Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen

Sammy Keyes #9

by Wendelin Van Draanen

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 Literature

It'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.

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Childrens, Mystery Thriller

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 12, 2004

About the author

Wendelin Van Draanen has written more than thirty novels for young readers and teens. She is the author of the 18-book Edgar-winning Sammy Keyes series, and wrote Flipped which was named a Top 100 Children’s Novel for the 21st Century by SLJ, and became a Warner Brothers feature film with Rob Reiner directing. Her novel The Running Dream was awarded ALA’s Schneider Family Award for its portrayal of the disability experience.

Van Draanen's latest book, Hope in the Mail, is part memoir, part writing guided, designed to encourage aspiring writers to pursue their dream.

Van Draanen is also the author of two short chapter-book series. The Gecko & Sticky books, are fun read-alouds, perfect for reluctant readers, and the Shredderman books—featuring a boy who deals with a bully—received the Christopher Award for “affirming the highest values of the human spirit” and became a Nickelodeon made-for-TV movie.

Van Draanen was a classroom teacher for fifteen years. She and her husband reside in California and have two sons.

Reviews

[Amy Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sammy Keys and the Psycho Kitty Queen was not my favorite book. The characters were not my favorite either. I wasn't really able to feel Sammy's emotions, and overall think she over reacted in many of the situations. It was hard to even imagine the characters. The characters don't seem relatable to many kids my age. But then again I might be wrong who knows, maybe a lot of kids like to take things off their mind by looking for dead cats. But this book didn't really spark my interest, I would not recommend it.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still my favourite series and I'm in that stage I just want to devour it all, but I also don't want it to end 😭

[❤Marie Gentilcore · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids (boy-11 and girl-9) really enjoyed this book which is part of a series that follows the adventures of Sammy Keyes and in this book Sammy is trying to find out who is killing cats. There were plenty of funny parts and the story moves a long at a good pace. The scene where Sammy fought Heather and her two friends was hilarious. Sammy is great character, she is so entertaining, and I am sure we will be reading more books in this series.

[Charly Troff (JustaReadingMama) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved pretty much everything about this book! I love the depth we're getting with Sammy's grandma and it was interesting seeing her mother come to visit. I also loved the plot line with Heather and I also loved seeing more of Holly (who is one of my favorite characters). And the plot twist at the end was so great!

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars.
Audible.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Sammy Keyes but the language is so outdated which sucks because it’s really not that old :’ )

Also the audiobooks stopped telling me the ends of the cds which is a bummer

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll never shut up about the Sammy Keyes series. Loved it as a kid, might love it even more as an adult.

[Angela Juline · Rating 4 out of 5]

My girls love these books...they want to be Sammy. I thought it was about time I got back to the series. I'm not reading them in order. I had previously read Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy, which I loved.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wendelin Van Draanen has done it again, a great mystery.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ha! Batty eyed Barbie... I will never get over that.

[Nicole patterson]

awsome

[Stella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just can't get enough of Sammy Keyes. Even after almost 6 years since I picked up the first book, I still love the mysteries. :)

[Milly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just adore this series!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhh loved this book! Cassseeeeyyyyy <3 <3 <3 Sammy and Casey <3 Everyone approving of Sammy x Casey and everyone saying Casey is a 'fine young man' <3
My heart is full of joy and happiness haha

This book might've taken me a longer time to reread but I still enjoyed it thoroughly.
Overall thoughts for this book:
It was a good plot. It was slightly more serious than the last one but not as serious as 'snake eyes'. I kinda figured out who did it easily because he was like literally everywhere with access to everything . I am all for the new relationships in this book like between the borschman and sammy. They understand each other so much better and he's like a father figure and he's redeemed himself so much. I like him now finally.
Heather... oh heather... like i got that she doesn't want casey to like sammy and that the horseshoe might signify the casey x sammy's relationship, but like... she was so not clever in this one. i was expecting sneaky, manipulative heather but we got rash and juvenile heather.
That fight scene was great! The restaurant scene was great too because Casey was there but if he wasn't, I would have been annoyed because of Lana. Sorry but I still can't like her. I might not dislike her as much as I did during 'Hollywood mummy' but she hasn't redeemed herself. She hasn't put that much effort into repairing her relationship with sammy. and now she is going to date sammy's future boyfriend's dad even though she knows, SHE KNOWS, that casey and sammy like each other because literally everyone can tell even if sammy is in denial.
I kinda feel like we didn't get enough Hudson and Grams in this one so hopefully, we get to see them more in the next one.

[Jasmine Hariri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen by Wendelin Van Draanen is an amazing book and I think I am going to love this series. I recommend this book to girls and boys of all ages. This book has many concepts and events so I found it a little bit challenging. I really think that Wendelin Van Draanen has done a great job in this book by combining humor, romance, and a little bit of adventure! There are also a lot of surprises in this book and I hope there are more throughout the series. For example, Sammy thinks she is thirteen and about to turn fourteen, but her (in my opinion) annoying mother tells her she's only turning thirteen! Another example is when Sammy gets a lucky horseshoe from her enemy's brother and it actually turns out lucky! The last surprise (that I am giving) is when El Gato seems to be the Bulldog but he isn't! I think this is a surprise because it made so much more sense. Once again, this was an amazing book and I recommend it to all!

[Talie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one really pulls Holly's character into it. Her relationship with Sammy is one I've missed seeing more of. You come to realize the author doesn't have any scene go by without it being a clue for a later part of the story. So why did Police Borsch say he didn't want kids but if he had one Sammy is alright? It's great to see Sammy getting some practical fighting scenes thanks to the wrestling outfit near Holly. Sammy birthday was a great opportunity for interested Casey to give her something to make her a little more confident. This brought about a really nice twist to the story. While you can believe that two girls can sneak around believably at night, and maybe they'd have a shot against a big strong man if they have a baseball bat - maybe? But then to be able to sneak out without any of the incoming cavalry is pushing it a bit too far - while it is necessary for the plot.

I hope to see more of the wrestling.

[chloe-phloe ₊ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Then he just sat there for the longest time. Finally he put the glass down, took a deep breath, and held it a minute before saying, “So like I said, I don’t like kids. Never wanted kids. But…” His chin quivered a little as his voice drifted off. But then he took another deep breath and said, “But if I had one like you, I wouldn’t trade her for the world.”

24.02.20
why am I the same about kids lmao, like ngl I wouldn’t mind Sammy Keyes being my child

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CRYING GUYS the relationship between Borschman and Sammy is so precious !!

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yuhhh

HOLLY my girl is back in this book. the story always gets so good when she’s there. I like her too much. anyhow~ we get even closer to Sammy in this book, too! that’s always a good thing.

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I swear though, reading the Acosta family makes me laugh my ass off every single time. they’re so chaotic and for what. I legit have zero complaints about this book. go read her.

[Jennifer Sveda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm currently re-reading the Sammy Keyes series as an adult (and as a Children's Librarian) to see if the series is as good as I remember and honestly? It's even better. That said, I'm starting to run out of things to say for these reviews. Every Sammy Keyes novel Van Draanen writes has lively, clever characters, almost-too-wacky-to-believe plotlines, a mystery with just enough clues to let us follow along with Sammy, and a wholesome message to wrap up the story. I honestly can't believe how much heavy material Van Draanen deals with in her middle grade novels - kidnapping, addiction, animal abuse/cruelty, complicated family dynamics - and they're handled in such a way that kids don't feel preached to or overwhelmed. I am excited to head into the next book in the series!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading this series, it’s suprising just how intense some of the mysteries really are, especially for a girl we find is only 12 (now 13). Sammy is one of the most likeable characters I’ve ever come across, and the plots are some of the best mysteries ever in books marketed to middle schoolers because they are engaging and entertaining for people of all ages. This book is no exception, as we see Sammy struggling with maturity and intense “life-altering” events, along with schoolkid drama and an ominous cat killer. The growth of her relationships with Officer Borsch, Casey Acosta, and Grams, along with her usual snarky but caring attitude makes this book one of my favorites to see how much Sammy has grown.

[Cassandra Hamm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book but might be a hard read if you have a hard time with animal cruelty. The premise is that cats have been disappearing and then show up dead in trash cans. I got pretty stressed about it, especially since Sammy’s cat runs away—one of my biggest fears about my own cats. The cat killer is stopped, but it’s still sad, what happened to so many cats before Sammy stopped it. So, again, I just want to say that it might be upsetting. But it has a good ending.

While I started to guess the culprit near the middle of the book, I didn’t really understand what was going on. It was more of a hunch based on how the person was portrayed. And there were other twists that I didn’t guess at all. (I also might’ve vaguely remembered who did it from when I read it as a kid. I’m not sure.)

Anyway, this is a great mystery series and I highly recommend it!


******* SPOILER *********


*******


Her cat is okay. Don’t worry.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved all the Sammy and Heather interactions this book, and it was a great one to read with one orange cat laying on either side of me. My favorite part of the entire series so far has ended up being the development of Sammy and Borsch’s relationship. Great development.

Complaint: I really wish the town’s rumors re: the Asian guy cooking cats had been more explicitly condemned. A couple people said that was a myth and it was confirmed at the end that Tony was trying to pin things on the Asian man so no one would suspect him, but I really think we should have gotten a firmer assertion that it was very racist.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are all so sweet, and they deal with really big issues, both emotional and material (like in this book - animal fighting). But they're also uncomfortably carceral. I really love how they develop Gil Borshch's character, and his relationship with Sammy. But the justice in the book always hinges on someone getting arrested and going to jail. And when it comes to people who force cats to fight each other for entertainment, that DOES feel like more fitting justice than it does in many other instances. But...is carcerality really what we should be striving for? Is it what a kids' book should be presenting as justice? But also I really love these books.

[Megan Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading "Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen" because I liked all the new characters that were introduced, such as Miss Kitty and Slammin' Dave. I also liked that I got the oportunity to learn more about Meg and Vera also I learned more about Holly and finally Officer Borch. I loved the suspence at some parts. Also I loved how at some parts it was romantic, but not cheesy.I hope you read it beacuse overall I thought "Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen" was a great book!

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say, this book had me guessing. I am 47 years old, definitely not the age of the average fan, but I enjoy listening to audiobooks as I drive, and the Sammy Keyes series is one I can really get into. The Hollywood Mummy had a plot that I figured out as the story unfolded (It says something about my quirky brain that I was able to do this as the motive of pretty weird), but this one really was a surprise for me!

I do think that some of the situations and dialogue is too much for the target audience though

[Aurora Dimitre · Rating 5 out of 5]

God I love these books so much. Sammy Keyes is just a fantastic main character, and I forgot how much I really liked Casey Acosta, and also Van Draanen is so good at describing a crush, especially how a crush feels when you very much do not want a crush.

But I love this series, is what I'm getting at. I love it. How did I ever forget how much I loved these books?

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't feeling the mystery as much in this one - it kind of feels like they stumble upon the resolution, and then it's over.

Reveal: Tony, a janitor at the local wrestling school, stole cats and rang an illegal dogfighting ring where attendees would bet on if a certain dog or cat would win. Officer Borsch was also undercover as wrestler named El Gato.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much ❤️❤️❤️❤️ to the whole gang - Sammy, Dorito, Grams, Hudson, Holly, Marissa, Dot, Officer Borsch, Casey. Plus Sammy learned some great wrestling moves and was able to put them to good use! If you liked Nancy Drew books, but wished she was more kickass, get started on this series right now.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Sammy Keyes. They’re always good mysteries, but I love the characters and the life lessons even more. This one has a lot of cats and lots of mixed up relationships, which together make for a pretty exciting story.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, glad I read that considering how much Natalie likes this series. Definitely a bit more mature than I thought but not too bad and the writing is pretty good. I can totally see how Natalie's writing style right now is influenced by Van Draanen, which is actually pretty cool.

[Sydney Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I remember from this book when I read it in middle school was are all “crazy cat ladies” just people who are trying to save as many cats from being put down at the pound like miss kitty AND of course every part that had Casey Acosta my first literary love 😍