Sammy Keyes 
and the 
Runaway Elf
      Ring! Ring! Ring! “Hey, lady, I got your dog. If you ever want to see it again give me $50,000.00.” This is how Sammy Keys and the Runaway Elf  began.  It was written by Wendelin Draaen.
      First of all, Sammy Keys takes place at a village during winter. The village is spooky, because there is no market in the village and no one is ever outside, and there is no movement. The village is also peaceful, because no one talks, it’s quiet, and it likes to be silent. The village is unsafe, because  there are murders, kidnappings, and there is no one to see you get kidnapped.
      Sammy Keys is a girl; she is 13 with brown eyes. She is curious because she tries to figure out who kidnapped the dog, and she tries to figure out who killed Mrs. Graybill; also, she follows a girl in school. Sammy is also caring because she goes to the hospital to visit Mrs. Graybill.  She is also scared because she went to the village by herself, she went to the cemetery by herself, and she went to the village when she could have gotten killed.
      The conflict in this book is murderer vs Mrs. Langvot. The struggle is that Mrs. Langvot lost her dog. Also the kidnapper wrote a note saying if you want your dog give me $50,000.00 dollars; don't call the cops or I'll hurt you. I think the theme of the book is that don't let yourself down or you can't do anything.
       I liked the novel, and it was surprising. The author did a good job describing the characters. He doesn't have to fix anything. This is the best book I have ever read. I would recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries.