Four friends gather to weed the garden and figure out what or who has been taking bites out of all the strawberries. This early chapter book is divided into ten chapters scattered with black-and-white illustrations. These illustrations help summarize the text without overwhelming the book or making it look too young for its target audience. June Jam is a good mystery story for children who wish to avoid supernatural or potentially spooky stories. Most of the story’s action takes place outdoors, emphasizing time spent with friends as well as making chores into fun. Overall, this is a wholesome if not memorable story with well-intentioned characters. There are sporadic attempts at humor, although whether or not they are successful is left up to the individual reading audience to decide. This Calendar Mystery story also introduces characters from the A to Z Mystery Kids Series, which at times feels rather heavy handed but may work for a young audience to transition readers into the next level series, making them feel like they are already comfortable with the older characters. John Steven Gurney also illustrates the more advanced A to Z stories, which contributes to the ease in which a reader may progress into the next series. June Jam would be a good fit for a lending collection of early children’s series books, and is recommended for readers aged seven to eight. ( )

In the sixth installment of Roy's Calendar Mysteries (starring thee younger siblings of the A to Z Mysteries detectives) Bradley, Brian, Nate and Lucy are getting ready for Father's Day. Bradly and Brian's father misses the strawberry jam his mother used to make. So the gang decides that strawberry jam from the Pintos' strawberry patch would be a great gift. But something or someone has been taking bites out of the strawberries! Polly the Pony, Pal and the dog, and the twins' brother Josh are all suspects. It's up to our four young sleuth's to solve the mystery without getting into a jam.

A to Z Mysteries are a favorite with my students and the Calendar Mysteries are quickly gaining in popularity as well. The stories a quick read that offers younger readers an opportunity to use some deductive reasoning. Of the six I've read so far, June Jam is my favorite.

Great read aloud for 1st and 2nd Grades.

Mrs. Archer's rating: 5 of 5.

Recommended for 1st through 3rd Grades. ( )