🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Wendelin Van Draanen
Wendelin Van Draanen is an American author. She has always loved reading, and her mother taught Wendelin to read at a young age. You could say that books have always been a part of her life. She remembers reading with her father and her brothers where her father would read them stories while they cuddled up around him. Van Draanen describes herself as a tomboy when growing up. She enjoyed being outside and having fun and adventures. She actually did not decide to be a writer until she was an adult. She found the experience of writing a screenplay concerning family tragedy to be a cathartic one, and it was then that she decided to write novels for adults, later trying her hand at writing books for children too. She finds that her readers are one of her most valued rewards for writing.
All Book Series by Wendelin Van Draanen
Sammy Keyes and the Kiss Goodbye
Latest in the series · book 18 of 18 · published 2014
Hope in the Mail: Reflections on Writing and Life
Single-title series · published 2020
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Wendelin Van Draanen?
Wendelin Van Draanen is an American author. She has always loved reading, and her mother taught Wendelin to read at a young age. You could say that books have always been a part of her life.
Which Wendelin Van Draanen series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Sammy Keyes series, the earliest of Wendelin Van Draanen's multi-book series: it opens with Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief (1998) and runs to 18 books across 1998–2014, ending with Sammy Keyes and the Kiss Goodbye (2014). Wendelin Van Draanen's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Wendelin Van Draanen written?
Wendelin Van Draanen has 38 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1997 and 2025. 26 of them belong to 3 named series — the largest being the Sammy Keyes series with 18 books — and 12 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Wendelin Van Draanen's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Wendelin Van Draanen's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Sammy Keyes (1998–2014, 18 books), Shredderman (2004–2005, 4 books) and The Gecko and Sticky (2009, 4 books).
How are Wendelin Van Draanen's books organised into series?
This guide splits Wendelin Van Draanen's 38 books into 3 named series and 12 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Sammy Keyes (18 books, 1998–2014); Shredderman (4 books, 2004–2005); The Gecko and Sticky (4 books, 2009).