Cam Jansen and the Mystery at the Monkey House

Fifth-grade sleuth Cam Jansen and her best friend Eric Shelton head to the zoo in this tenth chapter-book devoted to their mysterious adventures. Meeting up with Billy there, the children enjoy looking at the animals, until Cam discovers that some of the monkeys are missing. With the help of her photographic memory, she and Eric help to foil the thieves, and return the monkeys to their home...

Originally published in 1985, Cam Jansen and the Mystery at the Monkey House was released just after I stopped reading this series, as a young girl. That said, I have fond memories of the earlier installments, which I greatly enjoyed when moving from early readers to beginning chapter-books. This entry features Billy, who is a somewhat annoying and show more unnecessary third wheel, clearly intimidated by Cam's photographic memory, and always popping in to relate a piece of trivia, and assure the other children that he too has a good memory. I'm not really sure why Adler felt it was necessary to add his character, unless it was to demonstrate the solidity of Cam and Eric's friendship. Leaving that aside, the mystery here was pretty obvious to an adult reader, but will perhaps be more puzzling for the intended audience. Recommended to fans of the series, and to readers just getting going with chapter-books. show less

I have fond memories of reading this series when I was younger, especially of me going into my school library and finding Cam Jansen books on the shelf. I enjoyed reading this book for two reasons. The first reason I enjoyed this book is because of the illustrations that appear throughout the book. Although this is a chapter book, it mixed in detailed black and white illustrations within the text. I thought this was appropriate for the targeted age range because it gives the readers an image of what Cam and Eric look like, and also an image of the zoo they were in, which helps with plot comprehension. The second reason I liked this book is because of the mystery in the plot. Throughout the book, I found myself making predictions about show more who stole the monkeys from the cage. It was engaging to read about Cam and her friends running around the library searching for the monkeys, and Cam saying “Click” each time she figured out a clue from her photographic memory. The main idea of this book is to give the reader a fun and engaging story about a girl with a photographic memory solving mysteries with her friends. The main idea could also be that good prevail over evil, as the perpetrator was caught and punished. show less

In this realistic fiction book, two friends, Cam and Eric, decide to go to the zoo. They are excited to see all the different animals that are there. Eric's new neighbor, Billy, tags along with them. Billy does not want Cam to be smarter than him, even though she has a photographic memory. This causes him to try and out smart Cam. When Eric loses his wallet after trying to buy a book, Cam remembered that he did a handstand at the monkey house, and it must have fallen out of his pocket there. Throughout the whole time at the zoo, Cam kept seeing a truck drive by that had dirt in the back of it. When the monkeys went missing, Cam remembered this truck and assumed that the monkey's had to be in there. When they told the security guard, he show more went and got the zoo head, and they all went to find the truck. The police came and arrested to the truck driver for stealing the monkeys, and Cam, Eric, and Billy got a personal tour of the zoo.

Review: Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Monkey House is a great book with a mystery element that will keep the reader engaged. When 3 friends go to the zoo and notice that something was missing from the monkey's cage, they try their best to get behind what happened and solve the mystery. This book is like a Nancy Drew novel for the younger kids, making the reader feel like they can solve crimes just like Cam Jansen can. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery, and enjoys solving crimes. Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Monkey House will leave you on the edge of your seat till the very end. show less

Review: This is one book in the Cam Jansen series, where a girl with a photographic memory solves mysteries using the images she stores in her brain. In this particular early reading chapter book, Cam, Eric and their new acquaintance Billy, solve the mystery of five stollen monkeys, while visiting the zoo. Interesting plot twists that unfold in this mystery will keep intermediate readers reading with fervor and speed.

Genre: This book is mediocre example of realistic fiction. The reason that this book is not as good as some is the fact that Cam has a photographic memory. This is a true gift that some people possess, although very rare. This book highlights her ability and the way she solves the mystery with it. Most children will not show more have this gift and in turn will be not as relatable to them. But it does make for an interesting plot. The setting of a zoo is realistic, although the fact that the children would be there for the stealing of the monkeys is not. All in all, the plot is not realistic, yet it is stylistic of a mystery. The setting and the other characters, Eric and Billy are relatable and realistic to the common child's experience. show less

Growing up Cam Jansen books were my favorite kind of books to read because they were mysterious and gave me the opportunity to try and solve the mystery before the end of the book. Cam Jansen is a series about a young girl with a photographic memory and her best friend attempting to solve mystery's within their lives. This particular book is about monkeys that go missing from the local zoo and the clues that they use to find and return them. These books are great for both boy and girls in grades 3rd through 5th because of the small chapters, and vocabulary within the story.

The Cam Jansen series is a wonderful set of realistic fiction stories that are easy chapter books for early readers to enjoy. This particular Cam Jansen book shares with readers an adventure Cam and her friends have at the zoo. When some monkeys go missing, Cam uses her photographic memory to figure out what happened. Cam is a static character because she remains the same throughout the story. She is always kind to the people around her, and she always cares about using her photographic memory to help people solve problems. Cam is a character that young readers will be sure to enjoy.

Summary: This book is one of many in the Cam Jansen series, where a girl named Cam uses her photographic memory to solve mysteries. In this book, Cam and her best friend Eric make a trip to the zoo, where they also meet their new friend Billy. After visiting the monkey house, Cam notices a broken lock on the ground. She discovers that the lock belongs to the monkey cage, and that some of the monkeys are now missing. After a series of clues, Cam uses the pictures stored in her memory to solve the mystery, finding the monkeys in the back of a man's gardening truck.

Genre Critique: This book is a good example of realistic fiction, because the setting, characters, and events are all believable. It is very realistic for children to visit the show more zoo together, the animals acted as real life animals would, and there is nothing out of the ordinary in the book. It is a very rare situation for a child to have a photographic memory and for there to happen to be a crime while she was there so she could solve the mystery, but it is still plausible. The friendship presented between Cam, Eric, and Billy are realistic, and children can find themselves relating to the thoughts and experiences that these three characters have.

Plot Critique: This book shows a good example of person against person conflict in the plot. This external conflict is shown as the man steals the monkeys, and people such as the security guard, police officers, and Cam and her friends work against the man to find the monkeys and bring them back. The climax of the story occurs towards the end, when Cam discovers that the monkeys were hidden in the back of the gardening truck. The resolution follows directly after, with the monkeys being returned to their homes, the man being taken away by the police officers, and the conflict being resolved. show less