The Cam Jansen Mysteries by David A. Adler, illustrated by Susanna Natti, is a popular children’s mystery series featuring a young girl named Jennifer “Cam” Jansen. She has a photographic memory and solves mysteries with the help of her best friend, Eric. Parents and children have received the series well because it offers entertaining and engaging mysteries suitable for young readers.
Each book is an easy-to-follow plot that keeps readers engaged from beginning to end. The mysteries are not overly complex and are, therefore, suitable for children of all ages. Additionally, the books provide children with opportunities to develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they try to solve the mystery alongside Cam. If you are here to get the Cam Jansen books in order, stay with me until last. I’ll give you the reading order with the main focus of each book.
Cam Jansen Books In Order (Cam Jansen Reading Guide)
Cam Jansen Mysteries Series can be read in any order, but I recommend reading them in order of publication. Reading the books in order will help you to understand the character’s relationships over time. Additionally, each book introduces new concepts and themes that build on previous books. If you prefer to jump around and read the books in any order, you can still enjoy the series and understand each individual mystery. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference and how you prefer to read a series.
Cam Jansen books in order by publication:
- The Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds (1980).
- The Mystery of the UFO (1980).
- The Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones (1980).
- The Mystery of the Television Dog (1981).
- The Mystery of the Gold Coins (1982).
- The Mystery of the Babe Ruth Baseball (1982).
- The Mystery of the Circus Clown (1983).
- The Mystery of the Monster Movie (1984).
- The Mystery of the Carnival Prize (1984).
- The Mystery at the Monkey House (1985).
- The Mystery of the Stolen Corn Popper (1986).
- The Mystery of Flight 54 (1989).
- The Mystery at the Haunted House (1992).
- The Chocolate Fudge Mystery (1993).
- The Triceratops Pops Mystery (1995).
- The Ghostly Mystery (1996).
- The Scary Snake Mystery (1997).
- The Catnapping Mystery (1998).
- The Barking Treasure Mystery (1999).
- The Birthday Mystery (2000).
- The School Play Mystery (2001).
- The First Day of School Mystery (2002).
- The Tennis Trophy Mystery (2003).
- The Snowy Day Mystery (2004).
- The Valentine Baby Mystery (2005).
- The Secret Service Mystery (2006).
- The Mystery Writer Mystery (2007).
- The Green School Mystery (2008).
- The Basketball Mystery (2009).
- The Wedding Cake Mystery (2010).
- The Graduation Day Mystery (2011).
- The Millionaire Mystery (2012).
- The Spaghetti Max Mystery (2013).
- Cam Jansen and the Joke House Mystery (2014).
See also:
- Cam Jansen Super Specials.
- Young Cam Jansen Mysteries.
Checkout my list: Cam Jansen Books Lists
1. The Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds: This book introduces Cam Jansen, who uses her photographic memory to solve the mystery of stolen diamonds. Her best friend Eric and she witness a jewelry robbery and realize that the police have made a mistake. They set out to track down the diamond thieves themselves. The book, published in 1980, is an excellent choice for young readers who enjoy mysteries.
2. The Mystery of the U.F.O.: Cam and Eric investigate strange lights in the sky and discover the truth behind the U.F.O. sightings.
3. The Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones: Cam and Eric are trying to solve the mystery of missing dinosaur bones from a museum exhibit.
4. The Mystery of the Television Dog: Cam and Eric are trying to solve the mystery of a missing prize-winning dog last seen on a television show. Cam is not fully developed in a way that relates to general readers, especially children. She doesn’t seem to worry about consequences, and at times, her actions may not be realistic. Despite its flaws, the book is still okay for children who enjoy mystery stories.
5. The Mystery of the Gold Coins: Cam Jansen’s science project, a homemade camera, and a clue to solve the mystery are stolen. Cam and Eric investigate the theft of gold coins from a museum exhibit.
6. The Mystery of the Babe Ruth Baseball: Cam and Eric try to solve the mystery of a missing Babe Ruth baseball that will be auctioned off for charity. They attend a local community hobby show where a valuable baseball signed by Babe Ruth goes missing. Cam suspects a boy in a bright green jacket of taking the baseball and chases after him with Eric. However, when they catch him, he reveals a different baseball, leaving Cam wondering if she made a mistake or if something else is happening.
7. The Mystery of the Circus Clown: Cam and Eric investigate a theft at the circus and discover the thief’s identity.
8. The Mystery of the Monster Movie: Cam and Eric investigate the disappearance of the star of a monster movie and discover a hidden agenda.
9. The Mystery of the Carnival Prize: Cam tries to win a stuffed animal at the carnival but discovers a mystery when she finds out the game is rigged.
10. The Mystery of the Monkey House: Cam and Eric try to help solve the mystery of a missing monkey at the zoo.
11. The Mystery of the Stolen Corn Popper: Cam and her friend solve the mystery of a stolen corn popper, showcasing the power of teamwork and creativity. The book could be used as a read-aloud in a classroom setting, with students actively participating in predicting the mystery’s outcome. It also allows students to work in pairs and create their mystery, promoting team building and critical thinking skills.
12. The Mystery of Flight 54: Cam and Eric solve a mystery in David Adler’s twelfth book in the series. While waiting for Cam’s Aunt Molly at the airport, they discover a young French girl who doesn’t speak English has gone missing. The author provides enough information about Cam’s character, but I found the lack of concern from the airport regarding the missing young girl to be unrealistic.
13. The Mystery at the Haunted House: The book follows the duo as they solve the mystery of Aunt Katie’s missing wallet, which Cam believes was stolen at the amusement park’s Haunted House attraction. While the secret is basic and formulaic, the target audience of young chapter-book readers will likely find it engaging. I enjoyed it, although the resolution didn’t always rely on Cam’s photographic memory.
14. The Chocolate Fudge Mystery: Cam solves who stole the recipe for her grandmother’s famous chocolate fudge.
15. The Triceratops Pops Mystery: Cam and Eric investigate the mystery of the missing Triceratops Popsicles at the amusement park.
16. The Ghostly Mystery: Cam and Eric look into a ghostly mystery and discover something unexpected.
17. The Scary Snake Mystery: Cam and Eric go to a Henri Matisse exhibit at an art museum in the big city with Cam’s mother. A thief steals Mrs. Jansen’s canvas bag and video camera, and the trio chases after him. When they catch up to him, he has neither the bag nor the camera, leading them to believe they have been chasing the wrong person. Cam uses her sleuthing skills to uncover the truth.
18. The Catnapping Mystery: Cam and Eric investigate the disappearance of a cat.
19. The Barking Treasure Mystery: Cam and Eric search for the theft of a valuable necklace from a museum.
20. The Birthday Mystery: Cam loves to solve mysteries. When her grandparents’ luggage is stolen at the airport, she sets out to solve the mystery.
21. The School Play Mystery: Cam helps solve the mystery of a stolen cash box from a school play by using her memory to identify the culprit.
22. The First Day of School Mystery: Cam and Eric try to clear their teacher’s name after she is falsely accused of leaving the scene of a car accident. The book departs slightly from the usual formula of thefts being solved by Cam’s photographic memory. The story includes a car accident, leaving the scene of a crime, and a false arrest.
23. The Tennis Trophy Mystery: The story follows Cam and Eric as they try to solve the mystery of who stole the tennis trophy. It offers an excellent opportunity for readers to talk about different teaching styles, as the P.E. teacher in the story is portrayed as strict. The memory game at the end of the book is also a fun addition.
24. The Snowy Day Mystery: Cam takes mental pictures of clues by saying “click” with her eyes closed instead of using paper and pencil. The book is full of suspense and context clues as Cam and her friends try to solve the theft of three computers.
25. The Valentine Baby Mystery: The book takes place in the hospital where Cam’s mother is giving birth. The thief steals Cam’s friend’s mother’s purse, but security and the police catch the thief. I enjoyed the book overall but found the ending slightly disappointing for a mystery series.
26. The Secret Service Mystery: Cam helps solve the mystery of a stolen computer disk from the Secret Service.
27. The Mystery Writer Mystery: Cam Jansen’s favorite mystery writer, Jim E. Winter, is doing a book signing. A car is stolen, and two people can solve the case. The book is engaging because it involves a mystery, and readers must catch clues to solve it.
28. The Green School Mystery: This book portrays a realistic scenario of a school fundraiser where kids want to help grown-ups solve a real mystery.
29. The Basketball Mystery: Cam and Eric attend a basketball game where a valuable autographed basketball goes missing. They use observation and deduction skills to gather clues and solve the mystery.
30. The Wedding Cake Mystery: Cam and Eric are attending a wedding reception where the wedding cake is stolen, and they try to solve the mystery.
31. The Graduation Day Mystery: Cam Jansen tries to solve another mystery on her graduation day. She quickly realizes that someone has stolen the school’s graduation banner and sets out to find the culprit. The book features a lot of context clues and red herrings that make for an engaging read.
32. The Millionaire Mystery: Cam and Eric attend a charity auction where a valuable painting is being sold. However, the painting goes missing during the auction, and it’s up to Cam to use her photographic memory to help solve the mystery.
33. The Spaghetti Max Mystery: This book follows the adventures of Cam, who try to solve the case of the missing spaghetti recipe. The story takes place at Cam’s favorite Italian restaurant, where she and her friends enjoy a delicious meal. However, when the owner’s secret spaghetti recipe goes missing, they jump into action to solve the case.
34. Cam Jansen and the Joke House Mystery: This is the series’ last book, an entertaining children’s mystery that follows Cam and Eric. They try to solve the mystery of the missing jokes at a local amusement park. The story is well-paced and filled with clever clues to keep young readers engaged and guessing until the end.
The Cam Jansen series is a great option for elementary-aged children interested in beginner mystery books. One of the series’s strengths is how Adler weaves humor and suspense throughout the books, making it a fun read for children. The books also touch on important topics such as honesty and fairness, teaching children essential lessons subtly and engagingly. Overall, I highly recommend the series to young readers.
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