My favorite Sammy Keyes book yet. While Sammy cannot be described as a truly "dynamic" character in the strictest sense--she needs to remain largely consistent through the series, after all--she does go through her moments of reflection and growth as she moves through each book. Book number 4, 'The Runaway Elf', portrays some of these moments most effectively of the five books I've read so far (And I do hope to finish the series eventually, if they continue anything NEARLY as good as this one!). Her relationship with Elyssa is touching, and what transpires with old Mrs. Graybill is definitely one of Van Draanen's nicest pieces of work...but I don't want to give it away. It IS evidence that you really don't want to read the books out of order, if you can possibly follow through the series as written. Without giving out a spoiler, I will say there is a moment I LOVED midway through the book (p. 85, to be exact) when Sammy looks at the lives of Mrs. Graybill and "cranky ol' Mr. Petersen". Thinking about how they had turned out the way they are as adults, she says "There was no way I ever wanted to look back at a picture of myself at seventeen and not recognize me."Of course, there is plenty that is still reliable and constant. Heather Acosta, Sammy's chief nemesis, remains as evil as ever; but having read this book, I can't help but wonder if she might ever find redemption and if she and Sammy might ever find some common ground. I don't expect it to be anytime soon. There's a lot more ground to cover in the series. Can't wait to see what happens next!
Honestly, for my kids and I this book seemed to take forever to get good. It relies on prior knowledge; you have to read the first books in the series, I think. By chapter 6 or so, I had to spend 3 minutes each night convincing the kids that we should finish what we started while they whinged and conplained, wanting me to change books. It wasn't until chapter 14 or 15 that their interest lifted and I was actually enjoying what I was reading. By then, it was pretty good but damn it was a struggle before that. The hardest thing I found was the constant and random swapping between present and past tense. Sometimes mid-sentence. For a person who loves the English language, it was just really jarring and difficult to read aloud. From my point of view, he good parts - mostly in the latter half - were really quite good. And in balance, there was very little that was specifically bad. But I go with the kids, and for them, it wasn't a keeper I'm afraid.
Do You like book Sammy Keyes And The Runaway Elf (2000)?
In this book, it is Christmas and Sammy has another mystery to solve. I really enjoyed this book because of the point of view the author wrote it in. It felt like I was a detective trying to solve out who did the pranks in the books. I also like how the author gave out nicknames to his friends. This book created a movie in my head which was good because i know what is going on more clearly. I recommend this book to elementary and middle school because this book is easy to read. I also recommend this book because it is a mystery so it gets you curious of what is going to happen through out the book.
—Kevin
It is Christmas time for Sammy and she has another mystery to solve. During the Christmas parade, the Pomeranian dog was kidnapped by three mysterious people. Mrs. Landvogt, the owner of the dog blackmails Sammy that she expose Sammy's secret if she does not help her find her dog. This is your typical Sammy Keyes mystery book where Sammy is on another case to solve another mystery. I recommend this book for people who liked any of the other Sammy Keyes books and also people who like to read mystery.
—Henry
