Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy

Written by Wendelin Van Draanen

Narrated by Tara Sands

While serving school detention in the soup kitchen at St. Mary’s church, Sammy finds herself the prime suspect in the theft of Father Mayhew’s ivory cross. But there have been other robberies at the church recently, and as Sammy attempts to discover the real thief, all the suspects appear to be religious figures who are above suspicion. That is, until Sammy cuts through disguises to uncover an enormous heist! Of course, solving the mystery would be a lot easier if Sammy wasn’t also trying to fend off dirty tricks from her arch-enemy Heather, and helping her softball team win the playoffs. Then there’s the gospel singing nuns known as the Sisters of Mercy…the excitement doesn’t end in one of the funniest and feistiest adventures in the life of the inimitable Sammy Keyes!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Live Oak Media
• Release date: Jan 1, 2001
• ISBN: 9781595195463

Wendelin Van Draanen

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—often called “The new Nancy Drew”—and wrote Flipped, which was named a Top 100 Children’s Novel for the 21st Century by School Library Journal and became a Warner Brothers feature film, with Rob Reiner directing. A classroom teacher for fifteen years, Wendelin resides in California where she can be spotted riding shopping carts across parking lots. She and her husband, Mark Parsons, have two sons and enjoy the three R’s: Reading, Running, and Rock’n’Roll.

Reviews for Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy

[chazzifrazz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Energetic and curious Sammy Keyes is working off her detention by helping at St. Mary's. Painting walls, working in the soup kitchen, helping the Sisters of Mercy get ready for their three day concert and trying to find out who stole Father Mayhew's ivory cross. A very busy girl!

Father Mayhew is crushed about his missing cross and becomes even more so when two gold chalices go missing. There has never been a theft at St. Mary's. The list of suspects keeps changing to further confuse the issue. Is it on of the Sisters? Is it Brother Phil?

Meanwhile the three Sisters of Mercy have arrived to put on a series of fund raising concerts for the church. They also stir up gossip and petty jealousies among the church folk.

On top of this Sammy's ball team is in the middle of playoffs against the number one team at school.

Can Sammy finish her detention? Can she solve the mystery of the missing items? Will the concerts go off without a hitch?

You will have to read the book to find out!

This is an enjoyable series with a cast of good characters.

[nmhale_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sammy Keyes is a respected mystery series aimed at an elementary age audience, with a spunky heroine who is tough and confident. Sammy lives with her grandmother in her retirement community, after her mom leaves her there to pursue her showbiz dreams. This is not the first book in the series, so the reader doesn't get introductory materials about how Sammy ends up with grandmother, why she has to sneak up and down the fire escape, or how she developed her relationships at her school, both good and bad. However, the story offers a bit of synopsis here and there, enough to clear up any confusion and keep the reader grounded in the story. Since this is the first book in the series I've read, I can attest that I never felt lost because I didn't read the first two books in the series. And because I enjoyed the book and liked the characters, I am interested in going back and reading the books that started it all. The adventure this time around begins with Sammy working off her detention in St. Mary's church. She isn't too happy about spending even more time there than her Grams insists on, but at least she does like Father Mayhew. During her mandatory work time, she meets the Sisters of Mercy, a trio of charismatic nuns who are going to put on a theatrical concert as a fundraiser for the church. Things are looking up for church detention time, until Father Mayhew's special ivory cross is stolen, and Father Mayhew accuses Sammy of taking it. She is devastated, and determines to find the real culprit, clear her name, and restore her relationship with Father Mayhew. In the meantime, she is directed to work in the soup kitchen with Sisters Josephine and Mary Margaret. Sammy is soon to discover that the sisters are none too happy with the Father and his decisions. She also finds the girl her age that she saw at church the day cross disappeared, but this time, she is standing in the food line. Sammy wants to befriend the girl, but is held back by her suspicions that she could be the culprit. Sammy continues to observe the people around her, finding suspects everywhere she looks. She can't devote her full attention to the mystery, though; her school's softball tournament is just beginning, and since she and her friends were lucky enough to land a spot on the advanced team (very few seventh graders make the cut), she knows she needs to give the games her all.

[francescadefreitas · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This series just keeps getting better! Sammy is working off detention by helping out at a local church, and is on hand to investigate (and be a suspect in) a series of thefts.I'd hand these books to kids looking for realistic fiction about school, mysteries, families, friendships. Sammy has a great depth of character, and her growth from book to book is nicely writte. Sure there is the huge coincidence that there is always a mystery for her to investigate, but without that hook, Sammy's stories would be almost just as interesting.

[desislc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Sammy Keyes. She is SO funny! This particular volume is my favorite so far. A series of church robberies, a runaway, two locked safes, a group of singing nuns, and Sammy's first disastrous attempt at driving make this a fun read.