Customer Reviews

Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy [With 4 Cassettes]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you like mysteries, you'll love Sammy Keyes! In her 4th book, which is the longest so far, has great descriptions of the characters from meanie Heather Acosta to Sister Bernie. Read the first page and you won't be able to stop until the last line! Sammy keeps you on the edge of your seat. Every detail could be the clue to help you solve this mystery! Who could have stolen Father Mayhew's stuff? Brohter Phil? Holly, a homeless girl? The Sisters of Mercy? Or is it just Father Mayhew? Read the book to find out!

While Sammy is working off her detention at St. Mary's (for using her middle school PA system improperly) she meets a trio of performing nuns that are raising money for the church. Everything is going along fine until valuable things start to go missing. The resident nuns detest this new group; are they trying to get back at them? And what was Brother Phil doing rifling through the drawers in the sacristy? Or could it even be Father Mayhew himself? Meanwhile Heather Ascota (Sammy's fire haired nemesis) is determined to cream Sammy's baseball team and win the title. Also on Sammy's mind is the young girl who is getting her meals at the soup kitchen; alone.

Lots of fun to read, espcially since unlike some mysterys, you might not be able to guess the culprit.

That Sammy Keyes is such a detective. Nancy Drew better watch out there is a 7th grade crime solving detective on the case. I like this book a lot because there is a 7th grader solving mysteries. I mean she is an ordinary kid in middle school going through what real 7th graders go through and she still solves mysteries and she won't give up on them no matter how long it takes her. She goes through controversy and things like that. This book "Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy" is a very good book. I recommend all of you guys to read it. I am not a mystery type person, but still this is a book for mystery or non-mystery type people should read. This book is better than another Sammy Keyes book I read and I would have given that book almost 4 stars. I only read three books of Sammy Keyes, but I can't wait until I get my hands on another Sammy Keyes book.

Another great Sammy Keyes book. Sammy helps out at St. Mary's chuch to work of some detention time when Father Mayhew's cross is stolen. Sammy becomes the prime suspect. Brother Phil, 2 nuns, Holly who is a homeless girl, and the 3 Sisters of Mercy are all suspects on Sammy's list. This is a wonderful mystery filled with suspense. You should definety read this.

This book, which is the last of a group that I bought at a used book sale to complete a purchase of a couple of books that I wanted but had to find several others to make up "ten for a dollar," is the third of a series; the first two are Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief, which won the 1998 Edgar Award for Best Children's Mystery, and Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man. Samantha (Sammy) Keyes is a seventh-grade girl at William Rose Junior High School at Santa Martina (probably in California). Her mother, the Lady Lana who has gone to Hollywood to become a movie star, has dumped her off to live with Grams whose senior apartment house doesn't allow kids. Sammy doesn't even know who her father is, but she does have his catcher's mitt. In The Sisters of Mercy, Sammy has abused the school's PA system and is serving twenty hours of detention by doing community service. Grams has worked it out for her to do it at St. Mary's Church, helping Father Mayhew clean and paint his office while the Sisters of Mercy, a trio of singing nuns named Bernice, Abigail, and Clarice, are in town to do a fundraiser for the church.

However, Father Mayhew's ivory cross is stolen, and Sammy is blamed at first because she was the only one in the room, so she is sent to work at the soup kitchen with Sisters Josephine and Mary Margaret and Brother Phil and also help the Sisters of Mercy with their fliers. Along the way we also learn about Sammy's catching on her girls' softball team, her problems at school with her arch-nemesis Heather Acosta, and her efforts to help a homeless girl named Holly Janquell who comes to the soup kitchen. Father Mayhew eventually decides that Sammy didn't take the cross, but who stole it? Was it Josephine and Mary Margaret who are trying to finance a trip to Las Vegas? Was it Brother Phil who is mad at Father Mayhew for holding him back from becoming a priest? Was it Holly who might have sold it for money to survive? And when Sammy's own catcher's mitt is stolen, will she ever get it back? Sammy is a sympathetic character with all her disadvantages, even though she has this penchant for getting into trouble and comes across as a little to "street-smart." I suppose the unknown father and irresponsible mother are included to make the story seem "relevant" to today's kids, but many of us prefer stories with less dysfunctional families. However, Grams is always there to provide some stability in Sammy's life.

There are many things to like about the book, including some important lessons learned and some tender moments experienced. However, there are some things which a few parents might not care for. These include childish slang terms for dog manure, urination, and the rear end; some common euphemisms; one child's calling another "turdface;" and some instances of the words "Lord" and "God" used as interjections. Remember, this is junior high, but in a softball game, a girl at bat sticks her fanny out and all the boys whistle. In fact, much of the activity taking place at school will remind homeschooling families of why we have chosen to homeschool. And as you can imagine, there are a lot of references to Roman Catholic Church beliefs and practices. Girls' Life said, "Move over, Nancy Drew--a new sleuth is on the scene." Well, Sammy is not too bad, but Nancy, you can just stay where you are. I for one appreciate your old fashioned values.

Wow! What is there to say? It's wonderful. full of deep, rich, character description. Not scary but suspenseful. My friends and me have read it and loved it. This compeling fast paced story will be liked by girls and posibly boys ages 7 through 14. It takes you on a journey through the eyes of the fun, whitty, smart mouthed, Sammy Keyes who lives in a senior highrise with her grandmother. (Shhhhh! Don't tell anybody. she's not aloud to be there). Sammy is working off a detention in her church, when a cross and some golden goblets are stolen. Could it be the homeless girl Holly? The strict, angry Sister Joesephine? The bingo playing Sister Mary Margeret? The visitors from out of town who are doing a fundraiser for the church, The sisters of mercy? Or the priest himself Father Mayhew? Take the journey with Sammey for a hilarious, fun, adventurous, rollor coaster ride that you will love.

this is a wonderful book that you should deffinitly read!

this fun motivating story ends with a surprising twist!

a great book that keeps you geussing! i loved it, sammy made me dicover high tops, and now their my favorite kind of shoes! i highly recomend it!

This lovely book by Wendelin Van Draanen is told by Sammy Keys, a seventh grader with seventh grade problems. If it's avoiding Heather, sammy's enemy or working at the church to recover from some 7th grade detention time sammy is GREAT! Sammy lives with her grandmother since her mom droped her for hollywood. A great reaD!

The story Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy is a great story. It's funny,interesting,and sad all at the same time. Sammy has to pay off 20 hours of detention at the St. Mary's church. while she is helping Father Mayhew she meets a gang of three sisters, also known as the Sisters of Mercy. Everything was going well for Sammy until one day Father Mayhew's cross was stolen. Sammy also had a softball game coming and she is going to play against her worst enemy, Hether Acosta.Heather keeps on reminding her that they are going to win them.Poor Sammy has a lot of stuff on her shoulders already, and it all gets worst when she sees a girl about her age coming into the soup kitchen, all alone. Her curiosity leads her into some trouble.

This book is great and I recommend everyone to read it.