ALA Booklist (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 1996)

%% This is a multi-book review: SEE also the title Young Cam Jansen and the Dinosaur Game. %% Gr. 12. Adler's beginning reader series features the young (primary-grade) Cam Jansen, who solves minor mysteries using her photographic memory. In Dinosaur Game Cam uncovers the misdeed of a boy who cheated to win a prize at a birthday party. When she tells him what she knows, he confesses to his hostess, and gentle justice prevails. Missing Cookie takes place in the school lunchroom, where Cam's friend Jason discovers that someone has stolen a cookie from his lunchbox. While he storms around seeking the stolen goody, Cam deduces that Jason's dog ate the evidence. Susanna Natti's colorful line-and-wash illustrations appear on every page, brightening the books and creating likable characters in familiar settings. Like Adler's familiar chapter books featuring Cam, these appealing minimysteries will find a ready audience. (Reviewed Aug. 1996)

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 1996)

With her photographic memory, Cam Jansen plays detective and discovers who is responsible for classmate Jason's missing cookie. Though the four abbreviated chapters contain short, easy-to-read sentences, the plot lacks suspense and purpose and while the watercolors offer some narrative content, they remain static and commonplace.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2--The child detective of chapter-book fame now appears in a beginning-to-read series. Dinosaur Game, however, does not quite measure up to Adler's earlier tales. Cam and her friend Eric are invited to a birthday party, where everyone has a chance to guess how many toy dinosaurs are in a jar. When Robert guesses the exact number, Cam becomes suspicious and sets out to prove that he cheated. She is the only one to realize that there is a problem, so there's no shared experience of problem solving. Missing Cookie has suspense and humor. Cam and Eric solve the mystery with the help of her photographic memory. Adler explains the girl's amazing mental abilities through a sequence in math class. Later, Cam puts them to the test when Jason's chocolate-chip cookie disappears from his lunch box. Natti's illustrations in both books will win the approval and attention of young readers. The sharp, detailed strokes and bright colors complement Adler's simple texts. However, each adventure is concluded in 32 pages, which really limits plot and character development.--Mary Ann Bursk, Bucks County Free Library, Levittown, PA