Customer Reviews

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I teach fourth grade and after I read Sammy Keyes and the hotel thief I asked one of my students to read it to see if she liked the book as much as I did. From Cecelia-10 years old: Cecelia was drawn in to the character of Sammy because she felt sympathy for her and she enjoyed the mystery. Wendlelin Van Draanen pulls Cecelia into the mystery by creating a web of obstacles for Sammy to contend with before she can solve the mystery. Cecelia believes that anyone her age would enjoy reading about Sammy Keyes and her mysteries. The action, danger, and the mystery keep her reading 160 pages in 3 quick days. Any book that is 160 pages long that can keep a ten year old interested enough to read is a great book. Cecelia and I would recommend this book to anyone ages 9 to 90.

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!

Sammy Keyes is awesome. She's not at all another Nancy Drew copy; she's so much more believable and likable. Feisty, curious, and not always obedient or well-behaved. (I don't recall Nancy having a habit of punching other girls!)

I loved how this book was more than 'just' a mystery. It brings us through scenes and introduces us to characters that don't have anything to do with the actual mystery, but serve to make the whole story more believable.

But the mystery itself is great, too! The clues are subtle enough to make it interesting, and not too far out or complicated to be make it unbelievable.

The narrative is fun and casual, making this a good book for reluctant readers, but also enjoyable for the avid readers (like me). I reccommend this book--trust me, once you pick it up, you won't be able to get enough of Sammy!

I have read every book in the series (except the newest one..I need to get it!) and they are all equally good. I absolutely love Wendelin Van Draanen's unique style...it is up-beat and funny--perfect for Sammy Keyes. The basic plot is about a girl named Sammy Keyes (obviously) and she runs into these crazy mysteries without trying to. There is a police officer named Officer Borsch and he really doesn't like Sammy, but Sammy always ends up begging for him to LISTEN to her! Sammy lives with her grams because her mom ("Lady Lana") ran off to Holleywood to try and be an actress. I recommend you read this book if you like mystery, suspense...funny things...even if you don't!

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'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.

This is a book in a series about Sammy Keyes, a middle school girl who solves mysteries. In this story, she witnesses a robbery taking place at the nearby hotel while looking through binoculars. Unfortunately, she not only sees the thief, but he also sees her looking at him.

Sammy eventually goes to the police with her description of the man, whom she is sure she has seen before but can't quite place. One of the police officers, though, doesn't take her seriously and may even think she is involved in some of the mischief. Adding to her troubles with the law and her fear that the thief will come looking for her is Sammy's trouble at school, where on the first day she had a confrontation with a snobby girl. The confrontation ended with Sammy punching the girl in the nose and getting suspended for a day. It seems everything is a mess in Sammy's life!

I liked that Sammy's life wasn't perfect; she had real troubles living with her grandmother and trying to hide the fact that she was there. I liked the loyalty between Sammy and her friend Marissa. They made a good team.

It seemed out of the blue who the thief turned out to be. I got the impression that Sammy knew the person well and wouldn't have so much trouble with an identification. Also, everyone in authority seemed really unfair to Sammy. They treated her with no respect at all, which I thought was unrealistic. Someone would have taken her side.

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!!!

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.

Sammy is a young girl that lives with her grandma in an apartment. Sammy sometimes likes to take her grandma's binoculars and investigate what is going on around town through the window. One day, she was investigating while finding something very weird. She saw a man stealing money out of someone's hotel room in the Heavenly Hotel. She was really scared so she put the binoculars away. When she started school, it wasn't too soon when she got suspended for punching another girl in the nose. When she was walking home that day, she found that there were police surrounding the Heavenly Hotel and casually entered to find out what the commotion was all about. Sammy found out that it was just what she thought. When she was asked what she was doing at such a fancy hotel, she spilled everything she knew. With all the research Sammy did on her day off and a couple weeks into the school year, she had found out that Oscar, the blind man, had stolen the money and was off to do it again. Oscar was not a blind man, however for he faked it. He would change his disguise every day so no one would notice. Sammy became the savior of Madam Nashira.