Bücher von Wendelin Van Draanen

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" -Midwest Children's Book ReviewAfter being chased by a man wielding a shovel, scared silly by a mummy, and attacked by Heather Acosta, Sammy and her pals decide they've had their fill of monsters and head home to eat some candy. But along with bubble gum and chocolate bars, they discover something frightening in their trick-or-treating bags. Something that's definitely not sweet!Before they know it, Sammy and her friends are following suspicious gravediggers, ghoulish embalmers, and shady undertakers. And somebody is following them . . .The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it's the drama in Sammy's personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.

Sammy takes off her high-tops, puts on some party shoes, and steps into a whole lot of trouble. "Sammy's investigation, friendships, family life, and wiseacre narration make this another rollicking addition to the series." --BooklistSammy should have known better than to think 8th grade would be easier than 7th. It's only September and already the history teacher is receiving death threats. Naturally, Sammy is the prime suspect. To make matters worse, officer Borsch has asked Sammy to help out at his wedding. If she doesn't find the real prankster fast, Sammy will be wearing prison stripes instead of a poofy pastel bridesmaid dress.This Sammy Keyes adventure blends mystery, comedy, and a dusting of fairy tale magic.

This diary of a runaway girl and her search for a home celebrates hope, resilience, and happy endings as only Wendelin Van Draanen, the author of Flipped and other acclaimed novels, can. Holly has run away before, but this time she actually gets away-and what at first felt like an escape soon becomes a daily struggle for survival. She is smart and resourceful, and she manages to make it across the country on her own. But how long can this go on? It's getting harder to avoid the truth-Holly is now homeless. Runaway is a remarkably uplifting portrait of a girl still young and stubborn and naive enough to believe there's a better place for her in the world. "Will grab readers from the first entry." -Kirkus Reviews "Holly's lively self lingers in the way the best characters do. Runaway is certainly one of the best young adult books of the year." -The Sacramento Bee

With desperate poachers on their trail, Sammy and her fellow campers have just been added to the endangered species list."Think a combination of Carl Hiaasen's Flush and Janet Evanovich's "Stephanie Plum" and you'll be right on target" --School Library Journal This is not the summer camping trip of Sammy's dreams. Instead of shady glades and meandering streams, she gets scrubby shrubs, blazing sun, and rattlesnakes. Her fellow campers are desperate to catch a rare glimpse of an endangered condor. To Sammy, the trip feels like the painful in pursuit of the unspeakably ugly.But when she and two other girls find an injured condor, Sammy's intrigued at last. As they track down a clue, they stumble onto two classmates and promptly get lost. Which leaves three girls and two boys in a canyon with one tent a sick condor and six billion biting flies. Oh--and an armed and dangerous highstakes poacher.

In this adventure, Sammy is the one whodunnit--but will she get away with it?"This is one of the best entries in the popular long-running series." --BooklistSammy's made a deadly mistake. The good news: No one knows she did it. The delicious dilemma: Everyone thinks her archenemy Heather is to blame.Now Heather's in a major jam, and it feels almost fair--Heather has pinned more than a few crimes on Sammy. Besides, there are distractions galore to keep Sammy from confessing. Like the end of the school year. And the Farewell Dance. Especially the dance, since she's going with Heather's (dreamy) brother Casey. But Sammy knows the truth has an uncanny way of resurfacing, and when it does, the stench can be more vile than the school cafeteria.

Shredderman.com just made the national news! Everyone is talking about the new cyber-superhero. Oh yeah!But now people are dying to know who is behind Shredderman.com. Reporters are snooping all over Cedar Valley! Oh no!Nolan's parents and even his sidekick, Mr. Green, think he should lay low for a while. But being Shredderman is the best thing that's ever happened to Nolan. It's so much better than being Byrd-the-Nerd. Plus, Nolan's just stumbled across what might be a real spy-ring! How can Shredderman not try to fight it?But some problems are too big for even a superhero to handle. Sometimes the mask gets in the way. Will Nolan's quest for truth and justice mean he has to give up his secret identity? Can he become a superhero in real life?

Sammy's mom comes to town with a birthday bombshell..."A strong female character looking for more than just a boyfriend. Highly recommended." --Children's LiteratureIt's Sammy's birthday, which should be a good thing, right? Not when her mom lets her cat out and now he's missing. Not when Sammy finds three dead cats while she's looking for him. And not when a psycho cat lady blames Sammy because one of the dead cats belonged to her.Add a suspicious pro-wrestler named El Gato, a public cat-fight with her arch-enemy Heather, and a bombshell of a secret from her mom, and you've got a recipe for Sammy's worst birthday ever. Better luck next year, Sammy.

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" -Midwest Children's Book ReviewWhen Sammy and her friends meet Lucinda Huntley walking her 200-pound pig down the middle of the road, their quiet weekend in the country quickly becomes an adventure. Lucinda tells them a true tale of the Wild West, her great-grandma Moustache Mary, and a century-old family feud.But this feud is hardly ancient history. Past and present collide-and combust!-when Mary's pioneer cabin burns to the ground. Sammy thinks the cause of the fire may be a hundred years old, but still, the gas can she finds near the scene of the crime is shiny and new. . . .The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it's the drama in Sammy's personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.

Sometimes it's hard to tell the saints from the sinners...Sammy was supposed to be in church to get out of trouble, not into more. But while she's at St. Mary's working off some school detention time, a valuable cross goes missing and Sammy becomes the prime suspect. She knows she's innocent, and also what it feels like to lose something important. Her treasured catcher's mitt has been stolen--heartless Heather must have taken it to throw Sammy off her game in the upcoming softball play-offs. Trouble is, it's working. Sammy needs that glove back. Throw in nuns in feather boas, a homeless girl in high-tops, a carrot-chomping dog, and a safe that needs cracking, and you've got just another week in the life 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