Sammy Keyes

 And the Skeleton Man

Author: Wendelin Van Draanen
Ages: 9+
Rating: 5/5

About:
Sammy is ALMOST too old to go trick-or-treating. She's in grade 8, and might have quit except that it's the only night you're allowed to be out running around like a banshee without parents.  And knocking on the Bush Man's door and scaring yourself silly is all part of it, but not tonight. Tonight somebody robbed the Bush Man, and Sammy can't help but to figure out why.

Thoughts:
Sammy is a great spunky girl. While trying her best to keep her nose out of the Bush Man's business (which will never happen), Sammy also has to deal with a bully at school, major fashion faux-pas (heh heh -that's a pun you'll get if you read the book), and a pretty messed up family situation. That's a lot for a girl to deal with, and yet the story isn't a downer. Sammy doesn't stew in self-pity, she stands up for herself, she's resourceful and very clever.

I chose the first book in this series for my Summer Booklist (Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief), but we don't have it in my library yet. I read this one in the mean time to make sure it would be alright. The first book takes place in September of grade 8, and this one in October/early November.

As an aside:
Despite what we're all taught "Never judge a book by its cover" everyone does. The cover is a clue to the contents. It and the title are what makes it stand out from millions and millions of other books.  The cover of the edition I read is the one at the top. It's an older copy, and the cover art kind of dates it. The interesting thing I think are the re-incarnations of the book cover. Below are three newer covers. I'm pretty disappointed by the cover on the left because I think that it would narrow the potential audience of the book. A boy probably wouldn't pick it up. A tomboy probably wouldn't pick it up. Heck, I'm not sure if Sammy would pick it up.