SAMMY KEYES AND THE WILD THINGS

Vacation looms for Sammy Keyes. Her friends are leaving town, and she faces a boring summer in her grandmother's apartment. Who would expect that a Girl Scout outing to monitor endangered condors would provide Sammy all the mystery, adventure, and romance she can handle? Tara Sands gives voice to an authentic middle school student, complete with sarcasm, exaggerated syllables, and elongated words. Sands deftly portrays a multifaceted teenage girl: awkward with the opposite sex, full of bravado when she competes with the other girls on the expedition, and contrite when faced with the seriousness of what might have happened. This is a fun, fast-paced mystery. A.R. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2009]