Growing up I was OBSESSED with the Cam Jansen series. I loved reading and I tried to get through every book I could at the library. This series was loud and centre for me, so of course as an adult when I saw them I wanted to give them another try. Luckily, they're still super enjoyable!

In this book, Cam and her friends are trying to figure out why people keep winning at certain games and why things keep going missing.

These middle grade mysteries are the perfect little read if you want under 100 pages of fun and mystery. The mysteries are solvable and will make you think, which is really nice. It's also full of friendship and thinking, which is an added bonus. The stories hold up for the most part, although I doubt any carnival game now costs 10 cents. Ironically, I do remember reading this exact one though! I would think Grade 1 to 4 would be the ideal group for this book, depending on the reading level.

This is an easy read and a great way to make middle grades love reading. I highly recommend picking up this series as they still hold true. They also have incredible morals and themes in them, which makes them a bit more educational but still packed full of fun.

Three out of five stars. ( )

Cam Jansen and her best friend Eric Shelton confront a mystery at their fifth grade carnival in this ninth chapter-book devoted to their crime-solving adventures. Intended to raise money for the school library, the carnival has many games, one of which - the Dime Toss - has a suspicious number of winners. With her photographic memory, Cam figures out what is really going on, and helps to prevent a pair of cheaters from triumphing at the expense of the carnival...

I enjoyed reading the Cam Jan Mysteries when I was a girl, and have been enjoying revisiting them of late, as part of a project to familiarize myself with fiction intended for readers just getting going with simple chapter-books. Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Carnival Prize isn't one I specifically remember, but I still was able to guess what was going on almost instantly. That seems to be the case with all of the books in this series - as an adult reader I find the mysteries all a little obvious. That said, I do think the target audience will find them more engrossing, and will enjoy them. ( )

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At the school carnival, Cam Jansen thinks something funny is going on when only two people can win the prizes at the dime toss. Book #9

This is a realistic fiction book. Cam and her friends are participating in the school's fund raising carnival. Something is amiss with the dime toss. It appears to be too easy to win and soon all the prizes are gone. Is the game rigged? If so, by whom and how?