A story centering on dinosaur bones, starring a very young detective named Jeffrey Bones, is a surefire way to entice children through a beginning chapter book. In the fourth entry in the Bones mystery series, Jeffrey goes to a dinosaur exhibit at the museum with Grandfather and his lady friend. Children new to the series will be clued in to Jeffrey's sleuthing powers by his announcement to a fierce-looking set of pterodactyl bones that he, too, is Bones, and he solves mysteries. The mystery itself is pretty slim (Bones' plastic dinosaur goes missing in the cafeteria), but thanks to the eye-popping, often comic acrylic illustrations, kids will keep reading, find out a few facts about dinosaurs, and be treated to a satisfying display of Bones' deductive powers. Adler is also the author of the Young Cam Jansen mysteries.

At the science museum Jeffrey Bones loses sight of Grandpa and Sally but quickly finds them. "They're old. They like to sit. I just looked for a bench," he explains with his characteristic dry humor and clipped narrative style. The disappearance of his toy is tougher to solve, but eagle-eyed readers will spot key clues in Newman's cheery, pattern-filled illustrations.

K-Gr 2-In this fourth Jeffrey Bones mystery, the young detective visits the museum with his grandpa and Grandpa's friend Sally. They explore the dinosaur exhibit and then move on to the gift shop, where Grandpa buys Jeffrey a blue plastic T-rex. After a snack, they go to the moon exhibit, where the boy realizes that he no longer has his dinosaur. The plot and narration are simple and straightforward, and attentive children will find it easy to solve the mystery of the missing toy. Bones is a junior parallel to Adler's Cam Jansen but without the photographic memory. He is reminiscent of Nate the Great and, similarly, he narrates his own tale. Appealing cartoon caricatures are colorful and infused with humorous details like funky clothing, groovy glasses, and exaggerated expressions. A good choice for beefing up beginning-reader sections.-Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.