June Jam

Calendar Mysteries #6

by Ron Roy, John Steven Gurney (Illustrator)

It's a mystery every month from popular A to Z Mysteries author Ron Roy! With the younger siblings of the A to Z Mysteries kids!

June is for Jam...

In the sixth book of the Calendar Mysteries - an early chapter book mystery series - Bradley, Brian, Nate, and Lucy want to make homemade strawberry jam for Father's Day. Unfortunately, it's not as simple as it first seems. Some sneaky creature is taking bites of their strawberries. Polly the pony, Pal the dog, and Josh the older brother are all suspects. If the kids can't protect the strawberry patch from the mystery chomper, they might be in a real jam!

Parents, teachers, and Librarians agree that these highly collectible chapter books are perfect for emerging readers and any kid who loves mysteries!

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

69 pages, Paperback

First published March 22, 2011

About the author

Ron Roy has been writing books for children since 1974. He is the author of dozens of books, including the popular A to Z Mysteries®, Calendar Mysteries, and Capital Mysteries. When not working on a new book, Ron likes to teach tricks to his dog Pal, play poker with friends, travel, and read thrilling mystery books.

Reviews

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the original A-Z Mystery stories when I was a little kid and greatly enjoyed them, I had only ever gotten to the Letter T, so I figured this year I would re-read and actually complete the series all this time later, and I was delighted to learn that Ron Roy has continued on the Green Lawn Mysteries and characters, and gone on with Calendar Mysteries and the A-Z Super Mysteries, which I will get to reading later on.

This series of 12 books focuses on the younger relatives of the Main Characters of the original series, and it's charming and fun to see the adventures they all get up to in this fun additional series.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is okay, but a couple points worth mentioning. Bradley, Brian, Nate and Lucy have a mystery - something is taking bites out of the strawberries in their garden, and how will they make jam for Father’s Day if they don’t save the berries?
At one point they suspect a strawberry monster, a ghost … :/
The part I was least fond of is *Spoiler alert* -they make a scarecrow and put a thoroughly described, garish Halloween mask on it to scare the criminal away. Of course there is an illustration included (unfortunately).
Otherwise, there are a couple funny points for kids and they will probably enjoy most of the pictures smattered throughout.

[May Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute read. Something you would want your childhood to look like. Busy as a bee and happy as a pig in the mud kinda fun…even if you’re trying to solve a baffling phenomenon in your garden. Add in good friends in the mix, now that’s pure bliss! I wish I could find more books in the series, especially the one after my birth month!

[Denise Kettering · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another fun mystery. In this installment, centered on Father's Day, the kids have one mystery to solve focused on what is eating plants in the garden and a second problem of what to do for their dad as a Father's Day gift. The kids have a fun time trying to solve both dilemmas in multiple ways. Overall, a cute mystery for kids.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book for my grandson when he gets a little older. It’s a cute mystery of some kids trying to figure out what is eating their strawberries. They come up with some pretty clever ways to trap whatever is eating the berries.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my favorite so far. A nice quick fun summer read. A few of the previous stories were a tad too goofy or far fetched (but we still enjoyed them) but this was a sweet story involving animals, food, and a grandmother. My favorite!

[Jaden Villafania · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the turtle part. 😄

[Stefu Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

My kids weren't too thrilled about this one, and neither was I.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these mysteries. I love that they’re real mysteries that kids could have. This one centers around the kids finding out what or who is eating their garden. Love it. It was so cute.

[Vidyuth Gowtham · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[GheenGirls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turtle: Great. She wants to re-read before we return to the library.

[Danica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story wasn't as good as some of the others in the series but the ending made up for it. Still recommending this series for family time.

[Vallyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just another cute story.

[CA Darshana · Rating 5 out of 5]

They are going to make strawberry jam but half strawberrys are eaten so they solve the mystery

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book in like 30 minutes straight is currently my greatest achievement. Marking it down now in case something beats it in the coming days...

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook. Not my favorite of the series as I lost interest in the lack of adventure during the mystery solving, but a happy ending!

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

630L 100% 6,736

[Jay Nahar]

Read it for the nostalgia

[Sharon Mariampillai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read

This was an enjoyable read. This is the sixth book in the Calendar Mysteries series. In this book, Bradley, Brian, Nate and Lucy are making strawberry jam for Father’s Day. However, someone keeps eating parts of the strawberries. It is up to the four best friends to find out who it is. I find it interesting how each month has its unique word. For example, June is for Jam, hence the title of the story is June Jam. Although it is a middle-grade story, I thought it was really cute. I thought the story was short and fun. I thought the characters were sweet and funny. I thought the ending was sweet. I will definitely continue to read this series. I can’t wait to read Book 7. Overall, a great read.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another fun mystery in the Calendar Mysteries series by Ron Roy. We tore through the A to Z Mysteries by the same author and now we are patiently waiting for each month in this series to get published. This new series is for younger children, so it's perfect for our girls right now, but they might grow out of the stories before the series is completed. No matter. We've had fun with them and the characters and setting are familiar to us by now.

This story was fun (and quite predictable.) I like that these mysteries are simple, harmless, and understandable for young children. There is no danger, menace or unsupervised children putting themselves into a harmful situation. And I love the interaction between the younger children and our old friends: Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose. We also liked the recipe for Strawberry jam in this story. It looks pretty simple and we plan to try it ourselves. I've copied it here, since we have to return the book to the library.

Strawberry Jam

1. Wash 1/2 pound of berries.
2. Mash berries.
3. Add one cup white sugar and one tablespoon lemon juice.
4. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves.
5. Increase heat and boil for ten minutes.
6. Let cool before eating. Store in refrigerator.

[Jessie Bear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four friends gather to weed the garden and figure out what or who has been taking bites out of all the strawberries. This early chapter book is divided into ten chapters scattered with black-and-white illustrations. These illustrations help summarize the text without overwhelming the book or making it look too young for its target audience. June Jam is a good mystery story for children who wish to avoid supernatural or potentially spooky stories. Most of the story’s action takes place outdoors, emphasizing time spent with friends as well as making chores into fun. Overall, this is a wholesome if not memorable story with well-intentioned characters. There are sporadic attempts at humor, although whether or not they are successful is left up to the individual reading audience to decide. This Calendar Mystery story also introduces characters from the A to Z Mystery Kids Series, which at times feels rather heavy handed but may work for a young audience to transition readers into the next level series, making them feel like they are already comfortable with the older characters. John Steven Gurney also illustrates the more advanced A to Z stories, which contributes to the ease in which a reader may progress into the next series. June Jam would be a good fit for a lending collection of early children’s series books, and is recommended for readers aged seven to eight.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the sixth installment of Roy's Calendar Mysteries (starring thee younger siblings of the A to Z Mysteries detectives) Bradley, Brian, Nate and Lucy are getting ready for Father's Day. Bradly and Brian's father misses the strawberry jam his mother used to make. So the gang decides that strawberry jam from the Pintos' strawberry patch would be a great gift. But something or someone has been taking bites out of the strawberries! Polly the Pony, Pal and the dog, and the twins' brother Josh are all suspects. It's up to our four young sleuth's to solve the mystery without getting into a jam.


A to Z Mysteries are a favorite with my students and the Calendar Mysteries are quickly gaining in popularity as well. The stories a quick read that offers younger readers an opportunity to use some deductive reasoning. Of the six I've read so far, June Jam is my favorite.


Great read aloud for 1st and 2nd Grades.



Mrs. Archer's rating: 5 of 5.


Recommended for 1st through 3rd Grades.

[Bailey R]

I am currently reading June Jam by: Ron Roy. I think this book is very mysterious and funny! It has many events that I can connect to like when they can't think of anything for their dad for Father's Day sometimes I can't think of what to get my dad. When they remember their dad loved his mothers jam they decide to make jam for their dad. I like this book so far. I can't wait to see what the outcome of the story and book over all. I recommended this book to people who like humors and adventurous books. There is also a whole series with these books. I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars because it is ok, but not the best book I have read!

[Chihiro Ushida · Rating 4 out of 5]

*RANDOM HOUSE YL 2.9
5/16=20min 5/19=50min

kids, father, strawberry, father's day, problem, monster, happy

"This is the best present ever!"
I really like this sentence because I am very glad to hear this when I give something to someone. On my birthday in this yaer, many friends gave me a lot of precious presents. I saied "This is the best present ever!".

This story is related to father's day. For me, my father's birthday and father's day are coming soon! I have no good idea of present still now. Do you have any suggestion?

[Mary T · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok. We got this series from the library to listen to in the van. It’s been okay—not incredibly compelling.

Update: I didn’t even remember that we had listened to this before. The original A-Z ones are way better.

[Perla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome because it is about a mystery about who is eating the strawberries in their garden.It's a very good book you should read it.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book. Good mystery for kids.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am planning on using this for one of our summer reading weeks. It will work in well with the gardening week. 1-2 grades

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

they pick grapes to make their favorite jam. everytime they turn around their grapes are gone. they figure out a turtle had been eating them.

[Jiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this story because mystery is tempting me to read this book further and further.