That Horse Whiskey

That Horse Whiskey
by C.S. Adler

★★★☆☆

Lainey is the youngest child and the only girl, with three older brothers who have left home.  Her father is a construction man, but hard times and no sales have left him unable to fulfill his birthday promise of a horse to his "little girl."  Lainey is determined not to be sheltered from the family's financial responsibilities and gets a job at Mr. Dodge's ranch taking care of some of the horses.  Over time, and with a lot of hard work, she gets Whiskey, a stubborn horse, to follow her direction.  

This is a good story of determination and hard work.  It is also wholesome as Lainey is a great kid and even gets permission from her parents before beginning to train Whiskey.   She is a good example to kids and I would recommend this book to kids in grades 5-8.

Adler, C.S. That Horse Whiskey!  Clarion Books, New York. 1994.

ISBN 0-395-68185-5

Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds

Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds
by David A. Adler, Illustrated by Susanna Natti

★★☆☆☆

This is the first book in the Cam Jansen book series with over 30 books in it as well as another 16 books in the Young Cam spin off series.  Cam is short for Camera, Jennifer's nick name, because she has a photographic memory.  In this book she and her friend Eric witness a man running from a jewelry store but when the police catch him he does not have the stolen diamonds.  Cam looks back at her mental picture that she took and now notices a man and woman walking away from the scene quietly.  She and Eric follow the suspects and after a bit of suspense, wind up heros.

While this book is very predictable for older readers making it maybe not so exciting it would be great for young developing readers.   I would use these books for students with 2-3 grade reading levels.

There is a support website with pages both for kids and teachers.  On this Cam Jansen website there are check lists for all of David A. Adler's books, comprehension questions for readers, and fun quizzes that test your own memory like Cam Jansen is always doing.  

David A. Adler talks about the inspiration for the character Cam Jansen. He says the reason the mystery moves so fast is that the books are meant for slow readers so that as they read events unfold more quickly to keep children engaged in his books.  

Reading Update

As to my quest, I am still in the "A" section but now on the second shelf, so I have a new boost of enthusiasm.  I am however behind in blogging about the books I have read.  And I've read several books not in the "A" section as I have a ton of young adult books at home that will one day be in my classroom.  I would really like some readers to respond or add more info to my posts, especially kiddos who have read some of these books, or that have ideas about books I should read. 

The No Place Cat

The No Place Cat
C.S. Adler (link to her webpage)

★★★★☆

I had never heard of this author before I began on this quest to read through the library and I have to say I'm falling in love with her.  She likes writing about different problems that real kids face in real life, like parents' rules, other kids, pets, responsibility, friendships etc.  I would recommend this book to any young reader grades 4-8.  


Tess, a young independent girl, has been trying to get used to her new stepfamily, but it just isn’t working.  When a school project gets ruined by her little stepsister, Tess has finally had it. She decides to run away and live with her mom on the other side of Tucson. The drive there didn't seem that long but the walk took two days.  While trekking through the park a cat begins to follow Tess adopting himself to her.  As she deals with the cat she is able to learn some difficult lessons about what is best for her and her parents.  It was a good lesson that what we want is not always what is best for us.