and said he didn't see Bobby solving any mysteries. When Ben said his football was missing, Jigsaw said he and Mila would find it, but Bobby nudged Jigsaw out of the way and said he's the better detective and he'll find it. So it was clear that Bobby was jealous of Jigsaw and wanted Ben's friendship. He wanted to prove himself by solving a mystery.
Jigsaw looked so cute in his detective disguise. He was sitting at a table wearing a french it's and hat and fake beard, looking into his rearview sunglasses.
He noticed that though people were buying brownies, the only ones who touched them were Mike and Mary. So it just further cinched it that Mike was the culprit.
I didn't notice this with the other Jigsaw books I've read but he kept ending on cliffhangers and that bothered me. At the end of ch. 5, when the fifth graders came to his class, Jigsaw noticed something was wrong with Ben, but then at the start of ch. 6 when I expected him to pick up with Ben, he moved on to the project. And we had to wait until after the project to find out what happened. Then at the end of ch. 7 in the sandwich shop the boy who caught Jigsaw investigating out back told Mike that he caught a kid snooping around. I flipped he page, expecting for him to describe Jigsaw, or for Mike to know that it was Jigsaw and burst the boy's bubble that tattle-telling didn't get him anywhere. But ch. 8 jumped to that night with Jigsaw calling Mila. What happened with the boy? How can you do that?! It wasn't until deeper in the chapter that Jigsaw was talking to Mike and Mike mentioned what the boy had told him.
Mila told Jigsaw that Bobby-Sue, the girl who bought brownies, is the daughter of the rival shop owner. And the boy is a neighbor who Mike believed to be concerned. So the field had a couple more players. But it was really confusing having two characters named Bobby, one a girl and one a boy. You really couldn't think of another name?
Mila reported that Mike Radcliffe was always too busy to talk to her and he seemed to be avoiding her. I wondered who in the world Mike was and because it didn't seem to fit with Mike the shop owner. I thought surely he did not repeat a name again. He did. Mike the shop owner and Mike Radcliffe a student. Why are names so hard to think up and are you trying to confuse readers? When Jigsaw told her Mike and Mary were the only ones touching the brownies, she said "Hmmm" but of course Jigsaw was distracted and didn't ask what she meant by that, just to drag things out.
When Jigsaw questioned Bobby-Sue about why she's eating at Mike and Mary's, she revealed that her dad's brownies are dry and she'd rather pay for theirs. So she was off the list of suspects.
Jigsaw went to the shop disguised as a football player one day. He looked so cute in his uniform and helmet. No one brought brownies but one turned up missing anyway. Mike had gone out with trash and Jigsaw timed him, then went out and timed how long it took him. Mike had taken too long and Jigsaw wondered what he had done with the extra seconds.
Bobby came to school one morning and announced that he had found Ben's football, that Mike Radcliffe was a witness to kids taking it, and he got the $5 reward.
The whole story started unraveling with a few well-placed questions. Jigsaw asked why they waited so long to give it to Ben, what time they found it, and their answers were so far-fetched. The biggest problem was Mike saying thunder rumbled and then lightning lit it up. Mila said that lightning always comes first, because light travels faster than found. Mike confessed that Bobby had hatched the plan to solve the case because he was jealous, so they "borrowed" the football where they found it on the grass. Exactly as I had guessed because it was so obvious!
Ben took the $5 and gave it to Mila for solving the case. Then it was on to the shop to crack the other one. Jigsaw gave Marc, the teen in the back, a walkie talkie, which seemed unnecessary. When Mike went out with the trash they carried out their plan and then met up to confront Mike and Mary. Sure enough, Jigsaw said Mike has been sneaking brownies every day when he goes out. Marc has seen him. Mary wasn't mad, said he's off his diet as long as he's happy.
It was so cute that Jigsaw made a new friend, a teen, and he figured out how to make the world a better place like Martin Luther King Jr. He would solve things one piece at a time like a puzzle.
I literally guessed both thieves in both cases. So much for a surprise. I've never guessed a double mystery before. Everything was SO obvious despite a couple decoys meant to distract us and throw us off the trail that didn't work.
August 12 pg. 72 "Aug 12 I didn't really like the stories or mysteries. No element of surprise because I guessed both ppl. Everything was so obvious."
August 10, 2019 – page 37 46.25% "Aug 10 It's okay so far but I think I may have guessed the culprits. I hope it isn't so obvious tho. I do like the secret code and the nice message for kids but I hope the mystery picks up and he starts trying to solve it. It felt sidetracked and not enough action taking place."
February 18, 2019 – Shelved as: to-read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2024
I found this book going through my old childhood belongings, and it took me way back. Growing up reading Jigsaw Jones was so much fun, and such a privilege. I remember Jigsaw introduced me to 'pig latin' and the caesar cipher, and I must have been so obnoxious because i kept giving my friends & family encoded notes as if I had some urgent, top secret message to tell them.
Mr. Preller, if you're reading this:
You did great, man. I loved being a detective with Jigsaw. Thank you for writing this.
Mr. Preller, if you're reading this:
You did great, man. I loved being a detective with Jigsaw. Thank you for writing this.
November 3, 2017
In this book we follow a kids named Mila and Jone. Jone and Mila solves mysteries and one of them is the missing football. In the case they found a clue in the schoolyard. The clue was a piece of paper that had a name on it. The name was Will on the paper and Will was there friend.
August 3, 2019
Funny, yet accessible to young readers.
May 28, 2021
Es un libro muy bueno.
October 30, 2013
DRA Level 30.
Jigsaw reluctantly goes to the bakery, because he doesn't want to be babysat, but then he is excited when the owners give him a case to solve. Jigsaw Jones and his friend Mila set out to find out who has been taking brownies. Jigsaw uses a disguise to crack the case.
This book is great for 3rd grade.
Jigsaw reluctantly goes to the bakery, because he doesn't want to be babysat, but then he is excited when the owners give him a case to solve. Jigsaw Jones and his friend Mila set out to find out who has been taking brownies. Jigsaw uses a disguise to crack the case.
This book is great for 3rd grade.
January 8, 2009
I liked the noir tone of this book so much that I didn't mind how lame the mysteries were.
April 13, 2017
Estos libritos son muy entretenidos. Me gustan para leerselos a los niños en la noche a la hora de dormir. Son una mini novela detectivesca
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews