Fifth-grade sleuth Cam Jansen, her best friend Eric, and her parents all head to the big city to see Cam's Aunt Molly at her hotel. Once there, they get involved in a case of stolen luggage and a missing cat. With the help of Cam's photographic memory, the cat-napper and thief is caught...

Cam Jansen and the Catnapping Mystery is the eighteenth entry in David A. Adler's series of beginning chapter-book mysteries devoted to Cam and Eric's adventures solving crime. Like its predecessors, it features a thief, but unlike its predecessors, it also concerns a more serious crime, in the form of the catnapped Little Tiger, and the demand for ransom. Reading these as an adult, I don't find the mysteries particularly suspenseful, but I do recall enjoying them as a young girl, and wishing that I had Cam's amazing powers of recall. Recommended to Cam Jansen fans, and to beginning chapter-book readers who enjoy mystery. ( )

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In this book, Cam, a curious 10 year old with a photographic memory, goes to the city with her family. They are in the mood for adventure, which is convenient because a named Mrs. Wright comes running in yelling about her stolen luggage and cat! Lucky, curious Cam remembers exactly what the thief and his car looked like, and helps the police find him. Cam and her photographic memory save the day, and her family got the adventure they were looking for. ( )

Cam is at it again, using her photographic memory to solve mysteries. This time Cam, Eric, and her family are traveling and visiting Aunt Molly at her hotel. One of the guests gives her cat called Little Tiger and luggage to a bellhop. The bellhop vanishes. The guest receives a phone call saying that her cat and luggage are being held at ransom for a thousand dollars. Cam uses her memory of the bellhop and his van to track him down and save the day! GENRE: Realistic fiction/ mystery. USES: Lots of geography involved in the story, Cam and Eric are playing a geography game, Remembering details, problem solving. MEDIA: ink. CRITIQUE: This book is great, because it captures the readers attention and provides cliff hangers at the end of the chapter. It makes the reader problem solve, and think hard about who the culprit might be.