Wendelin Van Draanen – författare

A classic he-said-she-said romantic comedy, with bonus content including a Q&A with the author.All I've ever wanted is for Juli Baker to leave me alone. For her to back off – you know, just give me some space.Juli has been making Bryce's life hell from the moment they met. All he wants is to live a normal life, without some crazy person mooning after him.The first day I met Bryce Loski, I flipped. Honestly, one look at him and I became a lunatic. It's his eyes.But she doesn't see it that way. In her eyes, they're meant for each other, even though he might not realize it yet.That is, until the eighth grade, when everything flips. And just as Juli starts to realize that Bryce may not be all he seemed, Bryce begins to think that there's more to Juli than meets the eye . . .Wendelin Van Draanen's Flipped is a modern-day classic about first love and not judging a book by it's cover. A romantic comedy-of-errors told in alternating chapters by two fresh, funny voices.

The first time she saw him, she flipped. The first time he saw her, he ran. That was the second grade, but not much has changed by the seventh. She says: “My Bryce. Still walking around with my first kiss.” He says: “It’s been six years of strategic avoidance and social discomfort.” But in the eighth grade everything gets turned upside down. And just as he’s thinking there’s more to her than meets the eye, she’ s thinking that he’s not quite all he seemed. This is a classic romantic comedy of errors told in alternating chapters by two fresh, funny voices. Wendelin Van Draanen is at her best here with a knockout cast of quirky characters and a hilarious series of misunderstandings and missed opportunities. But underlying the humor are two teens in transition. They are each learning to look beyond the surface of people, both figuring out who they are, who they want to be, and who they want to be with.

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children''s Book ReviewWhen Sammy and her friends meet Lucinda Huntley walking her 200-pound pig down the middle of the road, their quiet weekend in the country quickly becomes an adventure. Lucinda tells them a true tale of the Wild West, her great-grandma Moustache Mary, and a century-old family feud.But this feud is hardly ancient history. Past and present collide—and combust!—when Mary''s pioneer cabin burns to the ground. Sammy thinks the cause of the fire may be a hundred years old, but still, the gas can she finds near the scene of the crime is shiny and new. . . .The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it''s the drama in Sammy''s personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.From the Trade Paperback edition.

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children''s Book Review The artsy crowd thinks Sammy Keyes has a lot of nerve showing up at a fancy reception in high-tops. But when she tackles a robber who''s brandishing a gun with one hand and pulling paintings from the wall with the other, they''re glad she has nerve. Or are they?Sammy may have stopped one criminal, but the real crime at this show has yet to be discovered. The real crime is more subtle, more artful, than anything Sammy''s ever seen. Who knew art could be so dangerous? The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it''s the drama in Sammy''s personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.From the Hardcover edition.

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children''s Book Review The bad news: Sammy''s made a deadly mistake.The good news: No one knows she did it.The delicious dilemma: Everyone thinks her archenemy Heather is to blame.Now Heather is in a major jam, and in some ways it''s only fair—Heather has pinned more than a few crimes on Sammy. Besides, there are distractions galore to keep Sammy from confessing. Like the end of the school year. And the Farewell Dance. Especially the dance, since she''s going with Heather''s (dreamy) brother Casey. But Sammy knows the truth has an uncanny way of resurfacing, and when it does, the stench can be more vile than the junior high cafeteria. The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it''s the drama in Sammy''s personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.From the Hardcover edition.

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children''s Book Review When Sammy finds out that her mother has changed her name, dyed her hair, and shaved ten years off her age, she knows it''s time for Lady Lana to get reacquainted with reality. Sammy hops a bus to Hollywood and finds her mother in deeper trouble than she imagined. Lana''s phony persona is crumbling just as she is being considered for the part of a lifetime. So when one of Lana''s competitors for the big role is found dead in the room next door, Sammy can''t help wondering: Is her mother the next likely victim . . . or the prime suspect? The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it''s the drama in Sammy''s personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.From the Trade Paperback edition.

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children''s Book Review It''s Sammy''s birthday, which should be a good thing, except that Dorito, Sammy''s cat, is missing, and while Sammy''s searching for him, she finds three dead cats in dumpsters around town. Worse still, Miss Kitty, a psycho cat lady, blames Sammy when it turns out one of the dead cats belonged to her. As if Sammy didn''t have enough on her hands investigating these furry felonies, her mother has a confession to make: she lied about Sammy''s age so she could start her in school a year early. So—surprise!—Sammy isn''t turning 14 at all, she''s going to be unlucky 13 for another whole year.Better luck next year, Sammy. . . . The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it''s the drama in Sammy''s personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.From the Hardcover edition.

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children''s Book ReviewThe Christmas parade gets furry in a hurry when three pranksters dressed as wise men toss some cats onto Sammy''s float. Dogs shoot off in all directions, and the prize Pomeranian Sammy''s supposed to be watching disappears. Turns out the darn fuzzball''s been kidnapped. The owner is demanding that Sammy find her doggone dog . . . and she''s a woman who knows how to get what she wants.But Sammy''s a pretty tough cookie herself. Dognappers, blackmailers, and wise men be warned!The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it''s the drama in Sammy''s personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.From the Hardcover edition.

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children''s Book Review Sammy''s softball team is in contention for the Junior Slugger''s Cup, and all she wants to do is hunker down behind the home plate and catch strikes. But Heather Acosta brings new meaning to the term "foul ball" as she schemes to get Sammy kicked off the team.Then Sammy is thrown a wild pitch by a frantic girl at the mall. The girl asks Sammy to watch her bag and dashes off before Sammy discovers that the bag she''s left holding contains a baby! When the girl doesn''t return, Sammy decides to go find her. A heart-pounding search ensues, and leads to some situations that are definitely not covered in the softball playbook. The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it''s the drama in Sammy''s personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.From the Trade Paperback edition.

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children''s Book ReviewSammy was working off some junior high detention time by helping out at St. Mary''s, but now she''s the prime suspect in a robbery! The more she pokes around searching for the real culprit, the more amazed Sammy is by all the gossip and petty jealousies bubbling beneath the church''s serene surface. This is just like junior high!Caught up in the mystery are a homeless girl in hightops, a trio of singing nuns, two angry Sisters, and one bumbling Brother. With a crazy cast like this, it''s not easy to tell the saints from the sinners. . . .The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it''s the drama in Sammy''s personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.From the Hardcover edition.

A funny friendship turns serious in this haunting book about secrets, lies, and what it means to be a true friend.   “Rusty, I swear to howdy, if you tell a soul...”   Joey Banks is a walking adventure. He’s funny, daring, mischievous—and frequently in trouble. Or he would be if anyone found out about half the stuff he’s done. But Rusty Cooper knows how to keep a secret. And Joey’s the best friend he’s ever had. But then comes a secret that is at once too terrible to tell and too terrible to keep. A secret so big it threatens to eat them alive. What would a true friend do now?   Wendelin Van Draanen has written a richly layered book that offers a thought-provoking look at the boundaries of friendship and what it really means to be true.From the Hardcover edition.

Nolan Byrd single-handedly saved his school from the bullydom of Alvin “Bubba” Bixby. He posted proof of Bubba’s exploits on the Web at Shredderman.com. Now Shredderman is the school hero! But since Shredderman’s identity is a secret, everyone still treats Nolan like . . . a nerd. But inside this nerd beats a superhero’s heart—one dedicated to truth and justice. So when a vandal spray-paints graffiti around town—and even on his teacher’s van!—Nolan decides that tracking down the tagger is a job for Shredderman. But while he’s trying to trap the tagger, the tagger is trying to pin the blame on Shredderman! Can Nolan turn the tables back around before his secret identity is revealed?From the Hardcover edition.

Shredderman.com just made the national news! Everyone is talking about the new cyber-superhero. Oh yeah!But now people are dying to know who is behind Shredderman.com. Reporters are snooping all over Cedar Valley! Oh no!Nolan''s parents and even his sidekick, Mr. Green, think he should lay low for a while. But being Shredderman is the best thing that''s ever happened to Nolan. It''s so much better than being Byrd-the-Nerd. Plus, Nolan''s just stumbled across what might be a real spy-ring! How can Shredderman not try to fight it?But some problems are too big for even a superhero to handle. Sometimes the mask gets in the way. Will Nolan''s quest for truth and justice mean he has to give up his secret identity? Can he become a superhero in real life?From the Trade Paperback edition.

Even superheroes have problems. That’s what Nolan discovers when he meets Chase Morton, the boy who plays his favorite TV superhero on The Gecko and Sticky. Chase is being hounded by a sleazy tabloid reporter who is evil! Sneaky! A liar! So Nolan vows to expose the truth on Shredderman.com. After all, superheroes have to stick together in the fight for truth and justice. Oh, yeah!From the Hardcover edition.

Alvin Bixby: Hulking, knuckles of steel, hideous breath, foul temper. Kids call him: Bubba. Nolan Byrd: Puny, power walker, math genius, can’t keep shoes tied. Kids call him: Nerd.Bubba has been the bane of Nolan’s existence for five long years. So when Mr. Green asks the class to become reporters, Nolan decides he’ll write an exposé—on Bubba. He doesn’t want to sign his name to it (that’d be suicidal), so Nolan creates a secret identity for himself—on the Internet. He launches Shredderman.com as a place where truth and justice prevail—and bullies get what’s coming to them.This hilariously triumphant story is for any kid who’s ever dreamed of unleashing their own inner superhero!

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children''s Book ReviewSammy thought she''d seen all the weirdness her town had to offer—and then she met Justice Jack, Santa Martina''s very own superhero. Well, really he''s just a guy in spandex and a mask who rides around town on a dirt bike, hoping to find some crime to fight.The old folks in town think he''s wonderful. So wonderful that they''ve asked him to track down Sammy''s neighbor Mrs. Wedgewood, who seems to have disappeared—along with a lot of other people''s cash. Sammy''s friends think Justice Jack is funny and cool. Billy Pratt''s even auditioning to be his sidekick! But Sammy thinks he''s kind of . . . lame. He''s more of a showstopper than a crime stopper. And when a real mystery comes along, Sammy finds herself right in the middle of it. . . .The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it''s the drama in Sammy''s personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.From the Hardcover edition.

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children''s Book ReviewIn this pivotal book in the Sammy Keyes series, Sammy tackles the persistent mysteries of her own life. Mysteries like: Who is her father? And why has her mother kept it such a secret? How long can she manage to hide out in Grams'' seniors-only building before someone catches on? Is her mother really planning to marry her boyfriend''s father? (Ew.) And why, why is Heather Acosta so nasty?During one crazy weekend in Las Vegas, with the help of an entire army of Elvis impersonators, Sammy finally gets some answers. But of course knowledge comes at a price—and solving the mysteries of her own life will cost Sammy more than she ever meant to pay. . . .The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it''s the drama in Sammy''s personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.From the Hardcover edition.

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children''s Book ReviewSammy knew that getting to know her new rockstar dad on a cruise would be a little uncomfortable. . . . But when the heiress to a perfume empire disappears from the ship, it turns out everyone''s in for a rocky ride.In this penultimate book in the Sammy Keyes mystery series, Wendelin Van Draanen pays homage to the mystery genre. This book is a classic locked-room whodunnit—Sammy Keyes style. The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it''s the drama in Sammy''s personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.From the Hardcover edition.

The final mystery starring Sammy Keyes: “the most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)” —Midwest Children’s Book Review   Sammy doesn’t go looking for trouble, but she seems to find it everywhere. She’s forever sniffing out clues and chasing down bad guys—and driving her friends a little nuts. She’s gone up against thieves and counterfeiters and gangsters and blackmailers and murderers, and always stayed one step ahead.   Until now.   Last night, one of the bad guys caught up.   Last night, someone followed Sammy up the fire escape and pushed her from the third story.   Now she’s in the hospital, out cold. And her friends are left with the questions Sammy’s always been so good at answering: Why? How? But most of all . . . WHO?   In this emotional conclusion to her beloved long-running series, Wendelin Van Draanen shows just how many lives one nosy girl can touch and pays tribute to a life well sleuthed.   Praise for Sammy Keyes: “If Kinsey Millhone ever hires a junior partner, Sammy Keyes will be the first candidate on the list. She’s feisty, fearless, and funny. A top-notch investigator!” —Sue Grafton   “Sammy’s brave, resourceful, observant and a loyal friend, but this girl sleuth is no well-mannered Nancy Drew. She’s endearingly hot-tempered, nosy, and not always obedient—in short, she’s someone I want to read about again.” —Margaret Maron

This diary of a runaway girl and her search for a home celebrates hope, resilience, and happy endings.   Holly''s run away before, but this time she actually gets away—and what felt like an escape at first soon becomes a daily struggle for survival. She is smart and resourceful, and she manages to make it across the country on her own. But how long can this go on? It''s getting harder to avoid the truth—Holly is now homeless.   Runaway is a remarkably uplifting portrait of a girl still young and stubborn and naive enough to believe there''s a better place for her in the world.From the Hardcover edition.

Does the perfect kiss exist? This smart and funny modern romance explores the pleasures and perils of love. A great book for fans of romantic reads like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han.   Evangeline Logan wants a kiss. Not just any kiss—a “crimson kiss,” like the one in a romance novel she''s become obsessed with. But the path to perfection is paved with many bad kisses—the smash mouth, the ear licker, the “misser,” the tentative tight lipper.   The phrase ''I don''t kiss and tell'' means nothing to the boys in her school.  And worse: someone starts writing her name and number on bathroom walls. And worst of all: the boy she''s just kissed turns out to be her best friend''s new crush.   Kissing turns out to be way more complicated than the romance novels would have you believe . . .From the Hardcover edition.

The Gecko & Sticky are a fabulous crime-fighting duo! This quartet of funny adventures will appeal to fans of superheroes both young and old, and would make terrific all-family read-alouds.Dave Sanchez is an average boy with an after-school job and a pet gecko named Sticky. All very normal—until the day Sticky talks! Sticky tells Dave a wild tale of a former life of crime, searching for Aztec gold with a treasure hunter named Damien Black, and of a magical Aztec wristband with shiny gold power ingots that will give the wearer super powers. Dave doesn’t believe a word—until Sticky shows him the wristband. But while Sticky managed to escape with the wristband, Damien Black has the power ingots. So the lizard and treasure hunter each have something the other wants . . . very badly.  Filled with wild adventures, larger-than-life characters, and snappy-funny dialogue, The Gecko and Sticky books are perfect for young superheroes everywhere. Don''t miss the other Gecko & Sticky adventures:  1. The Villain''s Lair,2. The Greatest Power, 3. Sinister Substitute, and 4. The Power Potion.From the Hardcover edition.