Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Vanishing Painting

By James Preller

Featuring friendship, school, family, and a diverse community, these early illustrated chapter book Jigsaw Jones Mysteries from James Preller have it all.

It's the biggest—okay the most stressful—night of the year . . . Parents' Night! And Geetha Nair's painting has just gone missing. The stakes are high, but Jigsaw Jones and Mila Yeh have never encountered a mystery they couldn't solve. Can they track down their friend's art in time for the most important show of the year in The Case of the Vanishing Painting?

James Preller's wry, witty, Jigsaw Jones books are once again available to inspire the next generation of young readers, featuring both new titles and classroom classics!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Aug 6, 2019
• ISBN: 9781250207661

James Preller

James Preller is the author of the popular Jigsaw Jones mystery books, which have sold more than 10 million copies since 1998. He is also the author of Bystander, named a 2009 Junior Library Guild Selection, Six Innings, an ALA Notable Book, and Mighty Casey, his own twist on the classic poem, “Casey at the Bat.” In addition to writing full-time, Preller plays in a men’s hardball league and coaches Little League. He compares coaching kids to “trying to hold the attention of a herd of earthworms.” He lives in Delmar, New York with his wife, three children, cats and dog.

Book preview

Chapter

1

Going Buggy

Helen Zuckerman waltzed into room 201 like a movie star. No, she wasn’t sporting sunglasses or a mink coat. There were no bodyguards or flashing cameras. Helen had something better. Something that turned her into an instant celebrity.

She wore a cast on her left arm.

Even better, she had a black eye.

The girls in the room quickly gathered around Helen, like bees buzzing around spring’s first flower. Danika Starling grabbed a marker. They all eagerly signed Helen’s bright purple cast.

Clap, clap.

Automatically, the class responded to our teacher’s signal. CLAP, CLAP, CLAP. All eyes turned toward Ms. Gleason.

Good morning, boys and girls. Happy Monday, Ms. Gleason chimed. She looked at Helen and frowned. Helen, dear, what in the world happened to you?

Helen beamed. I broke my arm in two places!

The room filled with appreciative murmurs. Anybody can break an arm. But breaking it in two places—that took talent. Helen told us about her accident on the trampoline in her backyard. She did a flop when she meant to flip and went boom when she meant to zoom.

Did it hurt very, very much? asked Geetha Nair in her shy, quiet voice.

Helen grinned. Sure, at first. But it doesn’t bother me now. Helen banged the cast on a desk. Pretty cool, huh?