Sammy Keys and the Dead Giveaway

Van Draanen, W. (2005). Sammy Keys and the Dead Giveaway. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Brief Annotation: Sammy has a strong moral character. She comes to a dilemma when her she accidentally kills her teacher’s beloved bird. Although she is wrecked with guilt she is torn because her archenemy, Heather, is being blamed for the bird’s death. While walking her neighbor’s dog, Sammy stumbles upon a conspiracy by a city council woman to sell abandoned property to the city to build a recreation center. Sammy manages to have a typical, and yet not so typical, young life. Her spunky character crazy life of solving mysteries and dating makes for an authentic and intriguing read.

Genre: Mystery
Grade Level: 6-9
Readers who will like this: Readers who like mystery books with subplots about school age scenarios would like this book.
Response/Rating (1-4): 4, the characters were authentic and believable. It was nice to read a juvenile mystery book that seemed to fit the age appropriately.
One question you would ask before a read aloud: Why do people not always do the right thing?