Book Review: Sammy Keyes and the Wedding Crasher by Wendelin Van Draanen

Sammy Keyes and the Wedding Crasher
by Wendelin Van Draanen
Sammy Keyes

Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0-375-86107-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-375-86107-9
Publication Date: October, 2010
List Price: $16.99

Review: Have you ever read a book that is just so good, you just don't want to put it down? Thinking along these lines, if you'd like to read a book like that, I highly suggest Sammy Keyes and the Wedding Crasher. Sammy Keyes and the Wedding Crasher, written by Wendelin Van Draanen, is one book out of a series, the Sammy Keyes series. In this novel, Sammy Keyes, a middle school girl, is asked to attend a wedding, to be precise, Officer Borsch's wedding. Everything is hectic and Sammy is convinced that she's having the worst. At school, her new science teacher that everybody hates, Mr. Vince, is going nuts over threats that have been planted all over in the classroom. Sammy's arch enemy, Heather, took a photo of Billy writing Die-Dude on the chalkboard. Heather is also trying to pin all of the blame on Sammy, so she'll have to clear herself. Billy admits to writing it, but he swears that he didn't plant a dead rat in the room. Who did if Billy didn't do it? Did he do it? If so, why? Somebody also planted the items in Mr. Vince's room. Later in the book, Sammy almost discovers a lead but not quite. Will they capture the criminal(s) before the culprits leave town? They happen to spot the criminals on the wedding day, 5 minutes before it starts. Will they get married after all?

Wendelin Van Draanen blends emotion and adventures into this book. I'd recommend it more for kids, especially ones in sixth grade. Sammy's life is just like mine; she goes to middle school and faces some of the problems that I've faced. Even though it is part of a series, you can read it even if you haven't read the preceding books. I love the way she keeps you tied in to the story and you'll even melt into the story like I did. I could even imagine myself standing in the classroom being screamed at for planting horrifying things there. If you don't read it, you'll surely miss out on the fun...

With the holidays coming up, I'd highly recommend it as a book to purchase. Just be careful: once you start reading it, you can forget about all chores until it's finished!

Review written by Colleen (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of Sammy Keyes and the Wedding Crasher for this review.

Have you read Sammy Keyes and the Wedding Crasher? How would you rate it?