Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash by Wendelin Van Draanen
Reviewed by JenniferRatings
Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content
LANGUAGE
VIOLENCE
SEXUAL CONTENT
ADULT THEMES
Ratings Explanation
Language: 3 uses of the names of Deity
Violence: A man dies of a heart attack. 2 older men attack Sammy. She rips off a prosthetic leg and pops out a glass eyeball.
Sexual Content: A boy and girl go into the girl’s bedroom and kiss. When her mother comes home he dives out the window.
Adult Themes: Sammy comes across a large amount of money. If she spends it, is that stealing? Marissa’s parents have marital and money problems. They fight and the father leaves for Las Vegas. He has a gambling problem. Sammy’s mother is not really a part of her life and only shows up occasionally. She is dating Casey’s father, which is uncomfortable for Sammy and Casey (Sammy’s love interest). A description of a large woman’s bare backside.
Synopsis
Sneaking into her grandmother’s seniors-only apartment building via the fire escape has never seemed dangerous, until one night when Sammy Keyes scares a man to death, literally. With his dying breath, he directs her to throw 3 bundles of cold hard cash into the bushes below. Later that night, Sammy sneaks back to the bushes to retrieve the money. Why would he want her to toss the cash? And why shouldn’t she spend it? She didn’t steal it, after all. But Sammy is not one to let a mysterious occurance go uninvestigated. What follows is a mystery full of intrigue and disguise.
This is the first Sammy Keyes book I have read and I seemed to be missing a little information regarding some of the characters and their relationship to Sammy. This isn’t a big deal though and did not interrupt the flow of the story. A fun and quick read with a good mystery and a little romance thrown in for good measure. Sammy is a likable character with plenty of spunk. Although a fairly light book, there are actually some good points to be discussed with young readers.
©2009 The Literate Mother