Book Description

IT'S SAMMY'S BIRTHDAY, which should be a good thing, except that Heather, Sammy’s arch enemy, turns out to be her star sister. And El Gato, the creepy new student at Slammin’ Dave’s Pro Wrestling School, keeps hissing at Sammy to stay away. And Dorito, Sammy’s cat, is missing, and while Sammy’s searching for him, she finds three dead cats in dumpsters around town. And as if that weren’t gross enough, Miss Kitty, a psycho cat lady, blames Sammy when it turns out one of the dead cats belonged to her. And then last, but certainly not least, Lady Lana, Sammy’s mom, confesses that she lied about Sammy’s age so she could start her in school a year early. So—surprise!—Sammy isn’t turning 14 at all, she’s going to have to be unlucky 13 for another whole year!

Better luck next year, Sammy. . . . ... Read more

Book Description

Sammy Keyes is perusing the neighborhood through binoculars when she spots

something fishy at the Heavenly Hotel. She's sure she's just seen a robbery,

now she just has to prove it. Now in Knopf Paperback, is the first book in the

exciting new series of middle-grade mysteries starring the smart and spunky

seventh-grade ace detective. "This girl sleuth is no well-mannered Nancy Drew.

She's hot-tempered, nosy and not always obedient. In short, she's someone I

want to read about again. A winning debut!" (Margaret Maron, author of The

Bootlegger's Daughter and One Coffee With).




... Read more

Reviews (44)

A GREAT book---has something for everyone!!!
Sammy Keyes is shut up in her apartment one afternoon. Bored, she starts peeking out the window with her gram's binoculars. And what does she witness? A theft in the Heavenly Hotel across the street! The mysterious thief catches sight of Sammy, and she's launched into a mystery that's suspenseful but fun all the way.

This is a fantastic book that pretty much anyone can read and love, regardless of their taste in books, age, gender, or intelligence. I would definitely tell a friend to read it or buy it. The book has a relatively easy, to-the-point writing style that isn't tough to understand but is still good. The author clearly has a deep, terrific understanding of kids, is very talented, and NEVER gets sappy or condescending. It's action-packed fun with a detective girl who has an attitude---what could go wrong? I love mysteries because of all the connections and surprises, and this book is a perfect example. If you're very, very sharp and pay attention to details, hints, and clues (like Sammy Keyes herself!), then you can figure out the mystery, too.
(...)

Funny and Suspenseful
While living with her grandmother in a nursing home, as in The Mixed up Files, Sammy is not allowed to live in the facility (museum) and must sneak in and out. The rest home is across the street from a "seedy" hotel, where Sammy Keyes discovers a secret while spying on the questionable characters coming and going from the hotel. Sammy is a very likable and funny character and she often finds herself in trouble. This book has a surprising ending, which makes Sammy an intriguing character and prompts young readers to continue reading the Sammy Keyes series. This book also won the 1999 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Children's Mystery Book. Other books suitable for the same age range are Holes, and Abby and the Bicycle Caper.

Very good
Read this book. I don't think you'll be disappointed. A good read for any age.

The Mystery
Danielle Vrshek 12-1-03

Sammy Keyes and The hotel thief By:Wendelin Van Draanen

"Sammy is daring, brash, and cool headed as they come." She is a very mysterious and nosy person, but when it comes to solving mysteries she can tell you when it happened, why it happened, and who was involved. Sammy Keyes is living with her grandma while her parents are away on business. Well she gets bored and starts checking out the neighboors from in her apartment building with her binoculars. Well it just so happens that she sees a man that she recognizes stealing money from a ladies purse, in a hotel. It was during the day and who would rob someone in the middle of broad daylight. It just so happens that Sammy starts finding clues from this robbery. The police are now involved and its a lot of caous. This book is realistic fiction because it could happen, but it wasn't a true story when the author was telling it.

This book kept me hooked and it WAS a page turner. This mystery makes you wonder about things and so you want to keep reading to find out. I would recommend this book to the 6th-8th grade level just because it is easy reading, but its a good mystery and it makes you think about the book and get more into it; instead of just reading on and on. I recommend this book to almost anyone because I (personally) never liked mysteries, but I kept hearing a lot of good things about this series and I knew I had to read it. Well sure enough my non-liking mystery self is definetly now a Sammy Keyes book worm. I enjoyed this style of writing because it seems like your actually the one in the situations that Sammy is in. To me that is a good book! I connected with the character in a way because of her sense of noticing things. I usually am very observant to what is around me.

This book rules
What would you do if your mom left you with your grandma and just so she can go to Hollywood and become famous and not bring you? That's what happened to Sammy Keys. Her mom left to become famous and never came back to get Sammy. Sammy grew up hating her mom instead of calling her mom she calls her Lady Lana. She does that because she doesn't consider her mom a mom. She grew up living with her grandma and were Sammy grandma lived Sammy wasn't aloud to be. So she had to sneak in the whole time with out getting caught. So one day she got cought by a person that was living 2 doors away form grams. So Grams had to get everything strained out so she told Sammy to go outside with boicnulars and look around but grams said, "don't go by the Heavenly Hotel." Well what does Sammy do she goes and she checks out the hotel? Well while she is looking though the window with her bonoculars she found a man going threw a women's purce though the window. Sammy realized it was a robber. So she studied the man but he had a mask on. Sammy wasn't thinking though because she decided that she would wave to the man instead of run and go get help. The man didn't notice who she was though so she got lucky. Later that day she found her friend Marisa. She stopped and talked to her. Well after they were done talking she went back to walk home but she went by the Heavenly Hotel and saw a lot of cops and people surrounding it. She went in to see what was wrong and so when she went in she got involved on saying that she says who did it and (etc.). So the officer asked for her address but she didn't have one because she stayed with her grams and the people aren't supposed to no that she lives there so she gives Marisa's house address. Well the cops one-day went to talk to Sammy but she wasn't at the house so Marisa called her over to tell her that cops were over. Well Sammy rushed over there and Marisa said that Sammy was in the shower would be out in the minute. She told the cops everything she new. Would the cops believe her and take her word on what she saw and knows?

I recremond this book to anyone that is in 6th grade into 8th grade. I say this because it is a good book and it isn't just for girls. IT can also be for boys because Sammy does some real guy things. She punches a girl in the nose, Goes were she isn't supposed to be, and lies to the cops. This was kind of a page turner because the ice cream man that goes around everywhere and not no mention he is death and has bad hearing he was the person that stole the money. When I was reading this book it wasn't hard to concentrate on because the more and more I read the more I wanted to get into the book. I kind of concentrated with Sammy because when she punched that girl in the nose it was for a good reason I would have done the same thing if she always talks about my best friend and me. I enjoyed the genre of the book. It was non-fiction because it wasn't real. I don't really like real books because they seem to be boring but this non-fiction book was good because the author just made up stuff to put in the book. The style of writing was great because at some of the chapters the author just left you in mystery on what was going to happen so you had to just read the next chapter to find out what happens. There were a few surprises that where in the book. One of them was when Sammy's grandma didn't care that she punched that girl in the nose. All Sammy's grandma did was talk to her a little bit and didn't say anything else. Yes almost every chapter ended with a cliffhanger. When I came up to one of those I just wanted to keep reading and not stop. If one chapter didn't end with a cliffhanger I would want to stop and not read for the rest of the day. This book was not boring at all. It always left me in suspense and wanted to keep reading. Plus I don't like reading that much but I did relate to that book a lot. My mind only wondered when I was thinking what was going to happen next otherwise it didn't wonder at all. The plot was pretty good because it was in a small place were stuff happens it wasn't in the best place in the world. It was good because it matches with the kind of place we live in today. The people that would enjoy reading it would be people from 6th grade to 8th grade and guys would like it to because it has violence and guys like to read about violence and girls like to read about romance. ... Read more

Book Description

While serving a detention in the soup kitchen at St. Mary's Church for an infraction committed during her last case, Sammy Keyes becomes the prime suspect in the disappearance of Father Mayhew's prized ivory cross. Ace detective that she is, Sammy manages to prove her innocence but soon discovers that, under its calm exterior, St. Mary's is abuzz with gossip, jealousy, and intrigue--just like junior high!Meanwhile, back at school, Sammy's beloved catcher's mitt--her only connection to her father--disappears just when her team makes the semifinals.Add to this mix: a dog who eats everything in sight, a lesson in safe cracking from a homeless girl who bears a striking resemblance to Sammy, and an exuberant trio of gospel-singing nuns called the Sisters of Mercy, and you've got one wild ride of a mystery--or just another week in the life of Samantha Keyes. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

There is a New Detective in Town
That Sammy Keyes is such a detective. Nancy Drew better watch out there is a 7th grade crime solving detective on the case. I like this book a lot because there is a 7th grader solving mysteries. I mean she is an ordinary kid in middle school going through what real 7th graders go through and she still solves mysteries and she won't give up on them no matter how long it takes her. She goes through controversy and things like that. This book "Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy" is a very good book. I recommend all of you guys to read it. I am not a mystery type person, but still this is a book for mystery or non-mystery type people should read. This book is better than another Sammy Keyes book I read and I would have given that book almost 4 stars. I only read three books of Sammy Keyes, but I can't wait until I get my hands on another Sammy Keyes book.

Too predictable for me.....
Okay, I love the Sammy Keyes series, but I recently finished this book and let me tell you, I knew exactly who the guilty party/parties were from the beginning. Usually, there are a lot of twists and turns in this series. Unfortunately, that was not the case in this book. While I love Sammy, in this one the facts were slapping her in the face and she didn't realize it until the end, which is pretty hard to believe if you've read any of the other books; usually Sammy is pretty much "on the ball". An enjoyable read for me, mainly because I am a mystery fan, but not a great guessing game as to who-did-it. I'd dare to say that ANY of the other Sammy Keyes books would probably be a better choice for a reader who is new to the series.

Sammy
I loved this book! Sammy a mischevious young sleuth finds herself inside another mystery. A homeless girl with hightops, a stolen mitt, and a crazy bunch of singing nuns help Sammy and her friends solve the mystery for a priest.

Good book
Not my favorite in the series, but I highly recommend it. Singing nuns? Gotta be interesting... Check this book out.

Could Have Been Better
I have to admit that this book was good when you looked at it in some ways. But, like some people said, this book was VERY slow which could bore a lot of people easily. Another thing was that this book was very unrealistic. It's like, how can one 12 year old girl manage to outsmart a group of professional theives. It just seems impossible. Overall, this book was just plain average, so I say if you want to read it, read it. If you don't want to read it, then don't. ... Read more

Book Description

The elusive Lady Lana (a.k.a. Sammy’s mom) ran off to Hollywood nearly a year ago to get “discovered.” But when Sammy discovers that her mom has changed her name, dyed her hair, and told everyone she’s only 25, she decides Lana needs a little reality check. I mean, it’s one thing to have her mom ditch her. But it’s another to find out she’s created a life for herself where Sammy can’t possibly exist.

But Hollywood is a shock. Everyone is pretending here. No one is who or what they seem in this starlet-eat-starlet world. So when a woman is killed in the room next door, Sammy’s hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t have a motive . . . including her own mom.
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Reviews (20)

~ The Book You Can't Put Down~
Sammy Keyes is a series of books that not very many people look at and think that looks like a good book. But don't judge a book by its cover!

Sammy Keyes is a thirteen old girl who always seems to run into mysteries! Sammy lives with her grandmother because her mother left her to go to Hollywood and become an actress. In one of the books The Hollywood Mummy, Sammy wants to visit her mother. So she and her best friend Marissa get on a bus from Santa Martina to go to Hollywood! When they arrive Sammy's mom isn't very excited because she told her boss Max that she was twenty-five years old, single, and had no children! So she tells Max that they are her nieces. What will Sammy do to find ou the mystery? Well I'm not going to tell you so read the book yourself. Trust me its worth it ! You won't put it down!

I like this book because the author put alot of thought in her writing. They are better than other mysteries like Nancy Drew because Sammy is younger and more clever!

Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy
Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy was a great book. Wendelin Van Draanen did a superb job. She kept my attention glued to the book. Her book is so well written that it kept me curious and interested from one page to the next. This is a story of a girl named Sammy Keyes who went off to Hollywood along with her friend to look for her mother. Her mother left Sammy to live with her grandmother to be an actress in Hollywood. Marissa, her friend had a great sense of humor and played a very good supporting role. The story became more and more interesting after Sammy found her mother, Lana Keyes, a.k.a. Dominique Windsor. I liked the way the suspenseful events unfolded. The characters were also interesting and peculiar at the same time. Sammy is a very good detective. I can relate to her thoughts and techniques. There was just no stopping her. After she uncovered Max's secrets, she was able to free her mother, from the strange man who wanted to marry her. The message of the book is well established throughout. We have to be accepting of who we are and not pretend to be what we are not. I really enjoyed this great read.

Oh so good
Mystery? Check. Action? Check. Spunky girl named Sammy? Check.

You need to read this book. Very interesting plot. Not a boring page in the whole book.

Whitney's review
Well I don't know if you could tell but the main character of this story is Sammy Keyes. The main character (Sammy Keyes), her mother moved to Hollywood so she could pursue her acting career. She tries to find a good job in Hollywood, California. Her mother Lana Keyes lives in an apartment sort of thing with fifteen or sixteen other people, Lana's roommate LeBrandi was killed and Sammy is doing everything to figure out who killed her. She questions everyone and nobody can be trusted. She will be as sneaky and nosy as she could possibly be. Nothing stops her. The genre of my book is fiction.

I think it was a good book because it keeps you turning the pages and guessing what is going to happen next. I recommend this book to anyone that likes mysteries because through the whole story you are wondering who the killer is and what is going to happen next. Like I said people who like mysteries would really like this book probably from ages nine to 14 or 15 maybe. Well pretty much anyone though. Almost every paragraph ended with a cliff-hanger because you had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. This book was not boring at all because of all the parts in the story that made you wondering what were going to happen next.

Sammy gets better every time!
Okay, I am a pretty new Sammy Keyes fan, but I love these books! This one was exciting and had me going until the very end. I wasn't sure who to blame and you know, Sammy caught on before I did. Now, given the fact that she's 12 and I'm not....plus the fact that I've read a lot of mysteries and should be able to read between the lines, that is saying a lot. Sammy will keep fans and readers on the edges of their seats, wondering what she will do next and breathlessly hoping that she won't get caught. Her journey, with friend Marissa, to Hollywood in this story is great....I love the detail given about the people who hang around in the bus depots. Also, the appearance of her mother (Lady Lana) was GREAT...as fans know, she doesn't appear in the other books, so this was a great way to find out about her. This book is definitely a great choice for mystery fans! ... Read more

Book Description

Now in Knopf Paperback, seventh-grade gumshoe Sammy Keyes returns in her second mystery--a Halloween intrigue involving Frankenstein and a skeleton man in a tale of greed, grudges, and getting even. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Sammy and a skeleton man
I read a pretty cool book called Sammy Keys and the Skeleton Man. The book is about a girl who finds out that a guy dressed up like a skeleton stole stuff from a person named Mr. Frankenstein. The reason why they call him Mr. Frankenstin is because he where's a mask that helps him breath. The skeleton man who stole from his house then sold it to the market. She tries to stop the skeleton man from doing it again, so when she finds out where the skeleton man stole, she goes to his house and talks to Mr. Frankenstein and sees if he remembers anything that happened. When she talks to him he barley remembers anything so she tries to trace the clues to see who did it. It brings her to a store when she finds who did it. She gets him trapped then calls the police. Then the skeleton man goes to jail, and then Mr. Frankenstein gets his stuff back and everything is over.

I think the book's message is when you're trying to look for something and you cant find it you should always try to find clues. I also think that when you're about to give up, don't, because there will be always another way to solve it. Sometimes it will be good to ask someone for advice to help you in some ways. The last thing is you should never steal from anyone or a friend you know might tell on you.

I recommend this book to you because it's a pretty cool book. You will always want to see what happens next. I liked it because it was always brings a questions to the book. I also liked how they always add clues to the book and how they put more characters in the book that's why I like this book.

She wasn't tring to get in trouble!
7th grader Sammy Keys has got a lot of troubles on her hands. It all started on Halloween at the bush house with her friends. At the bush house no one answered and Sammy saw a fire. After Sammy put it out with a sweater they found Chancey Lebard (the owner of the house, who they call the bush man)tied to a chair. It turns out he was robbed, and sammy was interested an started investigating. The sweater she put the fire out withturned out to be [expensive]. If it got all burn't up, she'd be in trouble.

those are not the only problems Sammy beholds. Her worst enemy Heather wasmaking a fool of her but every one thinks it is really Sammy. as far as Sammy is concerend it is payback time for Heather.

I like every thing about this book. I really like howit has a lot of problems at one time, it makes it more interesting. It also usesgood detail and description. Sammy Keys and the Skeleton Man is full of suspenceand i couldn't put it down. I can't think of anything ididn't like about this book except it had to end.

Sammy Keyes, A Winner!
Sammy doesn't look for trouble, but it usually finds her. In this case, it's on Halloween, when she gets run over by a skeleton with a bag of stolen goodies, who sets a fire in a spooky house. And that's just the beginning. Sammy is right-on, as are her friends, Marissa and Dot. But she doesn't sound nearly as convincing with her adult voices, especially Grams, who sounds like she's 30, rather than 55-plus. Overall, a good mystery, in a great series. This book is Awsome!

The super sluth strikes again!
This book is wonderful. I have read her first book, and I didn't think The Skeleton Man could be any better, but I was wrong! It is very entertaining and a treasure for any age. A standing ovation for Mrs. Van Draanen!

Great Book!
This book was great to when she stomped out a fire with a 500 dollar sweater to when she talked over the P.A system(embarrasasing her all time enemy)! It needed to be a couple of more pages longer to actually guess who the robber was, but if you take your time reading you will guess it. Well thought-out plot and charaters(you actually could related to some of the incidents that transpire in this mystery. The real reason why I liked this book is that it isn't filled up with descriptions (about the setting and atmosphere). If you have ever read The Return of the King by J.R.R Tolkien you know what I mean. See his books are exciting but slow-paced(as to this book; fast-paced); if you read 10 paragraphs of his books you'll see that 9 of them are meaningless descriptions and 1 paragraph obout the plot. There are more sophisticated mysteries (i.e The Matter of Roses by David Manuel), but if you are sick of books that are sophisticated and has way too many pages(filled of complex words), I suggested you read this! It's a easy plot to comprehend with real-life situations. Just a easy reading book, but excellent! ... Read more

Book Description

And this new adventure is Wendelin Van Draanen's most complex and compelling yet! It's Christmastime in Sammy's hometown of Santa Martina, but some people are being very, very naughty. Pranksters dressed as wise men sabotage the Christmas Parade. In the ensuing chaos, some thugs dognap a prize Pomeranian. Then the Pom's owner blackmails Sammy into finding the dog so she won't have to pay the ransom. Sammy doesn't have to check her list twice to know that these people belong in the naughty column!

But in the course of her search for the doggone dog, Sammy also comes across some characters who are harder to figure: a runaway elf, an embittered old biddy, a puffed-up policeman, and a sneaky Secret Santa. Still, someone's got that dog and whoever it is had better watch out--'cause Sammy Keyes is nosing around...and she's willing to be pretty naughty herself to make sure the bad guys pay. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Girls who read, read Sammy Keyes
Have you read Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf? If not, you should. Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf is an exciting book full of adventure, mystery, suspense and dirty tricks. Sammy Keyes is a 13-year-old girl who is as smart and tricky as any detective or spy. In the book, Sammy is forced to find Mrs. Landvogt's prized Pomeranian Marique before it is too late. Sammy searches all over Santa Marina and finds clues, that when put together, reveal the thief. For more fun and adventure, read the other Sammy Keyes books.

A scary world
Wendelin Van Draanen is a great author and a great writer. She writes all the Sammy Keyes books they are very good.I have read three of them and they're my favorites. I think everybody should read them. I thought I was in a other world that was scary and dangerous. My favorite character is Samantha because she is very smart and brave. The setting takes places in a city and it was a few years ago. I recommend this book to ages 12-15 years old who like to read scary books.

Very good book
A very good book. Great plot, and doesn't the title just grab you? A must read for Sammy fans.

Great Christmas tale
Fun mystery for all mystery lovers like me. You might also try two of my fave books Return of hte Gypsy Witch & Shadow HOrse both by Alison Hart. Cool reads, too!

Another Sammy Keyes winner!
I read these books to my 7th grade language arts students. They really get into them! I just picked this one up last weekend for spring break reading and enjoyed it very much! Looking forward to the new book next month! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sammy Keyes, girl sleuth extraordinaire, cracks the case once again inthe latest installment of Wendelin Van Draanen's smart, snappy mysteryseries for readers ages 11 and older. This time, the trouble begins when13-year-old Sammy ("a magnet for mayhem") attends a fancy reception atan art gallery (wearing high-tops, of course) and ends up tackling agun-wielding art burglar who crashes the party. He, however, proves tobe only one of an entire gallery of rogues. As ever, Van Draanen craftsan entertaining, multi-layered page-turner starring a brash, likableheroine with a big mouth and a big heart. Throw in a little romance at aRenaissance Faire, a whole new side to Sammy's grandmother (what's thisabout a tricked-out Harley?), and some thoughtful views on the nature ofart, and voila! you have one of the best Sammy Keyes books to date.(Ages 11 and older) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes
Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes is an exciting fast-flow adventure full of smart alack comments from Sammy. When she gets a baby from a scared looking girl who is running from a man and a big secret, Sammy can't help but investigate. Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes is an awesome book and a thrilling tale.

I love thisbook!
This book is good because you can just sit down and read it. It is suspenseful, but also humorous as Sammy constantly gets in and out of scrapes. I loved the school play, "Laddies Gone Amok" and just how everything worked out in the end. This is a great book, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. Great book!

*~*Samy Keyes and the Art of Deception*~*
Wendelin Van Draanen has put just about anything you could ask for into one book!It has mystery, adventure, and even a cheesy teenage romance!ALMOST everything Sammy does in this book can relate to every other teenage girl.This author is very good at keeping her audience hanging, and I think that's what's best about the book, you never know what's coming next.

The Art of Writing
This book is the BEST!It has everything you could ever ask for!It has cheesy romance, mystery, action, adventure, and everything that you would want in a book.It also has that stupid middle school drama.It's written for fourth to eighth graders but it's a good read for almost anybody.

Sammy on the mind
This book has got it all - mystery, action, a red-headed enemy, a super cool grandma and of course a couple of cute guys. Written from the point of veiw of one sassy seventh grader these books are really fun to read. I really liked this book because it was funny the way Sammytold it and it had just the right mix of every thing. Sammy Keyes will have you laughing out loud. Seventh grade girls will really love this book because they can see things from Sammy's point of view. They will love the crazy situations that Sammy can get herself into, and they will groan as she battles the all evil Heather Acosta. ... Read more

Book Description

The normally unflappable Sammy Keyes is reeling--not from her encounters with a corpse, an arsonist, or an irate policeman, these she can handle. No, what completely unbalances her is the teen-scene at a New Year's Eve party. Caught up in this adolescent ambush, Sammy begins to doubt herself. And if she can't trust her own instincts, how can she possibly figure out who burned down a pioneer-era cabin, how a 200-pound pig has disappeared , or why Casey might want to hold her hand?

In this fifth Sammy Keyes mystery, Wendelin Van Draanen gives us her most ambitious work to date. While her prose is as comic as ever, there's a very serious undercurrent here--Sammy is tossed and torn, both literally and figuratively, as she shoots the rapids of this plot. But in puzzling out whodunit and how and why, she manages not only to turn the culprits over to the police, but also to reclaim a belief in her own strength.
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Reviews (12)

Best book I have ever read
In this story Sammy Keyes has to solve a mystery about a family riot. Sammy has to find out who burnt down her very old friend Lucindia's cabin. The cabin was so special because it was a home to her great aunt. The famalies started fighting when Mary was shot at. One night Sammy and Dot went to a party to find Dot's two older brothers. At the party the girls seen many things that they didn't want to see.They seen things like kids taking drugs and drinking beer. Sammy also seen one of her enemies Heather drinking beer. Sammy and Mirrisa also fell in love with two boys. The next morning Sammy found out that Heather was the twin of the boy she liked. Later on that day sammy found a meth lab in a cellar at Lucindia's house. They then found out that it was Dallas who was the owner of the lab and also the one who burnt down the cabin.Sammy and Dot captured the criminal and then went home

Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Moustache Mary
This book is mystery at a whole other level. It has real life issiues tied in with a great real life mystery. This book was exciting and I couldn't put it down. I would suggest this book to ages 11 and up because it has some material in it that may not be suitable for kids under 11. This book is a great read, it sure was for me!!!

Sammy Keyes and the Curse of the Moustache Mary = Great Book
This book has suspense and mystery written all over it. It is definitely a book you cannot put down. It had a little of everything for everybody, humor, mystery, and a bit of romance. Sammy, a 13-year-old girl, has to visit her friend's house. On the way she encounters boys she thinks stole her skateboard. Later down the road, she meets other things too, like a feuding old lady with a pet pig. Then once at her friend's house strange and sad things start to happen. They go to a funeral and it turns out to be much more. Then old lady's ancestor's cabin burns down. It makes you start to think who would and why would someone do that? But all these things fit together in the end. The author, Wendelin Van Draanen, who has won many awards, must have had to put an enormous amount time of to make such a great book.

Flipped
I really liked this book. I read it with my mom and little sister. We liked ready about what was happening with the characters in each chapters.I would like to see a sequal to this book. I really like to read your books. I can't wait until the next book comes out

A hit that left me wanting more!
This may be the best book in the series! It is funny and a wild adventure for Sammy, Dot, Holly, and Marissa. Putting some historical information about the cabin just livens up the book even more. I'd say the best part of the book would be about Casey, personally. A lovely guy that I want to meet (hope Heather's not around!). When Sammy goes to the party and meets Casey, I couldn't put the book down! I had to read the chapter over at least five times because it was so good. I recommend this book to anybody. A standing ovation for Sammy, her pals, Casey, and of course, Mrs. Van Draanen. ... Read more

Book Description

Sammy’s softball team is in contention for the Junior Slugger’s Cup, and all she wants to do is hunker down behind home plate and catch strikes. But Heather Acosta brings new meaning to the term “foul ball” as she schemes to get Sammy kicked off the team. And Sammy is thrown a wild pitch by a frantic girl in the mall. She begs Sammy to watch something for her and then dashes off before Sammy realizes that the bag she’s left holding contains a baby! Now there are some pitches that you shouldn’t even try to catch, but Sammy’s a take-it-in-the-chest-protector kind of player. So when the girl doesn’t return for her baby, Sammy decides to go find her. And her search leads her into situations that are just not covered in a softball playbook. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

sammy keyes-a ten year old
the book Sammy Keyes and the search for snake eyes is a really good book. Its about a daring girl named Sammy and her friend marrissa. They defeat all kinds of villains and enemys handle a baby and at the same time are going to school juggling homework and with all that they still have soft ball practice!!this book is action packed from begging till end !! over all I would give this book 5 stars

A Great Read!
This book was fantastic! It had so much drama! I've read all of the Sammy Keyes books, and although it isn't my favorite, I'd certainly read it again! Please read this great book!

Must read!!! Awesome book!
My teacher got me to read this book. It was so awesome. Sammy is into softball, and having adventures. On each adventure, she finds out something new to help her sovle a mystery. She was given a baby in the mall, but she doesn't who the mother is. The mother of the child told her to come back to the mall later that night, Sammy did, but the mother never showed up. Now Sammy Keyes is stuck with a baby and is trying to find the mother. If you haven't read any Sammy Keyes books before, then I suggest that you should read this book first. It's so interesting that you can't and don't want to put it down because you want to fing out what happens next. Wendelin Van Draanen is a great writer for kids. Check out her other books!

Sammy Keyes is at it again!
Having recently read over this book, being an older student, I was reluctant to report on this book to my class because of it's childish stature. Fourtunately, after reading it, like so many of the other books written in the 'Sammy Keyes' series, it left me flabergasted. It's rather mature, and offers a great perspective on the lives of the streets and how hard it is to live in a poor environment and what effect it has on others. (Personally, reading this book alone would be enough to convince me to stay in school and get a good job). Sammy Keyes and her friend Marina are minding thier own business when a woman bumps into Sammy and exits after mumbling gibberish and leaving a bag-with a baby inside! Snake Eyes(as Sammy calls him) comes to hunt down the lady who left the baby, and Sammy is concerned. Besides the fact that it will be an even bigger problem crawling up the fire escape into her grandmothers' adults-only apartment complex with a baby; she is convinced this guy is out the get the woman who left the baby. A spine-tingly adventure begins and a frantic goose-chase turns deadly nearing the climax-but I guess you'll just have to find out for yourself.
Great book, I recommend it for kids ages 10-14
Cathy

Sammy Keyes book report
I read Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes. I thought this was a book with suspense because it was a mystery finding out who was Snake Eyes, who spray-painted the walls putting the blame on Sammy, how could they get the idea that they were stupid to spray paint their names so everybody could see that they spray-painted the walls. I think kids in 4th and 5th grade would like this book. ... Read more

Amazon.com

She's funny. She's tough. She's smart as a whip. She's Sammy Keyes,amateur sleuth with an attitude. Kids looking for a fun, action-packed serieswill love Wendelin Van Draanen's award-winning mystery novels, including thefirst four in paperback: SammyKeyes and the Hotel Thief, Sammy Keyes and the SkeletonMan, Sammy Keyes and theSisters of Mercy, and Sammy Keyes and the RunawayElf. Young readers revel in these tangled mysteries, cheering Sammy'sfearless confrontations with a host of bad guys, the overbearing Officer Borsch,her hotheaded rival, Heather Acosta, and anyone else who stands between her andthe truth. (Ages 10 to 14) ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Sammy Keyes books 1-4
Sammy Keyes books are the kind where you have to read the in order-if you dont, then there is no point in reading the ones before[ the ones you have read]. Usually, the surprises come in big chunks - like for instance,in one book she all of a sudden realizes that she knows who the guilty person is. Sometimesthe police dont quite believe her(she doesn't have a good history with them)but it all works out in the end. Sammy has a sassy behavior that can sometimes get her in trouble, but it can also help get important information out of people who have it. ... Read more