Sammy Keyes And The Sisters Of Mercy: Book Review

Date: February 16th, 2012


Title: Sammy Keyes And The Sisters Of Mercy


Author: Wendelin Van Draanen


Genre: Realistic Fiction



Plot


Sammy Keyes, a thirteen-year-old junior high seventh grader, is working at St. Mary Church to work off 20 hours of detention time for  misusing the school PA System. She likes the pastor, Father Mayhew, and his dog Gregory. 

To Sammy, painting Father Mayhew's office walls and the churches glass windows are kind of fun, and it does not feel like actual work. But soon, after Sammy meets three traveling gospel-singing nuns, in Mayhew's office his ivory cross is stolen... and Sammy is the prime suspect. Now, with a mystery on her hands, Sammy must also work at the soup kitchen, deal with school and softball problems, and investigate why a mysterious girl comes to the soup kitchen everyday... with no parents.

Main Characters

Sammy Keyes: A smart thirteen-year-old girl who speaks her mind a little too much, sometimes getting her into trouble. Sammy plays softball and uses her dad's old mitt. She has a cat named Dorito, whom she feeds food from her dinner plate (fish mostly). Sammy has two best friends named Marissa and Dot, who are also on Sammy's softball team and help her with some things at the church. Sammy illegally lives in an apartment that doesn't allow kids.


Sister Mary Margaret: One of the nuns who does not belong to the singing group. She and Sister Josephine are constantly planning a trip to Las Vegas. She has red hair.


Sister Josephine: An old and grouchy-cane carrying nun. Josephine doesn't like working with Father Mayhew (or his dog) and is constantly trying to put Brother Philip, who works at the soup kitchen too, in his place. She used to be a school teacher.


Father Mayhew: The calm and holy pastor of St. Mary Church. Father Mayhew never raises his voice or acts crazy. He likes Sammy a lot but wrongly accuses her of stealing his ivory cross.


Gregory: is Father Mayhew's small Welsh Terrier with a love for carrots. He likes Sammy, and repeatably tries to get her to play fetch with him and his chewed, slobbery, carrots. Most of the nuns are afraid of him because he growls at them.


What Happens In The Story


After Father Mayhew's ivory cross is stolen, Sammy Keyes is accused of stealing it. So, to prove she's innocent, Sammy Keyes tries to figure out who really stole the cross. She has a list of suspects, ranging from a homeless girl in high-tops, to a stubborn soup kitchen worker. Meanwhile, Sammy's baseball glove is missing, and with the big softball game coming up, Sammy is unsure of what to do. 


A series of objects get stolen from Father Mayhew's safe, and as Sammy gets closer and closer to the culprit, she realizes, (with the help of a neighbor in her grandmother's apartment building who knows a thing or two about safes), that the answer is right in front of her. 




This was a good book. Perfect score of five stars.