Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf -- Wendelin Van Draanen, Paperback

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" --Midwest Children's Book Review

The 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.

Author: Wendelin Van Draanen
Publisher: Yearling Books
Published: 05/09/2000
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.31lbs
Size: 7.74h x 5.02w x 0.53d
ISBN: 9780375802553
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.4
Point Value: 7
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 34513 / Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf

About the Author
WENDELIN VAN DRAANEN was a classroom teacher for many years before becoming a full-time writer. The books in the Sammy Keyes mystery series have been embraced by critics and readers alike, with Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief receiving the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best children's mystery. Wendelin is also the author of many award-winning novels, including Flipped, The Running Dream, Runaway, Confessions of a Serial Kisser, Swear to Howdy, The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones, and Wild Bird. You can find her online at WendelinVanDraanen.com and @WendelinVanD, and you can follow Sammy Keyes on Facebook.