Sammy Keyes trades in her hightops for hiking boots—and winds up with blisters.

This is not the summer camping trip of Sammy's dreams. She imagined shady glades, meandering streams, a deer or two. What she gets are scrubby shrubs, blazing sun, rattlesnakes, ticks, and scorpions. Her fellow campers are desperate to catch a rare glimpse of an endangered condor. To Sammy, the trip is nothing more than the painful in pursuit of the unspeakably ugly.

But when she and two other girls find an injured condor, Sammy's intrigued at last. As they track down a clue, they stumble onto two classmates and wind up lost. Which leaves three girls and two boys in a canyon with one tent and six billion biting flies. Oh—and an armed and dangerous highstakes poacher.

S'mores anyone?

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NOMINEE 2008 - Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile Novel

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“Quick-witted banter makes this a fast-paced joyride of a read. Think a combination of Carl Hiaasen’s Flush and Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books and you’ll be right on target.”—School Library Journal

“A winning series about a smart, brave young sleuth.”—Booklist


From the Trade Paperback edition.

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Click here for the Sammy Keyes and the Wild Things BookTalk
Click here for Wendelin Van Draanen’s printable Author Bio.

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Wendelin Van Draanen was a teacher for many years before turning to writing full time. She lives in Central California with ther husband and two sons.

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