Wendelin Van Draanen

When Nolan witnesses a serious crime, he realizes he may not be able to hide behindhis Shredderman identity this time.

In her latest mystery, Sammy Keyes feels responsible for the death of an old man who she discovers on the fire escape and who, with his dying breath, begs her to take his wads of cash and throw them away!

Tired of the abuse that he's suffered because of bully Bubba Bixby, fifth-grader Nolan Byrd allows his inner super hero to emerge, inspired by a class project. Shredderman is born, and Nolan springs into action, armed with a computer, a cleverly concealed digital camera, and his own top-secret Web page, Shredderman.com. This clever story kicks off a series of fun-filled first chapter books.

Sammy and her friends are startled when they interrupt what seems to be an attempted murder on Halloween. While trick-or-treating at a spooky old, house, they find the door open, and inside a man is tied to a chair while a fire rages on the floor. A robbery? But what valuable could be missing from the home of a reclusive old man? Sammy tries to solve the mystery, all the while dealing with her nemesis Heather Acosta, fending off her Grandmother’s...

"Narrator Tara Sands's distinct intonations are engaging. Her unique narrative style complements the author's humorous writing style. The interwoven plotlines are brought together expertly to create a fun page turner." School Library Journal

This is the third entry in the Shredderman series, which features short chapters and lighthearted, fast-moving stories, starring Nolan Byrd, cyber-hero. When his favorite television superhero, The Gecko, comes to town, Nolan not only befriends the star but helps him expose a sleazy tabloid reporter known as the Mole.

The debut mystery that kicked off the popular series about a live-wire girl detective, this story takes place in Sammy's neighborhood. Right across the street from her grandmother's apartment, in fact. While looking out the window with her grandma's binoculars, Sammy witnesses a crime across the street at the Heavenly Hotel. What's worse, the thief saw her spying! As Sammy attempts to find the burglar who has made several other hits in the neighborhood,...

While serving school detention in the soup kitchen at St. Mary's church, Sammy finds herself the prime suspect in the theft of Father Mayhew's ivory cross. But there have been other robberies at the church recently, and as Sammy attempts to discover the real thief, all the suspects appear to be religious figures who are above suspicion. That is, until Sammy cuts through disguises to uncover an enormous heist! Of course, solving the mystery would be...

In this fifteenth book about the irrepressible Sammy Keyes, she deals with the zaniest character to come out of her town yet - Justice Jack, Santa Martina's very own superhero. Dressed in spandex and a mask, he drives around on a dirt bike hoping to fight crime. Though everyone else seems taken with Jack, Sammy's not so sure and now that she has a real mystery to solve her detective skills are pushed to the limits by Jack's antics. As usual, Sammy's...

It's Christmas but leave it to Sammy Keyes to find trouble even in the midst of the holiday parade. Trying to help a friend, she reluctantly volunteers on the Canine Calendar float, only to have the famous cover dog dog-napped on her watch! The animal's owner orders Sammy to find the dog before the $50,000 ransom being demanded comes due. But all that Sammy can uncover is a little elflike girl named Elyssa, whose problems seem more important than...