Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief

Seventh-grader Sammy Keyes is temporarily living with her grandmother but because she’s not supposed to be living in senior housing, she has to keep out of sight most of the day. She entertains herself by looking out the windows with a pair of binoculars, and one day she sees a burglar stealing money out of a hotel room across the street. The trouble is, the burglar sees her, too. Now Sammy has to try to crack the case of the burglar’s identity before he catches up to her. The mystery in this story is suspenseful enough to keep the reader involved, and there are enough other side stories about friendship, family, school, etc. to also keep the story interesting. However, the biggest downside was that I personally did not find Sammy a show more sympathetic protagonist – she’s feisty and independent alright, but I also found her a bit obnoxious. It wasn’t enough to turn me off from reading this book, but it was enough that I won’t keep following the series. show less

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 show more 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. show less

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 show more 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. show less

Grams always told her those binoculars would get her into trouble. Now Sammy's witnessed a crime at the Heavenly Hotel-a light fingered thief stealing $4,000 from Madame Nashira, the astrologer with the fire-hazard hair-do. Thing is, while she was watching him, he was watching her, too...

This is a fast-paced mystery story, full of realistic details of school and family life.. Sammy is hiding in her Grandmother's senior's-only apartment, while trying to live as normal a life as possible. When she spots a man stealing a handbag in the hotel across the road, she has to identify the crook, before she implicates herself.
Sammy and her best friend Marissa are wonderfully real, just the kind of girlfriends I'd like to hang out with. Funny, passionate, forgiving, and the opposite of prissy, these girls race through this story, with heaps of suspense and surprises on the way.
I look forward to the next instalment.

Sammy Keyes must be a magnet for trouble... I mean it's bad enough that she has to live illegally in a seniors-only building with her grandmother while her mother tries to make it as a move star. And worse that she witnessed a burglary in progress--and that the thief saw her. And worse still that nosy neighbor Mrs. Graybill is onto her, and that the thief is after her.

Sammy Keyes witnesses a man stealing from a hotel across the street from her Grandmother's apartment and, without thinking, waves to him. She then must track down the thief before he finds her and keeps her from talking. The Sammy Keyes series are all fun, quick reads geared towards tweens. A great "starter mystery" for middle school girls.