Lucky Like Getting to Be Thirteen Twice: Sammy Keyes and the Power of Justice Jack Giveaway

I have won two books by Wendelin Van Draanen.  I first won an advanced reader copy (ARC) of an upcoming book through a giveaway on her blog.  And I just won her "Free Book Friday" ("FBF") Twitter giveaway, for a signed copy of one of the Sammy Keyes books.  Both times, I was very excited.  There's just one little hitch -- they're the same book!  So I'm now the proud owner of two copies of Sammy Keyes and the Power of Justice Jack.

I feel a little bad, knowing how many other fans have been trying to win a free book and haven't won any yet, and here I have an abundance of Jack.  So I figured I'd do a giveaway of my own.  I'm willing to have my signed FBF copy of Justice Jack sent directly to a Sammy Keyes fan anywhere in the world.  I'd prefer the book to go to someone who hasn't gotten a chance to read it yet, doesn't own it yet (obviously), hasn't won any of Wendelin's giveaways before, and is a Sammy Keyes/Wendelin Van Draanen fan.

To enter, submit two comments here: one explaining how well you fit the criteria*, which I'll publish to the blog.  The other comment, I will not publish (I have to approve all comments before they are published); it should contain your e-mail address so I can contact you in case you win.  I will only e-mail the winner to work out the logistics of how to get the book to you, and I won't use any e-mail address for any other purpose, nor will I share the e-mail addresses with anyone.  I will determine the winner from all entries submitted by 12:01:00am EST, January 1, 2014 (so get the entries in before the end of the year!), from among those closest to meeting the criteria stated above, using a random number generator (random.org).  If no entries meet all 4 stated criteria, I'll choose from those who have met 3 of the criteria (doesn't own it, is a fan, + either of the other two).  If no entries meet 3 criteria, I'll choose from those who meet 2 (doesn't own it and is a fan).  If there are no entries meeting these 2 criteria, I'll keep both copies.

*You don't have to write an essay, just explain how well you fit the criteria.  For example, "I checked JJ out of my library, but I don't own it.  I won an ARC of Wedding Crasher once from Wendelin's blog" (just winning something from Wendelin's blog tells me you're a fan) or "I haven't gotten to read JJ yet!  I'm a huge fan of SK, but I didn't know Wendelin had a blog or Twitter account.  I'm going to check them out now."  I reserve the right not to publish anything offensive or obscene.  Also, I will not publish anything that I feel contains personally identifying information in it (such as e-mail addresses), for your protection (that's why I ask for you to submit two separate comments, so others can see the entries, but your privacy will be protected).

Wall of Fame and Wall of Shame

I've come across some really beautiful passages -- and some pretty awful ones.  I thought it might be fun to record examples of each.  Please note: just because a writer appears on the Wall of Shame, that doesn't mean that I think all (or even a small percentage) of their writing is awful; it just means that I found that one particular excerpt an example of what I personally consider bad writing.  I've explained why I think it's bad.  You might disagree.  I personally find it comforting to think that even some of the most renowned writers still occasionally write poorly; it helps quiet down my inner critic so I can "just write."

Wall of Fame

1. "The whole restless mob of us on spread blankets in the dreamy briny sunshine skylarking and chiacking about... Yachts run before an unfelt gust with bagnecked pelicans riding above them... The gone and taken are with them in the shade pools of the peppermints by the beautiful, the beautiful the river.  And even now, one of the here is leaving... The silver-skinned river." - Tim Winton, Cloudstreet
   • Imagery done well.  Unique, careful word choices (and order) bring each part into focus until you're standing on the riverbank in Perth, smelling, tasting, seeing, hearing, touching, feeling...  This is the kind of writing I like to read slowly, savoring it like dark chocolate.  (I can actually feel it in my mouth; it begs to be read out loud.)
2. "insert quote here"

Wall of Shame

1. "The sky was a cold iron-grey, like the underside of a shield." - J.K. Rowling, The Casual Vacancy
• This might have been an acceptable analogy in Harry Potter.  At least the characters in that book were exposed to suits of armor (including, presumably, shields).  However, neither the characters nor the modern-day readers of The Casual Vacancy have any idea what color the underside of a shield is -- most of us don't even know what color the overside of a shield is!  And yet most of us understand "iron-grey."  The simile adds nothing and actually detracts from the imagery as it brings to mind castles and knights and all kinds of things that don't belong in Pagford.
2. "A point of exclamation marks that sky
    In ringing orange like a stellar carrot." - Sylvia Plath, "Departure of the Ghost (The Ghost's Leavetaking)," from The Colossus and Other Poems
   • I must confess that Sylvia Plath is not one of my favorite poets -- especially her early work.  In "Departure of the Ghost, " she's writing about dawn, and so the first line and a half of this couplet would seem to indicate the sun.  And then... carrot.  Combined with "point of exclamation" (and emphasized by the following line, which describes its round "period"), my mind envisions a carrot floating in the sky.  It's absurd.  The imagery doesn't match the surrounding imagery at all.  This simile stands out given the heavy layering of mythic and religious references throughout the rest of the poem.  The emotions it invokes do not match the seriousness of the piece, either.  Unless there's some symbolism I'm completely overlooking, the carrot was chosen for its color without considering the shape.  (Even over water, a sunrise doesn't look like a carrot.  It just doesn't.)
3. "next example"

The Most Emotional Sammy Keyes Book Thus Far: Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City by Wendelin Van Draanen

I haven't cried so much reading a Sammy Keyes book since Psycho Kitty Queen.  But I have never laughed harder throughout the series (I laughed uncontrollably at least 6 different times), and I was left with such a sense of happiness when I finished that I'm still grinning nearly an hour later.

In Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City, Wendelin Van Draanen masterfully weaves several story arcs into a wild but totally believable caper that plucks Sammy out of Santa Martina and sets her loose on Vegas.  Van Draanen's rich, three-dimensional, dynamic characters drive the plot, so that no matter how ridiculous the situation Sammy ends up in, you know exactly how she got there, and it's utterly believable.  The themes of family and trust shine through without being pounded to death.  Some of the other Sammy Keyes books have ended with a short "I learned something today" reflection that others might have found a bit preachy (though I never found them to be), but there's none of that here.

Sammy Keyes is primarily a mystery series, but the mystery always goes hand in hand with the events of Sammy's life.  Sammy spends most of this book in crisis mode, so she's not actively trying to figure out mysteries most of the time (she's focused on finding her mom, which is a mystery, but not one she or we can really solve).  But as a reader, you know the main mystery's there, and you can solve it, even though Sammy is not (until the last moment).  And there are actually at least two sub-mysteries for which there were ample clues sprinkled so that a fan of the series could solve them just before Sammy did.  And while the mystery may not be the best mystery of the series, the plot more than makes up for it.  (My favorite mystery of recent books was Wedding Crasher.)

One caveat: while this book could be enjoyed on its own, it's made richer (both emotionally and in solving the mysteries, through understanding the personalities involved) by knowing the history of the previous books.  This is the 16th book of the series; starting with it would be akin to starting Harry Potter with Half-Blood Prince.

If you're looking for a phenomenal mystery series, in which the clues are cleverly sprinkled throughout each book so that a careful reader can solve the mystery, without resorting to any discernible formula, I can't recommend Sammy Keyes highly enough.  Or if you're looking for a spunky, kind, believable heroine who manages to get herself into the craziest, funniest messes imaginable, again, Sammy Keyes is your girl.  Showdown in Sin City will be a highlight of the series, but every reader should take the entire wild roller-coaster ride Wendelin Van Draanen has masterfully designed to bring you there.