Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Sammy Keyes and the Night of Skulls-ESSENTIAL

Sammy Keyes and the Night of Skulls
Van Draanen, Wendelin, Sammy Keyes and the Night of Skulls. Alfred A. Knopf Books, 2011. Pgs. 320. Language: G, Violence: PG, Sexual Content: G

On Halloween, Sammy Keyes and her friends decide to not only dress up as zombies, but also cut through the graveyard. When they cut through the graveyard, however, they find themselves caught in the middle of a chase. The person being chased by a car, whom they deem El Zarape, drops a bag that the group takes home. When they get home, however, the bag turns out to not have candy, but two real skulls instead. Now Sammy and her friends have their hands full being chased by a shovel-wielding maniac and a vampire, accused of digging up old graves, and Heather, Sammy’s boyfriend’s sister, trying to get the group in trouble. To top it all off, people are disappearing, specifically two individuals. Could the skulls and the disappearance be connected? Why are Sammy and her friends being chased by a vampire and a shovel man?

A fun, hilarious mystery for reluctant readers. The characters are well-developed. The plot is entertaining and suspenseful. Readers who like humor, mysteries, Halloween, and realistic fiction will enjoy reading this book. EL (4-6), MS. ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: Kira M, Youth Services Librarian, WHI Public Library.


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