Sammy Keyes and the Wedding Crasher

Sammy Keyes and the Wedding Crasher

Sammy takes off her high-tops, puts on some party shoes, and steps into a whole lot of trouble. "Sammy's investigation, friendships, family life, and wiseacre narration make this another rollicking addition to the series." -- Booklist Sammy should have known better than to think 8th grade would be easier than 7th. It's only September and already the history teacher is receiving death threats. Naturally, Sammy is the prime suspect. To make matters worse, officer Borsch has asked Sammy to help out at his wedding. If she doesn't find the real prankster fast, Sammy will be wearing prison stripes instead of a poofy pastel bridesmaid dress. This Sammy Keyes adventure blends mystery, comedy, and a dusting of fairy tale magic. Praise for the Sammy Keyes series:   “Van Draanen offers such an explosive combination of high-stakes sleuthing, hilarity, and breathlessly paced action that it’s impossible to turn the pages fast enough.” — Kirkus Reviews  “There’s no stopping Sammy.”— Publishers Weekly “An intelligent, gutsy, flawed, and utterly likable heroine.”— Booklist "Move over, Nancy Drew—a new sleuth is on the scene.”— Girls’ Life "Think a combination of Carl Hiaasen’s  Flush  and Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books and you’ll be right on target.” — School Library Journal “A high-quality, high-amp mystery series.” — The Horn Book   “This funny, clever series is NOT for kids only. I challenge the most seasoned mystery reader to guess ‘who done it.’” — Cozies, Capers, and Crimes   “Sammy Keyes comes armed with attitude.” — Orlando Sentinel “Sammy doesn’t find mysteries to solve—they find her.” — Arizona Republic “Humor, romance and adventure; this story is an absolute blast.”  —Chicago Tribune   “If you haven’t met Sammy Keyes yet, now is the time.” — Children’s Literature WENDELIN VAN DRAANEN was a classroom teacher for many years before becoming a full-time writer. The books in the Sammy Keyes mystery series have been embraced by critics and readers alike, with  Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief  receiving the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best children’s mystery. Wendelin is also the author of many award-winning novels, including  Flipped,   The Running Dream,   Runaway, Confessions of a Serial Kisser,   Swear to Howdy,   The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones, and Wild Bird.  You can find her online at WendelinVanDraanen.com and @WendelinVanD, and you can follow Sammy Keyes on Facebook. ONE I was almost looking forward to eighth grade starting. Not because I missed getting up early or couldn't wait to be saddled with homework again. Please. No, I was looking forward to school starting up again for the only reason anyone in junior high looks forward to it. I'd get to see my friends every day. My best friend, Marissa, was ready, too. Her family is in crisis mode, and I think going back to school seemed like a way for her to escape all that. Plus, we'd be eighth graders instead of lowly seventh graders, and last year's stress of being at a new school would be totally gone. But then the first day of school arrived, and I got my final schedule. "No!" I cried when I saw it. "What?" Marissa asked. "I've got Mr. Vince! For homeroom and history!" "Eew," she said as she inspected my schedule. "Bad way to start the day." Then I leaned over to see her schedule and saw that we only had one class together--drama, at the very end of the day. "No!" I cried again. "This is the worst schedule ever!" Our friends Dot and Holly joined us, and I found out that they had three classes the same as Marissa . . . and that all of them had some guy named Mr. Jefferson for history instead of Mr. Vince. "This is so unfair!" "Maybe you can get switched?" Marissa said. So I marched right up to the office. It wasn't just that I had only one class with Marissa, it was that I had only one class with Marissa and they'd stuck me with Mr. Vince. Mr. Vince! Let's just say that there was no way I would survive the year with Bad Mood Bob. And that's not just because he hates kids. He may teach history, but he and I have history. Last year he covered up a total sabotage of my softball team by one of his players so his team could play at the Sluggers' Cup. That may not seem like a big deal to you, but in Santa Martina, the Sluggers' Cup is huge, and since I was part of why his little shenanigans backfired, anywhere near him is now definitely enemy territory. So, yeah. As Grams would say, I had good grounds to demand a change. Trouble is, when I got to the office, I found out from the office lady that my counselor couldn't see me. "She's swamped, sweetie," Mrs. Tweeter said with a tisk. She leaned forward and whispered, "She's new this year, so have a little patience, all right?" "But she put me in Mr. Vince's class!" Her eyes did some rapid-fire blinking over the tops of her reading glasses, and I could tell she was remembering the Sluggers' Cup fiasco. "Oh my." "Exactly!" She took a prim breath and a little step ba