Close Modal

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief

Part of Sammy Keyes

Look inside
Paperback
$8.99 US
5.25"W x 7.62"H x 0.43"D   | 5 oz | 48 per carton
On sale Aug 18, 1998 | 192 Pages | 9780679892649
Age 10 and up | Grade 5 & Up
Reading Level: Lexile 760L | Fountas & Pinnell T
Sammy Keyes must be a magnet for trouble...

I mean it's bad enough that she has to live illegally in a seniors-only building with her grandmother while her mother tries to make it as a move star. And worse that she witnessed a burglary in progress--and that the thief saw her. And worse still that nosy neighbor Mrs. Graybill is onto her, and that the thief is after her. But on top of all that, she also manages to make an enemy of the queen of mean at her new school and get suspended on the first day.

Welcome to the wild world of Sammy Keyes!
 
Praise for the Sammy Keyes series:
 
“Sammy Keyes is feisty, fearless, and funny. A top-notch investigator!” —New York Times bestselling author Sue Grafton
 
“The sleuth delights from start to finish. Keep your binoculars trained on Sammy Keyes.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Sammy Keyes is the hottest sleuth to appear in children’s books since Nancy Drew.”—The Boston Globe
  • WINNER | 2000
    Massachusetts Children's Book Master List
  • WINNER | 1999
    Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile Novel
  • SELECTION | 2003
    Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
  • SELECTION | 2002
    Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Master List
  • NOMINEE | 2002
    Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award
  • SELECTION | 2002
    Indiana Young Hoosier Master List
  • SELECTION | 2001
    Tennessee Volunteer State Book Master List
  • SELECTION | 2001
    Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
  • SELECTION | 2001
    Florida Sunshine State Book Master List
  • SELECTION | 2001
    Connecticut Nutmeg Children's Book Master List
  • SELECTION | 2001
    Arizona Young Readers Master List
  • NOMINEE | 2001
    Arizona Young Readers Award
  • SELECTION | 2000
    Maryland Children's Book Award
  • SELECTION | 2000
    New Jersey Garden State Children's Book Master List
  • SELECTION | 2000
    Utah Children's Book Award
  • SELECTION | 2000
    Virginia Young Readers Program Master List
Praise for the Sammy Keyes series:
 
“Van Draanen offers such an explosive combination of high-stakes sleuthing, hilarity, and breathlessly paced action that it’s impossible to turn the pages fast enough.” —Kirkus Reviews

“There’s no stopping Sammy.”—Publishers Weekly

“An intelligent, gutsy, flawed, and utterly likable heroine.”—Booklist

"Move over, Nancy Drew—a new sleuth is on the scene.”—Girls’ Life

"Think a combination of Carl Hiaasen’s Flush and Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books and you’ll be right on target.” —School Library Journal

“A high-quality, high-amp mystery series.” —The Horn Book
 
“This funny, clever series is NOT for kids only. I challenge the most seasoned mystery reader to guess ‘who done it.’” —Cozies, Capers, and Crimes
 
“Sammy Keyes comes armed with attitude.” —Orlando Sentinel

“Sammy doesn’t find mysteries to solve—they find her.” —Arizona Republic

“Humor, romance and adventure; this story is an absolute blast.” —Chicago Tribune
 
“If you haven’t met Sammy Keyes yet, now is the time.” —Children’s Literature
Wendelin Van Draanen spent many years as a classroom teacher and is now a full-time writer. She is the author of many award-winning books, including the Sammy Keyes mysteries, Flipped, The Running Dream, Runaway, Wild Bird, Confessions of a Serial Kisser, The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones, Swear to Howdy, and Hope in the Mail, Reflections on Writing and Life. Ms. Van Draanen lives with her husband in California. Her hobbies include the “three R’s”: reading, running, and rock ’n’ roll. To read more about Wendelin Van Draanen’s books, please visit WendelinVanDraanen.com. View titles by Wendelin Van Draanen

Classroom Activities for Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief

Classroom activities supplement discussion and traditional lessons with group projects and creative tasks. Can be used in pre-existing units and lessons, or as stand-alone.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

Sammy Keyes must be a magnet for trouble...

I mean it's bad enough that she has to live illegally in a seniors-only building with her grandmother while her mother tries to make it as a move star. And worse that she witnessed a burglary in progress--and that the thief saw her. And worse still that nosy neighbor Mrs. Graybill is onto her, and that the thief is after her. But on top of all that, she also manages to make an enemy of the queen of mean at her new school and get suspended on the first day.

Welcome to the wild world of Sammy Keyes!
 
Praise for the Sammy Keyes series:
 
“Sammy Keyes is feisty, fearless, and funny. A top-notch investigator!” —New York Times bestselling author Sue Grafton
 
“The sleuth delights from start to finish. Keep your binoculars trained on Sammy Keyes.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Sammy Keyes is the hottest sleuth to appear in children’s books since Nancy Drew.”—The Boston Globe

Awards

  • WINNER | 2000
    Massachusetts Children's Book Master List
  • WINNER | 1999
    Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile Novel
  • SELECTION | 2003
    Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
  • SELECTION | 2002
    Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Master List
  • NOMINEE | 2002
    Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award
  • SELECTION | 2002
    Indiana Young Hoosier Master List
  • SELECTION | 2001
    Tennessee Volunteer State Book Master List
  • SELECTION | 2001
    Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
  • SELECTION | 2001
    Florida Sunshine State Book Master List
  • SELECTION | 2001
    Connecticut Nutmeg Children's Book Master List
  • SELECTION | 2001
    Arizona Young Readers Master List
  • NOMINEE | 2001
    Arizona Young Readers Award
  • SELECTION | 2000
    Maryland Children's Book Award
  • SELECTION | 2000
    New Jersey Garden State Children's Book Master List
  • SELECTION | 2000
    Utah Children's Book Award
  • SELECTION | 2000
    Virginia Young Readers Program Master List

Praise

Praise for the Sammy Keyes series:
 
“Van Draanen offers such an explosive combination of high-stakes sleuthing, hilarity, and breathlessly paced action that it’s impossible to turn the pages fast enough.” —Kirkus Reviews

“There’s no stopping Sammy.”—Publishers Weekly

“An intelligent, gutsy, flawed, and utterly likable heroine.”—Booklist

"Move over, Nancy Drew—a new sleuth is on the scene.”—Girls’ Life

"Think a combination of Carl Hiaasen’s Flush and Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books and you’ll be right on target.” —School Library Journal

“A high-quality, high-amp mystery series.” —The Horn Book
 
“This funny, clever series is NOT for kids only. I challenge the most seasoned mystery reader to guess ‘who done it.’” —Cozies, Capers, and Crimes
 
“Sammy Keyes comes armed with attitude.” —Orlando Sentinel

“Sammy doesn’t find mysteries to solve—they find her.” —Arizona Republic

“Humor, romance and adventure; this story is an absolute blast.” —Chicago Tribune
 
“If you haven’t met Sammy Keyes yet, now is the time.” —Children’s Literature

Author

Wendelin Van Draanen spent many years as a classroom teacher and is now a full-time writer. She is the author of many award-winning books, including the Sammy Keyes mysteries, Flipped, The Running Dream, Runaway, Wild Bird, Confessions of a Serial Kisser, The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones, Swear to Howdy, and Hope in the Mail, Reflections on Writing and Life. Ms. Van Draanen lives with her husband in California. Her hobbies include the “three R’s”: reading, running, and rock ’n’ roll. To read more about Wendelin Van Draanen’s books, please visit WendelinVanDraanen.com. View titles by Wendelin Van Draanen

Additional Materials

Classroom Activities for Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief

Classroom activities supplement discussion and traditional lessons with group projects and creative tasks. Can be used in pre-existing units and lessons, or as stand-alone.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)