Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash [Library Binding]

Wendelin Van Draanen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 14, 2008 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Sammy Keyes

SAMMY KEYES HAS three wads of cold hard cash in her hot little hands. An old guy gave them to her. Well, actually, he told her to throw them away. Begged her. With his last dying breath. Which he was taking because Sammy had just scared the life right out of him. So . . . she’s got to get this man some help. She’s got to do it without being seen herself. And she’s got to figure out how to stash that cash. Aw, c’mon! You’d keep the money too, right? No one ever needs to know. . . .


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–8—Sammy Keyes is back, living her second 13th summer because her mother lied on her birth certificate to get her into school early. After two years of sneaking up and down the fire escape at the seniors-only residence where she lives with her grandmother, one would suppose that Sammy would not meet misadventure on her unique entrance to her home. But that's what happens when she assumes she has scared an elderly man to death after he has her toss three bundles of money into the bushes below. That event provides the mystery, and Sammy is off sleuthing again. The money is both trouble and a temptation as she retrieves it, keeps it secret, and spends it at the mall, buying her friend Marissa a bathing suit and giving some to Gram. Sammy is a whirlwind of activity, and the pacing is uneven as she spies on her friends from previous books, spies on elderly suspects, purchases a camera for sleuthing purposes, and gets a disguise. All of her old friends and enemies are back, and her budding romance with Casey Acosta continues. Van Draanen again deals with social issues with wit as Sammy charges through another mystery and walks a narrow line between opportunism and honesty.—Kathryn Kosiorek, formerly at Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* No matter who asks Sammy Keyes the question “What are you up to?” the answer’s always the same: trouble. While sneaking up the fire escape to Gram’s apartment in a seniors-only complex, where Sammy illicitly resides, she surprises an old man sneaking down. The encounter is apparently too much for the gent, as he suffers a heart attack and (after demanding that Sammy empty his pockets of greenbacks) kicks the bucket. To avoid jeopardizing her living arrangement, Sammy calls 911 from the apartment next door to Gram’s, which is occupied by elderly Mrs. Wedegwood. Then all hell breaks loose, and what seems to be a delicious monetary windfall for Sammy gives rise to both a mystery and a moral quandary. Adding zest and teen interest to the quirky puzzle, whose geriatric backdrop initially seems an odd venue for young readers, are generous helpings of raucous comedy (most involving rotund Mrs. W.’s inability to stay upright on her toilet), a wonderfully cheeky first-person narrative, and smoothly integrated interactions between Sammy and her age mates. The result is an exceptionally good entry in an already remarkable series. Grades 6-9. --Stephanie Zvirin --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Library Binding: 304 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (October 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375935266
• ISBN-13: 978-0375935268
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,099,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"Through writing, I open up my heart and soul in ways I never could in everyday life. The joy, the pain, the wonder and loneliness I felt in growing up, meld into stories which I hope will help kids believe in themselves and have compassion for those around them."--Wendelin Van Draanen

Wendelin Van Draanen is the winner of the 1999 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Children's Mystery Book for Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief. Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes is a 2003 Edgar Award nominee.


Visit Wendelin Van Draanen's Web site at www.wendelinvandraanen.com for the lastest on The Gecko and Sticky, Sammy Keyes, Shredderman, and more!

How in the world did I wind up writing a book about a kleptomaniacal, talking gecko lizard? I'm the first to admit-talking animals are not my thing. First person, realistic fiction-that's what I like. And yet, after Sticky appeared as a sidekick television character in my Shredderman series and uttered his first "Holy guaco-tacarole!" I was hooked. He's so funny. And so full of mischief.
I always develop a backstory for my characters to get to know them. Even if they're secondary characters, I have to understand their background and motivations before I let them into the story. The premise of the third Shredderman book (Meet the Gecko) is that a television crew comes to town to shoot an episode, and Shredderman helps out the star of the show. Not wanting to deal with the legal complications of using a real television show, I made up my own: The Gecko and Sticky. In the process, I came up with the hero (Dave Sanchez-a boy who has the "superpower" of being able to walk up walls, and is known as the Gecko), the sidekick (Sticky who is, as you already know, a talking gecko with . . . h'hem, sticky fingers), the villain (the deadly, diabolical, and definitely demented Damien Black), and Damien's sidekicks (the Bandito Brothers, who are, in fact, not brothers, but a thieving mariachi band).
It was definitely wilder than anything I'd come up with before, but hey-it was just a made-up TV show, right?
Ah, how diabolically infectious made-up TV shows can be!
Sticky, you see, got under my skin. His "Ay-ay-ay"s and his "What the jalapeno was that?" and his "You cut me to the quick, senor" enchanted me, and I was sorry when his role in the Shredderman books was over.
After the Shredderman quartet was complete, I began getting lots of fan mail from kids (and teachers) asking me to please write more Shredderman books. It was tempting, because I love Nolan and the gang. But I'd completed my mission with the quartet; so instead, I started writing The Gecko and Sticky.
My first attempt resulted in an over 200-page manuscript. That was closer to a Sammy Keyes novel than a Shredderman book. So I hacked it up, threw it out, and started all over.
My next try had me at 150 pages-still too long, and something about it wasn't quite right. So I chucked it and asked myself what in the world I was thinking, writing in the voice of a lizard.
But then on a flight from New York to California, I started hearing a voice. It wasn't my voice. Or the guy snoring in the seat beside me. It was, you know, a voice. One in my head.
Yeah, we writers hear them, and although we will almost certainly deny it if you press us about it, we also listen. It's how I wrote Swear to Howdy; how Bryce appeared in Flipped; where Holly's poems came from in Runaway . . . and it's how the narrator took over the storytelling for The Gecko and Sticky.
It's a man's voice in my head. (Okay, I concede that I might need some help.) But he's funny as all get-out, and I like to listen to him. He's the voice of someone who loves the art of storytelling; of someone who will hold a child's wide-eyed attention as he shares the wild antics of a boy and his mischievous gecko; of someone I'd plead, "Just one more chapter, please?"
So I hope that explains it, because I really must go. He's talking to me again and I've got to get back to Dave and Sticky. They are, after all, in the midst of some deep, diabolical doo-doo . . .

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another hit in one of my favorite series!, October 15, 2008

By 

A Person "Hi" (I dont know) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash (Hardcover)

Sammy Keyes is one of my favorite series of books, right up there with Harry Potter. I started reading them in grade school, and even though I'm a high school junior now, I'm still addicted to these! I was so excited when I heard this was coming out that I went and purchased an eBook yesterday (the day it came out).

Yeah, I was just a little excited.

And for good reason-this book, the 12th out of 20 planned books, does not disappoint. Sammy Keyes is just sneaking up the fire escape at the Senior Highrise where she lives-as usual-when an unexpected old guy runs into her. Sammy finds out what scaring someone to death literally means when the guy has a heart attack right on the stairs. To add to this, Sammy's obese neighbor Mrs. Wedgewood has fallen, and oh yeah, the guy told Sammy to throw his bundles of cash into the bushes.

Well, Sammy can't just let bundles of $20 bills be hidden in some bushes. She feels terrible about "killing" the man (even though it wasn't her fault), but when there are hundreds of bucks in her hands where she previously had nothing, well, what can she do! She pockets it, intending on only doing good things-repaying her rich best friend, Marissa, for all the nice things Marissa's done for her; leaving secret gifts for her Grams and Hudson.

Marissa is having problems of her own, too. Her parents are fighting more and more, money is dwindling, and her little brother, Mikey, is uncooperative and acting like a baby. On top of that, she worries she'll never be able to land Danny Urbanski, her crush. Speaking of crushes, what will happen to Sammy and Casey?! Those two are my main reasons for reading this series--they're so cute! Things turn awkward though, when Sammy's mother unexpectedly returns for a few days to Santa Martina-but not to see Sammy. Heather & Officer (I mean, Sergeant) Borsch make a little appearance as well.

Sammy runs into deeper and bigger problems with the money as she encounters a dangerous stranger who visits Mrs. Wedgewood and starts to realize why the old guy she scared to death wanted her to throw the cash away. She decides to go undercover as an old lady as well...which is hilarious, until she's discovered. Will she be able to get out of all this mess?

I really, really enjoyed this installment, and I already can't wait until the next one! Art of Deception & Sisters of Mercy will probably always be my two favorite Sammy Keyes books, but this one comes really close!

5.0 out of 5 stars a great read for any age, January 7, 2010

By 

W. Chatterton (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash (Hardcover)

Another great read by Wendelin Van Draanen. I am a grandmother who really enjoys the Sammy Keyes books. I was introduced to them by my grandaughter who while reading a part of one out loud, put so much character into it, I couldn't wait to read the whole book. I have since bought the whole series and can't wait for the next issue. I read them and then pass them on to my daughter and granddaughters on down the line until we all have finished them. We recommend them to all kids, and adults alike.

4.0 out of 5 stars cold hard cash hot read, January 19, 2009

By 

Andrea F. Zigelman "lover of the word" (Spring Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash (Hardcover)

Sammy Keyes is a sleuth beyond her years in this one (but still an adolescent in the relationships department). Excellent series on "thinking outside the box."