Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds

David A. Adler is an American author of over 200 books for children. After earning a BA in economics and history at Queens College, he became a teacher in New York City and taught mathematics and history for nine years. In 1977, while on parental leave to care for his newborn son, Adler began writing the Cam Jansen mystery series, inspired by the various childcare accoutrements that he had to take with him whenever he left the house. However, upon securing the services of a literary agent, he soon discovered that there was no specific market for a book that was geared towards “emerging readers”: “children who read slowly, puzzling out one word at a time” but have not yet graduated to the level of stories with advanced characterization, chapters, and extraneous descriptions (“Cam Jansen and the First Chapter Book Revolution.” Cam Jansen Mysteries.). 

Because his book was limited strictly to bare-bones plot points but was still divided into chapters, Adler experienced considerable pushback from publishers who simply did not know how to categorize this new form of storytelling. Eventually, Adler successfully published his book with Viking Press and embraced their suggestion that he transform the story premise into an ongoing series. With a few changes to the details—such as making the protagonist a young girl instead of a young boy—the Cam Jansen series was born. Adler’s unique story structure came to be dubbed “first chapter books,” as this form of storytelling introduces young readers to the rhythm of chapter-based books but remains at a more accessible level. Other classic examples in this market include Ivy and Bean and the Judy Moody series.

Over the following decades, Adler has continued to add more mysteries to this successful series, and the books have been translated into numerous languages. Adler has also penned another mystery series, the Jeffrey Bones Mysteries, which features a young boy named Jeffrey who must solve everyday mysteries. Adler’s work includes numerous picture book biographies of notable historical figures, such as Thurgood Marshall, Anne Frank, and Benjamin Franklin, and he has also written several biographies, as well as other educational books for children.

As the inaugural book in the series, Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds is designed for first-grade to fourth-grade readers and includes over 34 installments. In each book, fifth-grader Cam relies on her photographic memory and her best friend Eric to solve puzzling mysteries in her community. Cam and Eric frequently take advantage of Cam’s special skills, and in the first novel, their adventure unfolds at the local mall, where they are shopping with Eric’s mom and siblings. This pattern of everyday settings continues in the other Cam Jansen novels, as Cam and Eric encounter new mysteries or extraordinary circumstances in places that are otherwise typical of the average American neighborhood. Subsequent installments including The Valentine Baby Mystery take place amidst situations such as graduation parties, weddings, sports games, and school plays.