48 pages • 1 hour read
Wendelin Van DraanenSammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1998A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Power of Observational Skills and Critical Thinking
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of bullying and ableism.
Sammy uses the power of observational skills and critical thinking to solve the central mystery and navigate challenges in her personal life. This theme is closely linked to the novel’s genre and setting. As is conventional in detective fiction, Sammy must rely on her mental faculties to puzzle out the mystery. Published in 1998, the novel reflects a time before smartphones and advanced surveillance technology, making Sammy’s observational skills and quick thinking the centerpiece of her sleuthing. With no security camera footage from the hotel or the surrounding area for the police to inspect, Sammy’s detailed eyewitness account of the man who “stuffs a wad of money from the purse into his jacket pocket” is essential to catching the criminal (6).
Van Draanen gives Sammy personality traits and unique circumstances that encourage her observational and critical-thinking skills. A combination of curiosity and boredom from being cooped up inside away from Mrs. Graybill’s prying eyes leads to her pivotal decision to amuse herself with the binoculars on the day of the robbery: “[S]ince there’s not much for me to do because everything I own has to be able to fit inside Grams’ bottom dresser drawer, I was using the binoculars to at least see what was going on outside” (3). Sammy is not supposed to live in the Senior Highrise, but her position in Grams’s apartment gives her a clear view of the fourth floor of the Heavenly Hotel across the street. Similarly, the amateur detective is more alert to others’ subterfuge because she has to conceal her presence on a daily basis. The 13-year-old places a wad of gum in the jamb of the door to the Senior Highrise’s fire escape so that she can enter and exit the building without drawing attention. Because of this, she closely examines the door to the Heavenly Hotel’s fire escape and finds the Double Dynamo napkin with Gina’s room number under the “bottom edge of the door, keeping it from closing all the way” (110). This clue confirms that the person who threatened Mrs. Graybill is the same person who stole from Gina and ultimately helps Sammy realize that Oscar is the thief. Sammy’s personal strengths and individual circumstances lead her to notice things that others overlook, giving her powerful observational skills.
Sammy’s critical thinking allows her to understand the significance of the information that she observes and to find creative solutions to problems. When Heather tries to turn William Rose Junior High against Sammy, the amateur sleuth uses her observational skills to learn the name of the bully’s doctor. She then employs critical thinking by concocting a plan to impersonate Heather: “Mr. Caan—our vice principal? He’s making me wear a bandage on my nose” (132). Sammy’s plot not only disproves Heather’s lies about her but also secures payback on Mr. Caan. These same skills allow Sammy to bring the hotel thief to justice. While others may have missed the details about Oscar cleaning his glasses and the tracks by the tree outside the hotel, Sammy uses her critical thinking to discern that Oscar can see and that he brings his ice cream cart to the covert spot when he changes his disguise. In another important demonstration of her critical-thinking skills, Sammy plants money as bait to make Oscar reveal that he can see: “He moves forward a little, kneels down to tie his other shoe, and whoosh, there goes the five” (146). This allows Sammy to confirm her suspicion that he is the hotel thief. Sammy’s story demonstrates the power of observational skills and critical thinking.
The Moral Complexity of Justice and Crime
By creating a detective who is also a rule breaker, Van Draanen places a distinctive twist on the mystery genre and examines the moral complexity of justice and crime. Even though Sammy’s primary focus in the novel is solving a crime, she’s breaking the law by staying in an apartment that’s “government-subsidized for senior citizens” (48). Placing Sammy with Grams was her mother’s decision rather than her own, but Sammy must navigate her unauthorized living situation and its consequences, including her precarious relationship with law enforcement. This explains why she doesn’t call the police the moment she witnesses the robbery and why she hesitates to share her eyewitness account out of fear that she’ll be “thrown into Juvenile Hall” (21). In addition, Mrs. Graybill, who accuses Grams of “having [Sammy] live here at the government’s expense” (48), offers a clear example of the difference between strict adherence to rules and a satisfactory sense of justice. The loving grandmother is in danger of being evicted for giving her granddaughter a place to stay, adding another layer of suspense to the novel and appealing to the reader’s sympathy. Sammy’s complicated living situation advances the theme of moral complexity by showing how there are circumstances in which one may feel compelled to break the law.
Sammy’s encounters with Heather further examine the moral complexity of justice and crime. Although Sammy resorts to violence by punching Heather, Sammy presents this as an impulsive act of self-defense in response to her bully’s repeated, unprovoked verbal and physical harassment. Mr. Caan’s refusal to consider Sammy’s side of the story offers an example of how authority figures’ judgments do not guarantee true justice. Upset that she’s suspended while her bully goes unpunished, Sammy asks, “Why was I ‘reflecting’ in the Box when Heather was out roaming around?” (36). This question appeals to the readers’ conscience and helps to explain why Sammy later takes matters into her own hands to secure payback for both Heather and the vice principal’s actions. Like Sammy’s choice to impersonate a patient to her doctor, her threat “to grind that snotty little nose of [Heather’s] completely off” with an escalator is ethically questionable (142). However, the threat of violence allows Sammy to quickly reclaim what Heather stole from her, and she uses the money to catch a dangerous criminal. Sammy’s clashes with her bully suggest that individuals must take action to secure justice and that sometimes a little wrongdoing may be necessary to right a greater wrong. Sammy’s story encourages readers to exercise compassion and recognize that morality is complex.
The Importance of Family and Friendship
The importance of family and friendship is a classic theme in middle grade fiction, and the author expresses this message by having the protagonist learn to better appreciate her loved ones. Sammy’s grandmother is one of the key characters for this theme because she is the only relative actively present in the girl’s life. The protagonist’s mother, Lana, appears only as a voice on the telephone who professes “how much she loves [Sammy] and misses [her]” yet never attempts to see her (26), emphasizing the emotional and physical distance between her and her daughter. Grams steps up and becomes a loving, nurturing guardian for Sammy after her mother “dumped [her] with Grams and told [her] she’d be back ‘soon’” (26). The elderly woman supports her granddaughter despite these unexpected circumstances, the tight limitations of her fixed income, and the inherent risk of keeping a child in a building intended only for seniors.
Grams demonstrates the importance of family by shielding Sammy from the suspicion of the police and nosy neighbors, prompting Sammy to enthuse, “There’s nobody in this world like my grandmother. Nobody” (96). Despite this praise, Sammy bemoans the boredom of her life with her grandmother at the start of the novel, and she often worries Grams by leaving home for long stretches of time even when she promises to hurry back. When Sammy is unable to locate Grams one day, she realizes that “[w]orrying’s the pits” and resolves to be more considerate of her grandmother’s feelings (92). Grams helps Sammy gain a valuable lesson about the importance of family.
Marissa also helps Sammy recognize the significance of family and friendship. Acting as the protagonist’s steadfast sidekick at school and on the case, she defends Sammy’s reputation to their fellow students, Mr. Caan, and Officer Borsch. In return, Sammy shows her best friend loyalty by standing up to characters like Heather who would use her for her family’s wealth. Indeed, Marissa considers Sammy her only true friend because she’s “the only one who’s never asked [her] for money” (76), further emphasizing the importance of the best friends’ connection. Marissa has a distinct perspective on family because she’s painfully lonely despite having two parents and a lavish home: “I can’t believe how lucky you are […] Your grandmother’s always home. Any time you want to see her, there she is, waiting for you” (75). This conversation shifts Sammy’s perspective by teaching her to appreciate her little family more. Through Sammy’s relationships with Grams and Marissa, Van Draanen celebrates the importance of family and friendship.
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