Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Moustache Mary -- Wendelin Van Draanen, Paperback

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" --Midwest Children's Book Review

When Sammy and her friends meet Lucinda Huntley walking her 200-pound pig down the middle of the road, their quiet weekend in the country quickly becomes an adventure. Lucinda tells them a true tale of the Wild West, her great-grandma Moustache Mary, and a century-old family feud.

But this feud is hardly ancient history. Past and present collide--and combust!--when Mary's pioneer cabin burns to the ground. Sammy thinks the cause of the fire may be a hundred years old, but still, the gas can she finds near the scene of the crime is shiny and new. . . .

The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it's the drama in Sammy's personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.

Author: Wendelin Van Draanen
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 02/13/2001
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.41lbs
Size: 7.86h x 4.90w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780440416432
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.6
Point Value: 8
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 44716 / Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Moustache Mary

Award: Edgar Allan Poe Awards - Nominee

About the Author
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.