Bones and the Birthday Mystery #5 [Hardcover]

David A. Adler (Author), Barbara Newman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 2007 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Bones (Book 5)

Bones and his parents got Grandpa a special present for his birthday. But by the time they all make it to the party, the gift is gone. How could it have disappeared so quickly? Will detective Jeffrey Bones be able to solve the mystery and sing “Happy Birthday” to Grandpa? Written by the author of the popular Cam Jansen books, this Easy-to-Read series is perfect for new readers.

*School Library Journal on Bones and the Big Yellow Mystery #1

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2–The boy detective makes his fifth appearance. It is his grandpa's birthday, and Bones is in charge of icing the cake. The sticky substance ends up on his hands, in his hair, and all over his clothes. On the way to the party, he is in charge of his grandfather's gift. Even though it is only a card, his parents promise there is a surprise inside that Grandpa, his friend Sally, and Bones will like. When it comes time to open the presents, the card is missing, and it takes all of Bones's detective skills to save the day once again. With Newman's bright and cheerful illustrations throughout the easy-to-read and humorous text, Adler has once again created an enjoyable story.–Erika Qualls, Ela Area Public Library District, Lake Zurich, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The fifth book in the series that began with Bones and the Big Yellow Mystery (2004) opens with Jeffrey Bone and his parents baking a cake for his grandfather. As they drive to Grandpa's house, the young detective takes charge of the iced cake and a card containing a present. When the time comes to give Grandpa his gift, the card has disappeared. Using his trusty detective kit, Jeffrey solves the case. Observant children may beat Jeffrey to the conclusion and will probably enjoy doing so. Large, colorful pictures illustrate the text, which uses very short sentences in a natural-sounding way. The tenor of the story is rather mild, but young readers looking for short, fully illustrated mystery stories may find this to their liking. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (February 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670061646
• ISBN-13: 978-0670061648
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,039,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write both fiction and non-fiction. I begin my fiction with the main character. The story comes later. Of course, since I'll be spending a lot of time with each main character, why not have him or her be someone I like? Andy Russell is based, loosely, on a beloved member of my family. He's fun to write about and the boy who inspired the character is even more fun to know. Cam Jansen is based even more loosely on a classmate of mine in the first grade whom we all envied because we thought he had a photographic memory. Now, especially when my children remind me of some promise they said I made, I really envy Cam's amazing memory. I have really enjoyed writing about Cam Jansen and her many adventures. For my books of non-fiction I write about subjects I find fascinating. My first biography was Our Golda: The Life of Golda Meir. To research that book, I bought a 1905 set of encyclopedia. Those books told me what each of the places Golda Meir lived in were like when she lived there. I've written many other biographies, including books about Martin Luther King, Jr; George Washington; Abraham Lincoln; Helen Keller; Harriet Tubman; Anne Frank; and many others in my Picture Book Biography series. I've been a Yankee and a Lou Gehrig fan for decades so I wrote Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man. It's more the story of his great courage than his baseball playing. Children face all sorts of challenges and it's my hope that some will be inspired by the courage of Lou Gehrig. I am working now on another book about a courageous man, Janusz Korczak. My book One Yellow Daffodil is fiction, too, but it's based on scores of interviews I did with Holocaust survivors for my books We Remember the Holocaust, Child of the Warsaw Ghetto, The Number on My Grandfather's Arm, and Hiding from the Nazis. The stories I heard were compelling. One Yellow Daffodil is both a look to the past and to the future, and expresses my belief in the great spirit and strength of our children. I love math and was a math teacher for many years, so it was fun for me to write several math books including Fraction Fun, Calculator Riddles, and Shape Up! Fun with Triangles and Other Polygons. In my office I have this sign, "Don't Think. Just Write!" and that's how I work. I try not to worry about each word, even each sentence or paragraph. For me stories evolve. Writing is a process. I rewrite each sentence, each manuscript, many times. And I work with my editors. I look forward to their suggestions, their help in the almost endless rewrite process. Well, it's time to get back to dreaming, and to writing, my dream of a job. David A. Adler is the author of more than 175 children's books, including the Young Cam Jansen series. He lives in Woodmere, New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bones is a junior detective that will delight the young mystery buff!, June 11, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bones and the Birthday Mystery #5 (Hardcover)

Grandpa's birthday celebration was coming right up and he was going to frost the cake. Any boy who had any sense would want to test the cake before he frosted it and that he did. Then "he wondered if Grandpa would know that I tasted his cake." One tiny piece and then two. "Plop Plop " The icing was going on and Grandpa would never know. He took out his magnifying glass and checked out the spot where he took the tiny piece. "The missing piece is missing " Detective Jeffrey Bones was a junior detective who could find clues and solve mysteries and sure enough one would be coming right up

Dad said it was time to go and Mom handed Jeffrey a card, telling him it was Grandpa's gift. Off they went to Grandpa's house, but not before detective "Bones" had grabbed his detective bag. You never can tell when something will come up. He disguised himself with "a fake beard, old hat, and funny eyeglasses." He sure did fool Grandpa. All of a sudden there was a problem . . . the card turned up missing. Jeffrey Bones got out his note pad and wrote his name on it. He was ready to begin his investigation. "I'm a detective and detectives find things." Was the birthday celebration going to be a flop or would "Bones" save the day?

Bones is a junior detective that will delight the young mystery buff. The story line is light, cheerful and amusing. This is a Level 2 Viking Easy-to-Read book. It has short sentences, simple dialogue and can be read with another person. I think the reader will take this book, read it alone and rush for the next Jeffrey Bones mystery. These books are hot stuff!