In the twenty-third chapter book starring Cam Jansen, the young sleuth with a photographic memory, the action once again takes place at school, and the adult characters are as interesting as the kids. The tough gym teacher, Mr. Day, is missing a silver trophy he won in the staff tennis tournament. Who took the trophy from the locked display case in his newly painted office? As Cam and her friend Eric pass notes in homeroom and work on math problems, their warm teacher Ms. Benson helps them talk about the mystery, though once again, it's Cam's amazing memory (click!) that fills in the crucial clues. The dialogue is lively, especially when mean Mr. Day barks orders (Why are you talking? Why aren't you jumping? Don't you know the rules in this gym?), and the clever detective work will hook new readers.

There is an awful smell coming from the gym teacher's office, and a prize tennis trophy is missing from a locked cabinet. Cam Jansen sets out to solve these mysteries, armed with her photographic memory. Black-and-white drawings complement this mildly entertaining adventure, the twenty-third in the popular series.

Gr 2-4-Cam once again uses her photographic memory and sleuthing skills in this 23rd installment in a popular series. The plot is slight. Although a missing tennis trophy from a match between two faculty members is not apt to be of high interest to beginning chapter-book readers, the fact that the chief suspect is a teacher may garner some interest. Children's greatest curiosity may be reserved for the fact that neither the text nor the black-and-white drawings give a clue as to which competitor triumphs in the rematch.-Sue Sherif, Alaska State Library, Anchorage Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.