Like Encyclopedia Brown, Jigsaw has his own detective business. So when popular kid Ralphie has a problem, he turns to Jigsaw. An is Ralphie’s problem ever a big one; he thinks his house is haunted! Of course, in order to solve the mystery properly, Jigsaw has to sleep over. Hence, the case of the spooky sleepover.
Jigsaw Jones is another extensive mystery series. A step or two harder than Nate the Great, it’s a good choice for second graders who are ready for chapter books and many beginning third graders. Although this one had some slightly scary content (see below) I think that’s pretty out of character for the series, which overall seems to have the same type of non-threatening mysteries as Nate the Great. Jigsaw Jones mysteries also feature occasional illustrations making the transition to chapter book easier.
Bonus: Jigsaw’s “client” in this book is Ralphie who is described as having “dark eyes, dark skin, dark hair” and being “the most popular kid”. His detective partner is Mila Yeh, who from the drawings in the book appears Asian. So a thumbs-up from me for the inclusion positive minority characters. I know some people feel that at this level it’s tokenism, but I’m happy to have them there!
Sex, Nudity, Dating – Jigsaw wears clean underwear for his sleepover.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – Ralphie’s older brother tells a ghost story. In the story he says that a man was killed. He tells the younger boys that the box he’s holding contains the rotting flesh of the dead man’s body. He takes things out of the box gives them to the boys to touch, the man’s slimy eyes, his wrinkly ear and his hand. (These items turn out to be grapes, a dried apricot and a glove filled with mud).
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – Ralphie asks if Jigsaw believes in ghosts, and not the friendly kind like Casper. He believes his house is haunted. He hears chains rattling and WooOOOOooo noises. The kids watch a movie called Zombies Ate New Jersey. No details about the movie are given though.
