Module 9: Mystery

I loved Nancy Drew growing up, but as far as detectives go, she was just about the only female out there. I'm really happy to find there are more girl detectives. The book I chose was lighthearted and fun, but the main character was incredibly clever for a 13-year-old.

Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception by Wendelin Van Draanen
Sammy visits an art gallery reception with her wacky Grams (who reminds me of a children's version of Janet Evanovich's Grandma Mazur) and Sammy's 72-year-old best friend Hudson. She winds up insulting the artists, tackling an art thief, and becoming involved in a mystery where she doesn't discover the real culprit until the end.

Nothing in the book is so out there that it couldn't be called plausible. The only thing requiring a stretch of the imagination is Sammy herself, but she is at times mature beyond her years, although her portrayal as a 13-year-old tomboy is enough to keep reminding you that she is, in fact, a kid. She is extraordinary, and I would probably read more and recommend the series.

"Wendelin Van Draanen's eighth title in the Sammy Keyes series (Knopf/Borzoi, 2003) finds the middle-school detective solving the mystery of an art gallery theft. Sammy is attending a gallery event with her grandmother and elderly friend, Hudson, when she foils an attempted robbery. She finds an unlikely ally in her grandmother, who is more fully developed in this story. Grams and Hudson seem to be developing a relationship until Hudson becomes mesmerized by the victimized artist. Although she is distracted by bother her grandmother's love life and her own, Sammy eventually unravels the mystery. She discovers that the art world is not unlike junior high school with its own share of intrigue, backstabbing, and confusion." -- School Library Journal

"Sammy Keyes returns, as feisty as ever, this time lurking around the art world to learn the secret a painter is keeping. As with other books in the series, there's more going on than just sleuthing. Sammy and her nemesis, Heather, mix it up once more. And there's some romance here for Sammy, but mostly for her grandmother, with whom she lives, and for Hudson, Sammy's 72-year-old best friend, who appears to be more interested in artist Diane Rejiden than in Grams. Van Draanen only makes slight concessions to her audience. Her tone is sharp, her dialogue fast, and the mystery, on the face of it, is not particularly kid-friendly. Yet Van Draanen's fresh take on things, painted with a patina of realism, will attract a new audience and also keep fans turning pages." -- Booklist

As part of a display on female sleuths, I would use this book alongside Nancy Drew, an Enola Holmes book by Nancy Springer, a Forensic Mystery by Alene Ferguson, and any others I felt appropriate. I would also try to find nonfiction that fit the theme, and I think a good time for this display would be during Women's History Month.