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Wendelin Van Draanen

While serving school detention in the soup kitchen at St. Mary’s church, Sammy finds herself the prime suspect in the theft of Father Mayhew’s ivory cross. But there have been other robberies at the church recently, and as Sammy attempts to discover the real thief, all the suspects appear to be religious figures who are above suspicion. That is, until Sammy cuts through disguises to uncover an enormous heist! Of course, solving the mystery would be a lot easier if Sammy wasn’t also trying to fend off dirty tricks from her arch-enemy Heather, and helping her softball team win the playoffs. Then there’s the gospel singing nuns known as the Sisters of Mercy…the excitement doesn’t end in one of the funniest and feistiest adventures in the life of the inimitable Sammy Keyes!

Tara Sands

Live Oak Media

Sammy Keyes

Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy

It’s Christmas, but leave it to Sammy Keyes to find trouble even in the midst of the holiday parade. Trying to help a friend, she reluctantly volunteers on the Canine Calendar float, only to have the famous cover dog dog-napped on her watch! The animal’s owner orders Sammy to find the dog before the $50,000 ransom being demanded comes due. But all that Sammy can uncover is a little elflike girl named Elyssa, whose problems seem more important than a missing dog. Still, Sammy does her best to round up the dog-nappers, while forming a bond with the mysterious elf girl. Clever clues and characters abound, making this satisfying mystery unforgettable at Christmas or anytime.

Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf

In her most dangerous mystery to date, Sammy runs into a strange girl trying to escape from a scary looking guy at the mall. When the girl asks Sammy to watch her shopping bag and then flees, Sammy is alarmed to discover that inside the bag is a baby! In her seventh adventure, the intrepid detective puts her life on the line as she confronts the seamy gang life of her hometown in her search for the baby’s mother and the evil man who is threatening them all in this edge of your seat mystery.

Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes

In this fifth Sammy Keyes mystery, the normally unflappable heroine encounters a corpse, an arsonist, and an irate policeman -- and her first real experiences with adolescent angst. On a quiet weekend in the country, Sammy and her friends meet Lucinda Huntley and her 200-pound pig, and become involved in a centuries old family feud involving Lucinda’s great grandma Moustache Mary. When Mary’s pioneer cabin burns to the ground, it’s up to Sammy to dig up the cause as the past collides with the present in this highly combustible mystery!

Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Moustache Mary

The debut mystery that kicked off the popular series about a live-wire girl detective, this Edgar Allan Poe Award-winning story takes place in Sammy’s neighborhood. Right across the street from her grandmother’s apartment, in fact. While looking out the window with her grandma’s binoculars, Sammy witnesses a crime across the street at the Heavenly Hotel. What’s worse, the thief saw her spying! As Sammy attempts to find the burglar who has made several other hits in the neighborhood, she finds herself trying to keep him from uncovering her – or worse, the police discovering that she’s living illegally with her grandmother in the seniors-only housing! A modern-day Nancy Drew, the saucy, smart Sammy Keyes is a sleuth whose escapades entertain and inspire teens.

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief

Sammy and her friends are startled when they interrupt what seems to be an attempted murder on Halloween. While trick-or-treating at a spooky old, house, they find the door open, and inside a man is tied to a chair while a fire rages on the floor. A robbery? But what valuable could be missing from the home of a reclusive old man? Sammy tries to solve the mystery, all the while dealing with her nemesis Heather Acosta, fending off her Granmother’s nosy neighbor in the seniors-only housing where Sammy lives illegally while her mother is off in Hollywood, and keeping up with schoolwork. Tough and resourceful, the savvy sleuth comes out on top in this fast-paced adventure that establishes Sammy Keyes as a solid series that will keep listeners riveted.

Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man

Hooray for Hollywood? The saucy sleuth Sammy Keyes discovers otherwise in this spirited mystery. When Sammy’s mother dumped her with Grams to go to Hollywood and become a star, Sammy dealt with it. But when she discovers that Lady Lana has changed her name, dyed her hair, and shaved ten years off her age, Sammy hops a bus to Hollywood and finds her mom in deeper trouble than she expected. One of Lana’s biggest competitor is found dead in the room next door. Is Sammy’s mother the next victim…or the prime suspect?

Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy

All of the beloved characters are back in the ninth mystery in this popular series. This time the 13-year-old sleuth is up against a cat burglar – literally! Cats are disappearing and Sammy is finding some of them in neighborhood garbage cans – dead! Miss Kitty, a local psycho cat lady, blames Sammy. Meanwhile, there’s something fishy going on with one of the students from Slammin' Dave's Pro Wrestling School that just opened up next door to Sammy’s friend Holly. If that isn’t enough, Sammy’s mother reveals that her true birth date is a year off, so she isn’t really turning 14 and Sammy discovers that she actually shares her birthday with archenemy Heather Acosta. Is it another year of unlucky 13 or is this the year Sammy’s luck will finally change?

Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen

In the eighth novel featuring the feisty seventh-grade sleuth, Sammy Keyes discovers just how dangerous art can be! Trouble begins for Sammy when she attends a fancy reception at an art gallery (wearing high-tops, of course) and tackles a gun-wielding art burglar. Although she stops the criminal, the real crime is more subtle, more artful than anything Sammy has been up against. With a little help from her gutsy grandmother, however, the determined detective unravels this entertaining, thoughtful mystery that proves to be one of the best Sammy Keyes books to date!

Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception

The tenth mystery in the popular Sammy Keyes series offers more spirit and adventure than ever! Sammy accidentally makes a deadly mistake, but all clues point to her nemesis Heather, and she gets blamed. As Sammy struggles with her conscience – she should confess, but there’s a certain justice in Heather finally getting what she deserves – she gets distracted helping an ailing senior citizen in her fight against urban renewal. There’s a local council member who seems to be on both sides of the issue, and neighborhood vandalism that could be a clue to what’s really at stake. While Sammy’s trying to sort out those truths, her own haunt her, along with her feelings for Casey, Heather’s brother, who she’s agreed to attend the Farewell Dance with on a “non-date.”

Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway

In the eleventh book in the always exciting series, Sammy Keyes finds herself in the wilderness helping eco-friendly Girl Scouts save the endangered condor.

Sammy Keyes and the Wild Things

In her latest mystery, Sammy Keyes feels responsible for the death of an old man who she discovers on the fire escape and who, with his dying breath, begs her to take his wads of cash and throw them away!

Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash

In this thirteenth mystery, Sammy is entering eighth grade with more than the usual angst – add to it being a bridesmaid in Officer Borsch’s wedding, dealing with the break-up of her friend Marissa’s parents, and her own mother dating the father of arch-enemy Heather. How will she be able to solve the mystery of who’s making death threats against the history teacher that nobody likes (especially with her name at the top of the suspect list?) With wit, style, and spirit as usual!

Sammy Keyes - The book series

Sammy Keyes - The book series

Sammy Keyes books in order

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