1/18. First book

I read this series throughout middle school and high school and really enjoyed it and wanted to reread a couple of the books to see what current me thought of them. Conclusion, I still like them, although I don't think I'm going to pick back up where I stopped in 2008 and finish the series (probably. I might change my mind).

One of my big reasons for liking these books is just that I think Sammy herself is an amazing character. Part of that probably has to do with how much I felt connected to her when I was younger. She is a lot more daring and savvy than I ever was, but the traits we did share let me enjoy these books immensely. I think it was like, she did all the things teenage me wanted to do (but usually didn't). She had adventures and stood up to people who bullied her and figured out things other people couldn't. And she did these things in a way that seemed attainable to me. Sammy isn't rich or unimaginably smart or strong, she doesn't have some rare talent or beauty that sets her apart, she is just very determined and curious and doesn't know when to let something go. I felt like those were things I could do too if I needed to. ( )

Sammy Keyes is just about to start 7th grade in her first year of junior high. She has been living with her grandmother for over a year because he mother is in Hollywood trying to get a part in a movie or television show and doesn't really have time for Sammy. Sammy's Grams has a pair of binoculars that Sammy has been using to see what's going on in the neighborhood when she accidentally spots a robbery in progress in a hotel room across the street. She calls the police but realizes she can't tell them that she is living with her grandmother because people over 50 aren't supposed to be living in Grams' apartment building - a fact that Mrs. Graybill who lives across the hall keeps reminding her. When she tells the police that she is just visiting and really lives where her friend Marissa actually lives, Sammy's story starts to fall apart and she becomes a suspect herself. It doesn't help that she gets suspended on the first day of school for punching a girl in the nose that was harassing Marissa and stuck a pin through Sammy's clothes and into her butt.
Sammy Keyes is a funny character who is smart and not afraid to stick up for herself or her friends. She has excellent instincts which help her as she tries to figure out a way to find the hotel thief. Overall, a quick read with quirky characters and a couple of nice twists. ( )

I read a lot of Children's books, and I love Wendelin Draanen's novels.
Here we have the story of Sammy Keyes, our detective hero.
Woah, I didn't expect the culprit would be the least suspicious of them all.
I would have enjoyed reading this book more in my younger years.
If you like family-oriented and friendship-oriented stories, this is for you. ( )

A fun book
A kind of strange mix of seeming too young for slightly more mature subject matter, or implied subject matter. I'm not really sure who the audience is supposed to be. I'm going to have my 8 yo who loves mysteries read it and see what she thinks. ( )