Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man

Sammy Keyes #2

by Wendelin Van Draanen

This Halloween is more than just tricks and treats--it's deadly serious.
 
It was supposed to be a simple ding-dong ditch. A dare to give them bragging rights. But as Sammy and her friends sneak up to the spookiest house in town, they get scared witless by a skeleton, and then witness something frightening enough to make even Sammy scream. 

Things have taken a scary turn at school, too, with horrible Heather spreading embarrassing rumors about Sammy. Sammy devises a plan to expose her, but it's going to take a deceptive disguise, some good friends, and a lot of guts to pull it off...

 
Praise for the Sammy Keyes
 
“If Kinsey Millhone ever hires a junior partner, Sammy Keyes will be the first candidate on the list. She’s 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
 
“The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)” — Midwest Children’s Book Review

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

172 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

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

[Amyanne Murray]

my friend sammy <3 she wears high tops, takes down 8th grade bullies, illegally lives with her grandmother in the senior living high rise, & often drinks tea with her 70 year old friend on his porch. if you ever find yourself craving a spunky wholesome middle school mystery (I often do), sammy keyes can be your friend too.

[McCaid Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I'm a middle-grade writer myself, I decided to check out some of the competition.
Sammy Keyes is a widely popular mystery series for younger readers. The fact that this series was out for almost twenty years says a thing or two, and after reading one, I can definitely tell why.
While the central mystery at times was bogged down by the B-storyline and subplots regarding Sammy and her arch-nemesis, it still was refreshing to read something that didn't entirely focus on the culprits and clues. The mystery involving Chauncey Lebard and his near death was very puzzling, and filled with red herrings and small twists to throw the reader off track. For a detective story for such a young audience, this book settled on some heavy themes, but the author did it in a truly skillful way, weaving them along until the end.
Everything was tied together nicely, and the main character's authentic and hilarious voice was a nice touch. Sometimes, humor can make or break a story with such a serious premise, but the author pulled it off with ease.
With an intriguing mystery, a dose of quick-witted humor, and fun and clever characters, this installment will leave you begging for more of Sammy and her ability to detect crime. Looking forward to reading on with this series, even though I didn't start at the beginning. Well done, Wendelin Van Draanen!

[olivia ferraro]

a classic

[Matisse · Rating 5 out of 5]

A satisfying follow-up. I'm realizing that the cartooniness in these books is exactly what appealed to me in the games I was playing as a young-un. I spent a decade trying to find out how tropes in MegaMan Battle Network and EarthBound might work on the page; Van Draanen was waiting for me to discover her answer.

Fom a writer standpoint, it's interesting to see how Van Draanen weaves series elements into her sequel. The previous title was a fine stand-alone, and, though this volume retains that episodic charm, it is still setting up for future volumes. One glaring intrusion is the introduction of Sammy's friend Dot who, while adding literally nothing to the story, provides a buffer between Sammy and her lovable sidekick Marissa. Surely Dot will have something worthwhile to do later on, but for now, she's kind of hanging out. The title ends on a low-key sequel hook that sets us up for the next part of this books' B-storyline. Van Draanen could have removed these things and had a title on-par with 'Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief'. That said, these elements are "intrusions" to the eye of a grown-up library worker. Kids and cartoon-lovers will have a swell time.

(It's not creepy for a grown man to be binging middle-grade books, r-right?)

[Catrina Sada · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Sammy Keyes, don't get me wrong. I just felt the mystery was underdeveloped and too much was centered on her getting revenge on heather. I don't find her rivalry with heather HALF as interesting as I find the mysteries. I felt there could've been more clues and more time spent with Chauncy. Good, but not as good as some of the other books in the series.

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

Reread 2023: Reading this aloud with my kids (9, 7, and 5) has been so fun, they are loving the books and it was fun to read it at Halloween time!

Original review: Such a good sequel! I love every character in the book, the mystery is on point, and the side plot is so much fun and relatable. I can't wait to continue in the series.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[فرفری موی غزل ساز · Rating 5 out of 5]

تا به امروز ۱۸ جلد از مجموعه‌ی سامی کیز نوشته شده و فکر کنم توی ایران ۱۰ جلدش توسط نشر پاپلی چاپ شده باشه.
جدا از اینکه داستان کودک و نوجوانه، طنز و معمای داستان‌های سامی واقعا تا ساعت‌ها سرگرمتون می‌کنه. بعد از خوندن چند تا کتاب بزرگسال، همیشه با خوندن کتابای کودک و نوجوان به خودم یه استراحت میدم چون غرق شدن توی این کتابا،لذت‌بخشه.
توی این جلد از مجموعه‌ی سامی کیز، سانی به همراه دوستانش برای مراسم قاشق‌زنی دم در خونه‌ها میره. یکی از خونه‌ها، خونه‌ی ترسناکیه که به خونه‌ی بوته‌ای معروفه و بچه‌ها عادت دارن زنگ درش رو بزنن و فرار کنن. سامی هم این کارو انجام میده اما در کمال تعجب، در خونه باز میشه و میبینه مردی توی اون خونه ساکنه.
مردی که مورد حمله قرار گرفته و چیزهای باارزشی ازش سرقت شده. سامی به ترسش غلبه می‌کنه و بعد از تماس با پلیس، به مرد کمک میکنه. اما این مرد کیه؟ چرا توی خونه‌ای بی‌آب و برق زندگی میکنه؟ چه کسی ازش دزدی کرده؟
طبق معمول، سامی تا جواب این سوالا‌ها رو پیدا نکنه، آروم نمی‌گیره. شما هم می‌تونین جواب تموم این سوالات رو با خوندن این کتاب جذاب به دست بیارین😍

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sammy solves another mystery while battling her school nemesis, Heather Acosta. Mean girls get taken to task in a humorous and very believable way. Appreciate that! The thing I love about this series is you get to keep revisiting beloved characters like Grams, Hudson, Officer Borsch and Mrs. Graybill, the nosy neighbor of Grams.

Tara Sands is the narrator and I love her voice for this.

[chloe-phloe ₊ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I flipped the candlestick over, and there was the price—$10.75 for the pair. Which was about $10.75 more than I wanted to pay for a pair of candlesticks…

24.02.05
financially broke seventh grader

[Lilly Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

halloween in july!

[Cassandra Hamm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oops. Just binged this one too. Two Sammy Keyes books in a day and I still want more!!

[roshni · Rating 5 out of 5]

sammy keyes you will always be famous 😘😘😘😘

[Gauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this book. I don't know if you have read books with mysteries or like books with mysteries but, this is is a great book to read if you like twists and turns. Each page keeps you interested in the book, even though you have to go to sleep at night your like "Just ONE more page" but end up reading a whole chapter. I loved this book and can't wait to read more of Wendelin Van Draanen's books.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another book where the cover is deceptively innocent and the content is way more serious that you would expect. Though the book I read was an earlier version and the cover was more inviting and more appropriate to the story - and suited to a 9-12 age group.

The main character is Sammy and she is an interesting and spunky sort. She is smart but often chooses to speed headlong into trouble without giving it much thought. In this story she has immersed herself into an attempted murder scene of a mysterious recluse called the Bush Man. The history surrounding this man is heartbreaking and so Sammy makes it her mission to figure out who is behind the threat to his life.

There is a sub-plot that involves some trouble for Sammy at school with a nasty classmate which I actually think detracts from the mystery story line but it is entertaining if nothing else and I suppose it adds some layers to the Sammy character. Sammy's living arrangements with her grandmother are also a bit strange, with no mother or father in the picture, and I just had to wonder why the author chose this kind of a situation for the character.

The mystery in the story and how Sammy figures things out is pretty clever and well-written and everything comes to a conclusion in a interesting way and so I found this part of the story most impressive.

[V. Arrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

The B-plot about Heather's bullying overtook the A-plot and honestly ruined the book. There's no depth to Heather, so there's no depth to Sammy's reactions to her. The same goes for the police caricatures (and I don't love the fatphobia).

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read with my daughter - delightful.

[Chance Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's enjoyable and it deserves it's stars. Characters are likeable and it's a enjoyable read.

Cover
I would love to criticize the cover. I'm not crazy about this cover looks but with that being said it is the true form and style this book holds throughout the book. Most importantly it keeps the series recognizable and makes it stand out among other books. The white red and black spine's is a perfect eye catcher.

Interior
I love the world building structure this book holds. The mall, book store, hotel (I love the call backs and references within this book.)
I love the unique approach with the living condition. This is probably the smartest part of this book. Living with her grandmother in a seniors high-rise is a really smart idea. I love Hudson. This is probably the smartest character in the whole book. I find him a real joy whenever he's on the page and I love how he supports her like she's his own granddaughter. When it comes to the friendship it's really different from other books and it's nice to read.

It's tricky writing a book split in half like this. Half social trouble at school and half mystery. Maybe a couple more false leads if I were to be a little critical. I could see a couple directions that didn't seem to fully (properly) form. Even still everything was under my suspicion. The proper clues are perfectly laid out.

Ending (school ending)
(I'll keep it as vague as possible.)
I wanted to focus on this particular ending for a couple reasons. I liked how the teachers are acting and honestly I wasn't expecting such a smart principal. I loved how proper this part of the ending is.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s Halloween and it’s suppose to be a cool night to get out and get a lot of candy. People are expecting weird dressed kids to show up at their door, bags in hand, looking for a huge deposit of sugary treats that will last for days. Sammy knows her friends have plotted out the best houses to get the greatest haul for this special night of treats. Things go smoothly until they decide to sneak up to the scariest house in town. They are nearly ran over by a skeleton with more horror lurking behind it that pushes Sammy’s scream button to highest degree.

The trouble doesn’t stop there, no sir. School becomes a place of scares when terrible Heather spins her rumor mill to embarrass Sammy off the planet. Heather really hopes it goes that far. Sammy decides it’s about time to turn the tables and get back at Heather and her plotting trickery. She will need some help with her plan and some of her good friends are willing to go along with it.

This is my second Sammy Keyes’ book that I’ve read. This little girl has found a place in my heart with her gusty adventures and plain trying to live life and enjoying being herself. This is a good book for adults to read to remember when we were younger and growing up.

[Lucy Takeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aha! This explained why Sammy is volunteering at the church in the next book. Thank you! I am very curious about why Heather hates Sammy so much. I think I need to read 2-4 more books before I find out why.
Sammy dresses up to be Swamp Monster for Halloween, and dyes her HighTops to match her costume. Heather, junior high nemesis, starts a nasty commentary in them. Oh, and one of the bigwig eighth graders is furious that Sammy is calling HER boyfriend—but Sammy isn’t! As Sammy is trick-or-treating, she goes into a scary house, and runs across a guy in a skeleton suit, and a man inside tied to a chair with a pretty major injury. Of course, Sammy is not willing to let any of these events just pass her by.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. Liked hotel thief better. In this one, I kinda got this feeling like why do you have to go do dangerous things by yourself Sammy? People are trying to hurt you and yet you go without any backup. And also you make your grandma worried sick by telling her one thing and doing another. I think because I am rereading these book as I'm older that I'm more annoyed when she throws herself in dangerous situations. Anyway, I still liked book and loved the revenge part on heather. Forgot how crazy heather's mom was.
I can't wait till we meet Casey tho because I never read when they first met. Casey makes me giddy because I remember how cute he was with Sammy

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love the plot of this book, I think it's even better than the first. But the mean girl stuff is way worse in this book, and it actually takes over from the mystery plot for awhile, which I don't like. The invocation of "crazy" to dispense with a bully is upsetting. Also, Sammy does some stuff to the thief toward the end that border on actual torture, and I don't think it's necessary at all. Overall, though, the book is really fun, and there are a lot more great elements than objectionable ones - including a FANTASTIC portrayal of police excesses and abuses, which I think runs through the entire series.

[SilverNediya · Rating 4 out of 5]

از این جلد بیشتر از جلد اول خوشم اومد
هم‌زمان دو تا ماجرا رو دنبال می‌کنه: سامی و هدر، سامی و دزدی از خانه‌ی بوته‌ای. با اینکه واکنش سامی به اولی کمی خطرناک و دور از منطق و دربرابر دومی خیلی غیرقانونی و آشوب‌طلبانه بود، موقع خوندن ماجراها حسابی کیف کردم و درمورد دومی، خیلی هم بهش حق دادم
از آقای تیلر (معلم ریاضی) هم بابت حرکت آخرش در کلاس خیلی خوشم اومد
جالبی‌ش اینجا بود که آخر داستان هم خفت خواننده رو ول نکرد و یه ماجرای مشابه چندین سال پیش، بین تامی و هادسون، در فروشگاه دست‌دومی بین سامی و دوستاش و سی‌سی به‌وجود آورد که واقعاً بامزه و خنده‌دار بود! قشنگ می‌شد یه انیمیشن دیدنی از اون تیکه ساخت

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sammy and two friends go trick or treating to the Bush House, a house where all the bushes are grown up. When they get there they find Chauncy tied to a chair with a mask on his head. Sammy solves the mystery of who tried to kill him. Along the way there's a side issue about a girl at school named Heather who sets Sammy up. She tells everyone Sammy called a popular boy and acts like she wants to go with him. Sammy finds a way to get revenge by taping Heather making the call and putting the recording on the school PA system. Very well written for 3-5th graders

[Jennifer Sveda · Rating 5 out of 5]

On a mission to refamiliarize myself with J Fiction and I couldn't do that without rereading Sammy Keyes! I recognize these books might not be as popular anymore as they were when I was a kid - my library only owns one title in the series - but I think these books stand the test of time! They're a quick read with a witty, sarcastic narrator and compelling mysteries that keep me turning pages. I finished this one in a couple of hours, and I'll probably tear through the rest of them just as quickly. Van Draanen's clever writing + nostalgia goggles = a great series to rediscover!

[Garvita Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Skeleton Man by Sammy Keyes is one book that you would read until the finish line. It's so exciting, and the characters just spring out of the pages to feel like it's really happening in front of your eyes. The story really talks has an underlying message that resonates with the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover." It shows that sometimes you need to take risks and open that door without trusting the voice which is holding you back. You nerve know, you might make a friend or two and get to have new experiences in your life.

[Heather Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great. My daughters love these books. The author presents adult elements of greed and grudges, but presents them in a way kids can understand without spoon-feeding them a moral. This formula allows for my girls to ask questions and work out their own thoughts about right and wrong, good and bad choices. We already ordered the next one and I’m excited because if memory serves, the author digs more into the above themes.

The more children’s books I read, the more I think maybe adults should revisit them.

[Ellee Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copyright date: 1998
Star rating: 4
Award: Capital choices noteworthy book for children and teens
Genre: mystery, thriller
Summary w/ themes: This book is the second book in the series where Sammy Keyes is on a mission to figure out who a mysterious skeleton man is. She also seeks revenge on her enemy.
Use for future classroom: A good book for my library
Thoughts of book: At first I thought this book was going to be boring but after I got into it a bit I started enjoying it more and I didn't want to put it down.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sammy and Marissa decide t show Dot (new in town) the scary Bush man's house. So, on Trick or Treat night, they walk up to the door and out comes a skeleton man carrying a sack nearly knocking them down. Sammy goes up to the door and run inside because a fire has been set. Then she turns and sees a Frankenstein sitting in a chair. It turns out to be Chauncey LeBard (the Bush Man himself!) So begins the mysterious case of burglary - or was it attempted murder?

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

" ... Non ho molti indizi su cui lavorare, ma il mio cervello fa finta del contrario, per cui, mentre sto lì a guardare l'auto di servizio andare via, mi viene il nauseante presentimento che avrei sicuramente rivisto l'agente Borsch.,, E che lui avrebbe rivisto me. ..."
Sammy è un ragazzina vulcanica, intraprendente, con una mente assolutamente straordinaria e che nonostante le molte difficoltà che la circondano riesce ad affrontarle a testa alta un vero esempio.