Cam Jansen and the Graduation Day Mystery by David A. Adler Page A

Eric’s sister Diane said. “I don’t have time for college. I don’t even have time for third grade. After second grade I’m getting a job. I’ll bake cookies and sell them.”
    â€œOh, no, you won’t,” her mother told her. “You’re staying in school.”
    Harry pulled his train through the grass and said, “Choo! Choo!” Then he stopped his train and called out, “All aboard!”
    â€œYour father had to make time for college,” Grandpa Shelton whispered to Diane. “He went at night, after work.”
    â€œI don’t see him anywhere,” Donna said. “I think we’re at the wrong graduation.”
    â€œHe’s sitting in front,” Mrs. Shelton told Donna. “He’s wearing a black cap and gown.”
    â€œMom!” Donna said, and pointed ahead. “Millions of people up there are wearing black caps and gowns!”
    â€œMillions?” asked Mrs. Shelton, smiling.
    â€œWell, a lot. I’m going up front to look for Dad.”
    â€œMe, too,” Diane said.
    â€œI’ll go with you,” Grandpa Shelton told the twins. “I want to take Ben’s picture.”
    Grandpa Shelton took his camera from the small shopping bag he had brought to the graduation. Then he hurried down the aisle with Donna and Diane.
    Eric looked in the bag.
    â€œGrandpa has something wrapped in silver paper.”
    Mrs. Shelton said, “That’s a gift for Dad.”
    â€œDo you know what it is?”
    Mrs. Shelton shook her head. She didn’t know.
    â€œDo you know how many graduates there are?” Eric asked.
    Mrs. Shelton shook her head again.

    â€œI don’t know how many there are,” Cam said, “but I know how to find out. We just have to count the number of names in the printed program.”
    Eric opened the graduation program and started to count.
    Then he stopped.
    â€œDid you already look at the program?” he asked Cam.
    â€œYes.”
    Eric laughed.
    â€œClose your eyes and say, ‘Click!’ Look at the pictures you have in your head of all the names on the program. Then tell me how many graduates there are.”
    Cam closed her eyes. She said, “Click!” Then, with her eyes still closed, she said, “There are six pages of names. Each page has four columns.”
    With her eyes still closed Cam counted the names in the first column.
    â€œOne, two, three . . . eighteen, nineteen, twenty.”
    Cam Jansen has a photographic memory. After she takes just one look at something, she remembers it perfectly. It’s as if she has a mental camera and pictures in her head of everything she’s seen.
    Cam says, “Click!” whenever she wants to remember something. She says it’s the sound her mental camera makes.
    â€œSix pages of names with four columns on each page,” Cam said. “That’s twenty-four columns. There are twenty names in each column.”

    Cam opened her eyes.
    â€œWe just have to multiply twenty-four by twenty.”
    â€œI’ll do that,” Eric said. “I’m good at math.”
    Eric borrowed his mother’s pen. He wrote the problem on the back of his program.
    â€œCam,” Eric said. “There are four hundred and eighty graduates.”
    Cam’s real name is Jennifer. But when people found out about her amazing memory they started calling her “The Camera.” Soon “The Camera” was shortened to “Cam.”
    Meow!
    â€œHey, Mom,” Harry said. “There’s a cat at the graduation.”
    Harry held out a few animal crackers.
    â€œHere, kitty. Have a giraffe. Have a monkey.”
    Meow!
    â€œHey, Mom,” Harry said. “The cat ate the cookies.”
    A woman in a black cap and gown stood on the platform. She tapped on the microphone.
    Tap! Tap! Tap!
    â€œPlease be seated,” she said. “We are about to begin.”

Chapter