Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief

Sammy’s two closest relationships in the novel are with her grandmother, Grams, and her best friend, Marissa. How do they each support Sammy differently? What are these two characters distinct roles in the novel, and how do they deepen its thematic meaning?

Consider the effect of the subplot with Heather on Sammy's character development. What does it reveal about Sammy’s character? How do Sammy's interactions with Heather complicate the novel's notions of morality and right and wrong?

How does the novel’s 1990s setting impact Sammy's investigative methods? How might they be different if the novel was set in the present day? Consider how Sammy’s strengths as an amateur detective are particularly useful in the absence of smartphones and advanced surveillance technology.

Discuss the role the binoculars play in the novel. How does Van Draanen use the binoculars to develop the themes and plot, as well as showcase the protagonist’s key traits?

How does the author use techniques like similes, wordplay, and comedic situations to add humor to the mystery? How does the novel’s humorous tone affect readers’ connection to Sammy and their overall experience of the story?

How does sharing food serve as a motif of the importance of family and friendship? Give particular consideration to the prominence of Double Dynamo ice cream cones and to Marissa and Sammy’s conversation about family dinners.

How does Van Draanen use a combination of mystery genre conventions and narrative techniques, such as foreshadowing, red herrings, plot twists, and cliffhangers, to craft a suspenseful mystery?

Analyze how morality intersects with the law and school rules in the novel. How do Sammy’s actions both uphold and undermine laws and rules? How does her living situation affect her interactions with law enforcement and other authority figures?