Bones and the Dinosaur Mystery

Jeffrey and his grandfather visit a natural history museum's dinosaur exhibit, and when Jeffrey's new plastic T-rex goes missing, he puts his detective skills to work. This fourth entry in David A. Adler's Jeffrey Bones series does exactly what a good early-reader mystery should: it's simple enough for a kindergartner to follow along, and the clues are fair enough that young readers can try to solve it themselves. Barbara Johansen Newman's cartoonish illustrations add warmth and humor throughout. The honest caveat is that the mystery is very straightforward — slightly older readers will crack it fast and find little else to chew on. But for the kindergarten-through-second-grade crowd, it's a genuinely enjoyable read-alone or read-together book.