Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway -- Wendelin Van Draanen

The (very basic) Basics:

• Within the first couple of chapters, Sammy one-ups every scrape she's ever been in by becoming (accidentally, of course) a murderer.
• She witnesses Heather Acosta (that bitch!) steal a pile of 7th-grade Class Personality ballots.
• In a moment of weakness, she agrees to go out on a date with Casey. 

I've said for ages that one of my favorite aspects of the Sammy Keyes series is that things in Sammy's life don't stay static.  Unlike Nancy Drew, Sammy ages, her relationships with friends & family change and she deals with progressively more difficult and serious issues and so on.  So I'm all for change and growth when it comes to Sammy.

But a few chapters into Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway, I realized that I wasn't sure if I was ready for Sammy to become an angsty teenager.  It was like in HP5 when Harry turned all brooding and surly.  Yick.  I was really worried.

A few chapters later, I realized that I need a new mantra:  Trust in Wendelin Van Draanen, Trust in Wendelin Van Draanen, Trust in Wendelin Van Draanen...  OOOOOOOhmmmmmmm.

Sammy's going to turn out fine.