Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man (Unabridged) (Audio Download)

by Wendelin Van Draanen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-While living a surreptitious life sneaking in and out of Gram's adults-only apartment complex, Sammy observes the unusual in the usual world. Halloween finds her and her friends mustering nerve to wend their way through dense shrubbery to the front door of scary Bush House to trick-or-treat when they are nearly knocked down by a "skeleton man" scurrying away with his loot in a pillow case. Sammy peers into the house to discover it's on fire, rescues its owner, and becomes embroiled in his family history. Her quick switches between adult intuitiveness and childish pranks are in keeping with a personality that neither thinks twice about rushing into a burning house nor about exposing the misdemeanors of a classmate via the school's public-address system. Only Sammy and a few other characters are developed to any extent. The nosy neighbor, the weak grandmother, and the cantankerous cops are examples of stereotyped adults. Sammy's classmates run the gamut of sweet and naive friends to snide and snotty enemies. However, readers will enjoy the mystery, hijinks, plotting, and adult comeuppance. Occasional black-and-white drawings illustrate the book. A fun read, particularly for fans of the previous book about this young sleuth.
Lynda Short, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Lexington, KY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Gr. 4^-7. The irrepressible Sammy Keyes, introduced in Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief (1998), returns to solve another mystery--this one involving a family feud and some burgled books. On Halloween, Sammy and her friends decide to trick-or-treat at the Bush House (named for its overgrown shrubbery), and interrupt a mugging and burglary by a skeleton-costumed assailant. With the help of her friends and a police acquaintance, Officer Borsch, Sammy manages to prove the identity of the burglar, recover the missing first editions, and reunite the estranged owners of the Bush House. A side plot involving a classmate's making prank phone calls in Sammy's name adds humor that middle-grade readers will appreciate. Van Draanen's tone is light, but well-developed characters and Sammy's somewhat unconventional lifestyle (she resides illegally with her grandmother in a senior citizens' complex while her mother "finds" herself in Hollywood) make this a worthy choice for mystery buffs, especially fans of Betsy Byars' Herculeah Jones series. Kay Weisman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio Download
• Publisher: audible.com
• ASIN: B0014GPWT8
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• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She wasn't tring to get in trouble!, November 8, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man (Paperback)

7th grader Sammy Keys has got a lot of troubles on her hands. It all started on Halloween at the bush house with her friends. At the bush house no one answered and Sammy saw a fire. After Sammy put it out with a sweater they found Chancey Lebard (the owner of the house, who they call the bush man)tied to a chair. It turns out he was robbed, and sammy was interested an started investigating. The sweater she put the fire out withturned out to be [expensive]. If it got all burn't up, she'd be in trouble.

those are not the only problems Sammy beholds. Her worst enemy Heather wasmaking a fool of her but every one thinks it is really Sammy. as far as Sammy is concerend it is payback time for Heather.

I like every thing about this book. I really like howit has a lot of problems at one time, it makes it more interesting. It also usesgood detail and description. Sammy Keys and the Skeleton Man is full of suspenceand i couldn't put it down. I can't think of anything ididn't like about this book except it had to end.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!!, November 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man (Paperback)

My mom gave me this book for Halloween trying to encourage me to read again.When I pick up this book I'm instantly in Sammy's world!The action is amazing!!!I's scary ,funny, and amazingly good.This book deserves 99,999,999, thousand stars.I've planned on reading all of the books!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sammy Keyes, A Winner!, October 22, 2002

By	"groovychic22" (Federal Way, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man (Paperback)

Sammy doesn't look for trouble, but it usually finds her. In this case, it's on Halloween, when she gets run over by a skeleton with a bag of stolen goodies, who sets a fire in a spooky house. And that's just the beginning. Sammy is right-on, as are her friends, Marissa and Dot. But she doesn't sound nearly as convincing with her adult voices, especially Grams, who sounds like she's 30, rather than 55-plus. Overall, a good mystery, in a great series. This book is Awsome!