Book: Cam Jansen: the Mystery of the U.F.O.

  Title:  Cam Jansen: the Mystery of the U.F.O.                                                                                                       

·        Author: David A. Alder

·        Illustrator: Susanna Natti

·        Publisher: Puffin Books

·        Copyright: 1980

·        ISBN#: 0-14-240011-4

·        Genre: Fiction

·        Library Location: Pampa Lovett Memorial Library

·        Summary:

                  Cam Jansen and her best friend Eric were walking home one day after school. There was a kitten up in a tree, Cam coxed it down with some left over tuna fish she had from lunch. When she put the cat down, she noticed lights in the sky over the park. The cat got back up into the tree so she got some bread and got the cat down once again but this time she put her in her coat pocket. They notice the lights were moving around and the town’s people were starting to gather across the street. People were taking pictures of these lights; Eric wanted to enter a photo in the local newspaper contest for the best picture. Therefore, he started taking pictures of the scene. Cam had a photogenic memory so every time she wanted to remember something she would say click. Therefore, when she said click Eric would take pictures. After the lights went away, it got the best of Cam so she went to investigate what she had saw in the park. She found the tree where the lights had touched and found some earth objects that did not make since. They heard some voices and saw two silver people with green hands walking to the other side of a wall that lead to the racket ball courts in the park. Cam decided to see what they were up to. They found out that the silver people were not from outer space but children making a hoax of the whole thing for the newspaper contest. At the end of the story Eric had taken a picture of the cat, Neptune they named her, licking a women’s hand during the light show in the sky and he won an honorary mention for the contest.

    

·     Personal Comments:

           

 I liked this book because it reminded me of being a kid trying to find out the truth of something. Cam is a smart girl and had her friends to help her investigate the problem of the UFO’s that the whole town was talking about. In addition, when I was a kid I liked to read mystery books, it kept me interested in the book.

·        Suggested Use in Classroom:

            I wanted to use this book in my classroom because it talks about the planets and what the names are. In addition, it has the mystery of UFO’s, which is a big science mystery all by itself anyways. I thought this would be a fun book to get my students interested in the planets and get their imagination juices flowing. It also teaches the students about the benefits of having friendship and people to help when the situation gets tough. I know that UFO’s are not really a science but the information in the book will help the students get ready for the Solar System and the Universe.