Table of Contents
Something strange is happening at the Dime Toss.
Cam and Eric watched the children throw their dimes onto the cardboard. Not one even came close to winning. Then a girl wearing a red baseball cap gently tossed a coin onto the cardboard. It slid and then stopped inside the circle in the center of the cardboard.
I win, the girl said, and she smiled. She had braces on her teeth. There were only two prizes left. Ill take that one, the girl said. She pointed to a little toy monkey.
Freddy gave the stuffed animal to the girl. She walked off with it. Then Freddy picked up the metal pot. He reached into his pocket and took out the wooden spoon.
Dont bang on the pot, Cam said.
But why not? I have a winner, Freddy said.
Theres something odd about the middle circle. Both times I was here, a dime suddenly stopped inside it.
The Cam Jansen Adventure Series
#1 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds
#2 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the U.F.O.
#3 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones
#4 CamJansen and the Mystery of the Television Dog
#5 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Gold Coins
#6 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Babe Ruth Baseball
#7 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Circus Clown
#8 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Monster Movie
#9 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Carnival Prize
#10 Cam Jansen and the Mystery at the Monkey House
#11 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Corn Popper
#12 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of Flight 54
#13 Cam Jansen and the Mystery at the Haunted House
#14 Cam Jansen and the Chocolate Fudge Mystery
#15 Cam Jansenand the Triceratops Pops Mystery
#16 Cam Jansen and the Ghostly Mystery
#17 Cam Jansen and the Scary Snake Mystery
#18 Cam Jansen and the Catnapping Mystery
#19 Cam Jansen and the Barking Treasure Mystery
#20 Cam Jansen and the Birthday Mystery
#21 Cam Jansen and the School Play Mystery
#22 Cam Jansen and the First Day of School Mystery
#23 Cam Jansen and the Tennis Trophy Mystery
#24 Cam Jansen and the Snowy Day Mystery
DONT FORGET ABOUT THE YOUNG CAM JANSEN
SERIES FOR YOUNGER READERS!
To Eddie,
My best little boy
Chapter One
Honk! Honk!
The street was being repaired. Cars were lined up in both directions waiting to pass.
Cam Jansen squeezed the handbrakes of her bicycle. The bike stopped, and Cam got off. She waited for her friend Eric Shelton and Erics twin sisters, Donna and Diane.
Honk!
Why are people honking? Eric asked as he got off his bicycle. They know they have to wait.
Cam, Eric, Donna, and Diane walked with their bicycles past mounds of dirt and rocks and a large truck mixing cement. They walked past the long line of waiting cars.
Hey, a woman called from her car. Does one of you children want to trade your bicycle for my car?
Im sorry, Cam answered. But were too young to drive.
As the children continued to walk, Diane asked Eric, Does she really want to trade? We could give the car to Mom.
She was just joking. If she was riding a bicycle like we are, she wouldnt be stuck in this traffic jam.
Cam and Eric were going to school to help with the fifth-grade carnival. It was spring vacation, and their grade was raising money to buy books for the school library. Donna and Diane were going to play the carnival games.
Cam, Eric, and the twins waited at the corner for the traffic light to turn green.
I want to play the Ring Toss, Diane said.
Well, Im only playing games that have big furry stuffed animals as prizes, Donna said. I plan to win one.
Cam said, Click, and closed her eyes. Cam always says Click when she wants to remember something. Its the sound a camera makes, Cam often explains. And my mind is a mental camera.
Cam has what adults call a photographic memory. They mean that Cam can remember every detail in an entire scene. Its as if she had a photograph of everything she has seen stored in her brain.
There are fourteen games at the carnival, Cam said with her eyes still closed. The only ones with stuffed animals as prizes are the Button Jar Guess, the Dime Toss, and the Baseball Throw.
Cams real name is Jennifer. When she was a baby, people called her Red because she has red hair. But when they found out about her amazing memory and heard her say Click, they began calling her The Camera. Soon The Camera was shortened to Cam.
Eric pulled on Cams sleeve and said, Lets go. The light has changed.
Cam opened her eyes. She walked with her bicycle across the street. Then the four children got on their bicycles and rode to school. They were stopped at the gate.
You cant go in yet, the teacher standing by the gate told Cam. The carnival hasnt opened yet.
Were working in the carnival, Cam told the teacher. My name is Jennifer Jansen. This is Eric Shelton, and these are Erics sisters, Donna and Diane.
The teacher was about to check his list when he saw a tall boy with curly blond hair at the gate.
Stop, the teacher told the boy. You cant go in yet.
Im not going in. Im leaving, the boy said as he walked past.
Oh, the teacher said. Then he looked at his list and told Cam, Eric, and the twins that they could go in.
That boy was probably helping, Eric said as they walked through the gate. He was carrying a large roll of tape.
Cam, Eric, and the twins locked their bicycles in the rack near the schoolyard gate. Then Cam and Eric looked for their teacher, Ms. Benson.
There she is, Cam said. The rest of the class is already there. The meeting has already started.
Remember, the children are coming here to have a good time, Ms. Benson said as Cam and Eric sat on the ground. Now, those of you with booths, go and check that everything is in order.
Many of the children got up and walked to their booths. Youre my assistants, Ms. Benson told Cam, Eric, and the other children still sitting. I want you to walk around and see that everything is in order. There may be lost children. Some booths might need change. And I want all of you to keep your eyes on the bicycles. Last year, one was stolen.
