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Bones Mysteries #6

Bones And The Math Test

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FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Jeffrey Bones's teacher, Mr. Gale, loses things a lot. One day, Mr. Gale says he can't find Bones's math test, but Bones know he turned it in. It's time for him to use his detective skills. Can Bones find his test and get an ""excellent"" grade?

32 pages, Library Binding

First published February 14, 2008

44 people want to read

About the author

David A. Adler

400 books202 followers
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)

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Samantha Haugen.
2 reviews4 followers
April 4, 2013
This book is not a multicultural picture book; it perpetuates stereotypes and bias. The teacher is African American and he is "in power" however he is portrayed as forgetful, lazy, and apathetic. While the European American student is thoughtful, resourceful, and aids the absent-minded teacher. I would discourage the use of this text in a classroom, there are many other books which can relay the same message
2 reviews1 follower
January 21, 2019
I really liked this mystery. Everybody got excellent on their test, but Bones had to do it again, but then he got an "excellent."
Profile Image for Ellie Shameli.
8 reviews1 follower
Read
November 22, 2021
Bones and the Math Test Mystery is #6 of the 10 series, and written by the author of the bestselling Cam Jansen books, this Easy-to-Read series is just right for beginning readers. David A. Adler invites the young reader to join Jeffrey Bones super sleuth to solving mysteries. His relatable approach to the writing process will inspire students to brainstorm their own suspenseful tales!
Jeffrey Bones doesn't like math tests, especially when he forgets to study for them. Now his math test is missing. Jeffrey Bones's teacher, Mr. Gale, loses things a lot. One day, Mr. Gale says he can't find Bones's math test, but Bones knows he turned it in. Will Bones want to solve this mystery? Will he follow the clues and find his math test? He wants to see the word "excellent" on his paper like all other his classmates.
This will be a great book for instructional read aloud because in Bones and the Math Test Mystery, David Adler tells an exciting story that will captivate a child's interest. The action of the story takes place in a classroom, which will be a familiar setting for children who are starting school. The book also has engaging cartoon illustrations and large font so that beginning readers can follow along as the read aloud is going on.

This book is a great choice for age group 6-8 olds because their attention span is much longer. With the short sentences and an easily understandable storyline, children will have fun trying to help solve the mystery of the missing math test. I will read all of the dialogue and using different voices for different characters. The theme of mystery also infuses an element of adventure, which will have my students asking a lot of questions as the story unfolds. Mystery books provide opportunities for children to learn to practice critical thinking skills while reading. I will provide commonly used mystery vocabulary that every good detective needs to know to be most convincing super sleuth and learn how to work these words into the investigations. such as:
mystery—something that is secret or unknown; a problem needing to be solved
sleuth—another name for a detective
detective—a person who gathers information and investigates crimes
evidence—a statement, fact, or object used to prove the solution of a mystery
plot—the arrangement of events or incidents in a story
Then I will talk about the five essential elements of a mystery story. These five components are: the characters, the setting, the plot, the problem, and the solution. These essential elements keep the story running smoothly and allow the clues to the solution of the mystery to be revealed in a logical way that the reader can follow.
I will help my students to write their first own mystery story. I will read them what David Adler quotes to foster their creativity as a writer:
“For me writing is a process. I begin with a story idea, with the main characters, and the setting. For me writing involves constant revisions. It’s so much easier, I think, not to try and get the story just right in the first draft, to leave that for the second and third drafts. My best stories have
been rewritten scores of times. An original story is like a fingerprint. Each story is unique.”
I will give them a booklet that they can work on it in their own time by creating the main character, setting, plot, problem, and solution. They can draw first and make them as pair to talk about their story and get peer review.
I also will stop at some pages and ask my students to turn and talk and predict what will happen next. Then I ask a few group to share and write it down on a chart and come back to it after read the book to see how the prediction was.
I will make this read aloud as engaging as I can because there is always a mystery to be solved. Children can relate to the brainy solver of mysteries, and enjoy the adventurous hero who solved challenging mysteries in a fun and exciting way.


Profile Image for Alexis Bell.
56 reviews
September 9, 2017
This book is about a little boy who believes he's a detective but really he's in maybe first or second grade. He seems really helpful towards his teacher. He also is struggling in math because he doesn't understand it. This book would be good for any student who is struggling in math to know they are not alone.
Profile Image for Dayna Ball.
10 reviews
April 4, 2018
Mystery, 1-3
One nice thing about this book is the pattern it follows to help make reading it more inviting!


42 reviews1 follower
November 10, 2014
Brenda Roman, Chia Hua Yu
Bones and the Math Test Mystery written by David A Adler and illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman, is a book about a little boy named Jeffery Bones who loved solving mysteries. One day Mr. Gale gave out math tests. Jeffery was the first to hand in his test, but when Mr. Gale passed the tests back, Jeffery’s test paper was missing. Later when everyone else is working on Thanksgiving cards, Mr. Gale asked Jeffery retake the test. Jeffery did not want to repeat the test so decided to find his test. Was Jeffery able to find his test?
The book focuses more on words instead of the pictures. The pictures serve merely to support the text. The illustrator left a lot of white space so that the readers could focus on the story itself rather than be distracted by overpowering illustrations. The design of plot is simple but interesting, since it is a children’s book. First, there was a reason possible why Mr. Gale lost Jeffery’s Math test: Mr. Gale does not have a good memory. Then there were series of reasoning trying to find the Math test. There is also an interesting character called “not me Amy” in the story who symbolized a negative character; she didn’t believe Jeffery was a true detective. The overall theme of the book is to believe in oneself and solve problems. Overall, it is interesting mystery kids can enjoy. It has a straight forward plot, but still allows children to use critical thinking and problem solving skills while reading. Since Bones and the Math Test Mystery is a chapter book, it could be used for older kids for independent reading.

132 reviews1 follower
May 7, 2017
AR Quiz No. 120584 EN Fiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 2.4 - AR Pts: 0.5
Profile Image for Karan Johnstone.
244 reviews
July 20, 2013
Jeffrey Bones is a detective and also a student. His teacher, Mr. Gale, gave a math test and after Jeffrey handed in the test, it got lost. Mr. Gale was going to make him retake the test but Jeffrey wanted to solve the mystery. He found his paper but saw that all his answers were wrong because he rushed through the test. He ended up retaking the test and got an excellent.
This could be used for a small group to read together. They could make self to text connections because they had to take test before. This could also lead to a discussion on slowing down and taking your time on test.
Profile Image for Christy.
Author 15 books67 followers
March 2, 2014
Jeffrey Bones doesn?t like math tests?especially when he forgets to study for them. Now his math test is missing! Will Bones want to solve this mystery? Will he follow the clues and find his math test? Written by the author of the bestselling Cam Jansen books, this Easy-to-Read series is just right for beginning readers.
71 reviews
Read
February 19, 2015
This book was a humorous story of a boy and math tests. He goes on an adventure in search of his missing test. Each page is filled with short sentences that caters to those early-readers. Its easy to follow with short chapters that breaks up the story well. The illustrations take up a little part of the pages in order to aide the reader in understanding of the story.
Profile Image for Dolly.
Author 1 book672 followers
March 1, 2010
This is a good story, a fun mystery and a bit of a moral lesson about trying hard and doing your best work. Our girls enjoyed this story and we will certainly look for more in this series. We really enjoy David A. Adler's books.
Profile Image for Mother&Son.
11 reviews8 followers
January 13, 2015
This was a fun read for my oldest (7year old) as he read it to his little brother tonight. It is a chapter book that is at a level 2 for reading together, short sentences and simple dialogue. Bones the Detective is a cute little boy who solves mysteries! It's a fun read for a child.
23 reviews3 followers
April 3, 2012
I wish there were more Bones books, they are great mystery books for young readers. We started reading them to my kids at age 4 or 5.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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