Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief

by Wendelin Van Draanen

Book Overview

Sammy Keyes must be a magnet for trouble... I mean it's bad enough that she has to live illegally in a seniors-only building with her grandmother while her mother tries to make it as a move star. And... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 067988839X
• ISBN13: 9780679888390
• Release Date: April 1998
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.7" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 10 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 8

Customer Reviews

Sammy Keyes Rules!!!

Sammy Keyes is a thirteen yearold girl who lives with her grandma. ( though children aren't allowed to live there) She has a best friend named Marissa and a cat named Dorito. Sounds like an ok live right? WRONG!!!Sammy is spying on the Heavenly Hotel when she sees a man. The only problem is the man sees her too. The only thing to do is wave. Then she hears that there was a robbery at the Heavenly Hotel and she thinks that guy did it. This is a great mystery for all ages and is very interesting. Look out Nancy Drew!!!

Father-Daughter Fun!

I've read the first four Sammy Keyes mysteries with my seven-year old daughter--chapter length is perfect for bedtime reading--and we've both thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The books are "grown up" enough to keep me interested and, because they deal with issues of childhood and adolescence in the voice of a seventh grade girl, they're fascinating for my daughter as well. Sammy gets into all kinds of "situations"--she's definitely no angel--but so far in her jaunts around the neighborhood she hasn't stumbled across sex, drugs, or rock and roll (and you really don't miss them). Sammy's friends, young and old, are well drawn, the kind of people you'd like to have in your own daughter's life, and even the not-so-nice people are, I've felt, simply "misguided" to one degree or another. Sammy learns something in each book about being a better human being and there's really no greater reason to read than that. If you aren't able to read the Sammy Keyes mysteries with your daughter, at least buy one for her. I'll bet she'll want another..and another...and another!

Captivating, suspenseful, and funny

This is a wonderful book. It is full of humorous asides, red herrings, and concise, revealing character sketches. Sammy is a great heroine, a young lady with, as one of the book's characters says, "a lot of bubbles in her soda." She is smart, funny, quick, stubborn, and apparently indestructible. If one reads VERY carefully, one can solve the mystery, but the clues are subtle and cleverly placed. I had a great time reading this book, and getting to know Sammy Keyes. Honestly, I wished she lived next door.

I think that kids that like mysteries will love Sammy Keyes!

Sammy Keyes is one of the best mystery books I ever read. And kids that really like mysteries will love to read Sammy Keyes. The author had a very big imagination. I liked it because it had a lot of action and it was real cool. Kids should read Sammy Keyes EVERY DAY!! It's great!!!Read it.

I like this book.

I'm sorry that I don't sound so very enthusiastic, but I didn't think I would like this book alot. I just finished the book and I am recovering from the shock of how Sammy figured it out because even though I kept a list of clues, I did not figure out who robbed the Heavenly Hotel before the book ended. That is the reason that I do not like books such as Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys because I can figure out who did it before the book ends. This detective, though, is so cool because she is different from anyone I have ever read. She is rebellious and doesn't always listen to the rules or the law. I like her. To quote a song, "...tell me more, tell me more...". I want more about Sammy Keyes and I cannot wait for the second book.