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As far as I’m aware — and I think I’ve been paying attention — no book from my Jigsaw Jones series has ever been reviewed. Until now. With the 41st title in the series.
Up in the treehouse with Danika, Mila, Jigsaw, and Joey. Illustration by R.W. Alley from THE CASE FROM OUTER SPACE.
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Thank you, School Library Journal and Gina Petrie, for recognizing the happy news surrounding the revival of this popular series (more than 10 million books sold, and counting).
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But most of all, my heartfelt thanks goes out to classroom teachers for keeping these books alive in the minds of young readers. I still receive a steady flow of fan mail, and I know that it’s because of teachers and librarians who have kept this series on the shelves and in the bins: tattered, mangled, well-used. Don’t despair. Eight “classic” titles will be reissued this year by Macmillan, revised and updated and available in paperback (cheap!), plus the brand new one, The Case from Outer Space. It’s out of this world.
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But don’t take my word for it . . . read the official review from SLJ!
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THE CASE FROM OUTER SPACE
Jigsaw Jones Series
Author: James Preller
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 96
Price (Hardcover): $15.99
Publication Date: August 2017
ISBN (Hardcover): 9781250110183
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Jigsaw Jones is back! Preller’s puzzle-solving second grader returns for his first mystery in 10 years, coinciding with the republication of four original “Jigsaw Jones” mysteries. Fans of the 32-book series will be happy to once more see Jigsaw, fellow detective Mila Yeh, teacher Mrs. Gleason, and other familiar friends. Here, classmates Joey and Danika find a mysterious note in a book they borrowed from a neighbor’s Little Free Library. They are convinced it means that aliens are coming. Jigsaw and his friends spend afternoons investigating the mystery, while during the school day, they learn about the solar system. Then they catch the bus home, where they are involved in stakeouts, neighborhood canvasses, and code-breaking. As usual, Preller brings the threads together in the end. He references other real-world titles (Marjorie Weinman Sharmat’s “Nate the Great”; David A. Kelly’s “Ballpark Mysteries”; Richard and Florence Atwater’s Mr. Popper’s Penguins), includes a secret code (a “Substitution Code” this time), and incorporates deductive reasoning, allusions, and similes. Jigsaw has the same droll sense of humor longtime fans will remember (“As a cook, I’m pretty good with a toaster.”). VERDICT Those who enjoy Preller’s works for younger readers will welcome the return of Jigsaw Jones. Highly recommended, especially for devotees of series such as David A. Adler’s “Cam Jansen,” Ron Roy’s “A to Z Mysteries” and “Calendar Mysteries,” and, of course, Marjorie Weinman Sharmat’s “Nate the Great.”–Gina Petrie, Catawba College Library, NC
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