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Sammy Keyes Books In Order

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Publication Order of Sammy Keyes Books

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief (1998)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man (1998)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy (1999)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf (1999)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Moustache Mary (2000)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy (2001)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes (2002)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception (2003)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen (2004)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway (2005)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Wild Things (2007)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash (2008)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Wedding Crasher (2010)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Night of Skulls (2011)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Power of Justice Jack (2012)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City (2013)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Killer Cruise (2013)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sammy Keyes and the Kiss Goodbye (2014)Description / Buy at Amazon

Wendelin Van Draanen is a seasoned writer who has penned more than thirty novels for teens and young readers. Draanen is popularly known for her 18 book series, the Sammy Keyes mystery series as well as Flipped, which was named as one of the outstanding children’s novels by SLJ. The movie was adapted for screenplay by Warner Bros with one Bobby Reiner directing the film. The Running Dream, another Van Draanen’s novel emerged the winner during the ALA Schneider Family Award for the manner in which the author had portrayed disability in the novel. Wendelin Van Draanen has also penned down two chapter book series including Gecko and Sticky, which is fun read aloud and ideal for the reluctant readers.

Another short book series that Van Draanen has written is the Shredderman book series, which features a boy who has to deal with a bully. The book received the Christopher Award for confirming the highest values of the human spirit and also was made into a movie by Nickelodeon. For more than 15 years, Van Draanen served as a classroom teacher. Currently, she resides in California, with her husband and two sons.

Sammy Keyes Book Series

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief is the first installment in the Sammy Keyes book series. In this installment, author Van Draanen introduces the readers to thirteen-year-old Sam, who has been living illegally in her Grandmother’s seniors-only apartment. One day, Sam becomes a witness to a gruesome crime as she was looking through a set of binoculars and accidentally sees the thief. Sam’s life is already complicated as she lives with her grandmother, while her mother, on the other hand, had traveled all the way to California, to look for an acting job. However, as Sam was looking through the binoculars, the burglar spots Sam looking at him. Thus, not knowing what to do, Sam decides to wave at the burglar. Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief follows Sam’s wild ride as she tries all she cans to identify the burglar first before he locates her.

With the police patrolling the area, Sam is more than determined to ensure that her secret remains hidden. Apart from being spotted with the burglar, Sam has also made a new enemy, the most popular girl in her school and was even suspended on her very first day of the 7th grade. Sam has to solve this crime before it completely gets out of hand. Sam is not only observant, but she is also funny, smart and from the look of things knows how to get herself into trouble. With that said, author Van Draanen is a brilliant author. Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief emerged the winner during the Edgar Allan Poe Awards. This book is highly recommended for upper elementary grades. Furthermore, it can be used as a genre example to introduce children to mystery.

Students can use this book to describe what mystery is, what clues were useful in solving the crime. This book can also be an excellent book to read together with a forensic science unit, where the students will be studying crime-solving science such as shoe tracks, handwriting analysis, and fingerprints.

Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man

The livewire young sleuth, who had been introduced to the readers by author Van Draanen, catapults into a headlong caper after being yet again a witness to a murder crime over Halloween. After gaining the courage to approach an extremely spooky house, Sam and her group of friends discover that the door is open and a fire had been set on the floor. The reclusive old Chauncey Lebard had been tied to a chair. From the look of things, it appears to be a robbery, but what exactly had been taken from the house? As it turns out, there are several books that are missing, a collection of first editions. Due to her nosy nature, Sam decides to pry while dealing with Heather, her hateful classmate’s sly attempt at a character assassination.

From what the readers learned from the first installment, Sam’s life is already complicated; she lives with her grandmother illegally, while her mother is busy chasing her acting dreams in Hollywood. She also has to distract a suspicious neighbor and keep up with schoolwork despite the fact that she is faced with multiple distractions. Heather decides to call a boy from their school by pretending to be Sammy. While talking to the boy, Heather says embarrassing things about just how deeply she is in love with the boy. Jared’s girlfriend is furious and decides to confront Sammy since Heather had pretended to be Sammy. Heather plans to ensure that if the two break up, then she will have Jared all by herself. In school, Heather convinces everyone that Sammy is a freak. Sammy on the other is more than determined to prove to everyone that she is not a freak and also she is not the one calling Jared.

Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy

Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy is a scholastic novel that has been brilliantly written. In the Sammy Keys and the Sisters of Mercy, we meet once again with the protagonist, Sammy, a displaced child who is living in her grandmother’s apartment after her mother abandoned her. At school, several older children pick on Sam. Sam is paying for her misbehavior by working at the local church. While at work at the church, theft incidences occur and in the process figure, pointing abounds. With the aim of establishing who among the eclectic group that surrounds her is the culprit, Sam decides to snoop around. For a young girl, Sam did an excellent job. As Sam continues with her investigation, the Sisters of Mercy arrive with the main aim of putting several fundraising concerts. The group of nuns also manage to steer up gossip and jealousness among the church members.

As all this happens, Sammy’s ball team has a match with the best team at the school. Will Sam be able to finish her incarceration? Will she be able to find who the person was stealing from the church? With that said, Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy is a brilliant book, with an excellent cast of characters.

Book Series In Order » Characters » Sammy Keyes

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