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Introduction:
Elatsoe is a fantasy novel by Darcie Little Badger, published in 2020. It follows a Lipan Apache girl, Ellie, who can raise animals from the dead. She tries to solve her cousin’s mystery which is that her cousin got killed and she decides to investigate who killed him along with her ghost dog, Kirby. The author twists fantasy and mystery elements together to create this book.

Plot:
Seventeen-year-old Ellie is a Lipan Apache girl who can raise animals from the dead, a skill passed down through her family. She enjoys playing with her ghost dog, Kirby and admires her ancestor, Six-Great, who managed a pack of living and ghost dogs. One day, Kirby races through a wall, signaling something is wrong. Later, Ellie learns her cousin Trevor has been in a car accident and likely won’t survive. In a dream, Trevor tells Ellie he was murdered by a man named Abe Allerton and urges her to protect his family. When Ellie wakes up, she finds out Trevor has died. Her mother, Vivian, goes to help Trevor’s widow, Lenore, and Ellie convinces her dad to let her join him on the trip. Before leaving, Ellie spends time with her best friend, Jay, and learns that Jay’s sister’s boyfriend, Al, has proposed to Ronnie. On their way, Ellie picks up a trilobite fossil, hoping to raise its ghost. Upon arriving, Lenore asks Ellie to raise Trevor, but Ellie refuses, knowing human ghosts can be dangerous. The next day, the coroner claims Trevor’s death was an accident. Ellie is suspicious of Dr. Allerton, who wants to visit Trevor’s grave. A psychic named Chloe visits but Ellie doesn’t believe her, so she investigates further. With Jay and his psychic aunt, Ellie discovers the real location of Trevor’s death and learns he was attacked while trying to help someone. Ellie finds troubling information about Dr. Allerton and how he may have harmed Trevor.
Meanwhile, Lenore goes missing, prompting Ellie and Vivian to confront the Allerton mansion, which is filled with vampires. Ellie learns from a tribal elder about her ancestor’s tragic past. That night, she dreams of Trevor, who warns her about the upcoming bicentennial masquerade ball hosted by Dr. Allerton. When Ellie wakes up, she realizes Trevor’s ghost has returned. As they prepare to rescue Al, who has disappeared, Ellie and her friends enter the mansion. Ellie encounters Trevor’s ghost, who wants revenge for his death. She refuses to help him harm others, and with Kirby’s aid, she escapes. At the masquerade, Dr. Allerton’s exorcists manage to send Trevor’s ghost back to the underworld. Determined to stop Allerton’s secrets, Ellie calls upon her ancestors’ dogs and confronts him in the underworld. Kirby protects her during the struggle. Months later, Ellie is home with her new dog, Snickers, when Kirby’s ghost reappears, bringing a toy reminiscent of the ones Six-Great made for her dogs.

Analysis:
The author creates a character with the power of raising animals from the dead. This is shown through her ghost dog, Kirby. He is one of her only buddies in the book. Kirby symbolizes Ellie’s power. Kirby is also a guardian to Ellie as he protects her throughout the story, such as when Ellie went to Dr. Allerton only to find Trevor’s ghost who is trying to avenge his death. Kirby also is shown as a symbol of nostalgia. At the end of the book, when Kirby reappears, Ellie could see the ancestor-likeness of the dog. The interaction between Chloe and Ellie is interesting as Chloe is passionate with her, perhaps, acting, but Ellie knew it was all a lie. This interaction led to Ellie meeting Jay’s psychic aunt. Her psychic power is shown as powerful as she could read the place through her reading where Trevor died. The story also contains a twist as Trevor’s ghost told Ellie that Dr. Allerton was the one to murder him, but at the end, Ellie decided to help Dr. Allerton from Trevor’s revenge. The climax of the story shows Trevor’s ghost revenge and how Ellie tries to stop him from harming others. The theme of the story is life. This is shown in the book when Ellie has the power of raising animals from the dead and the book also connects life and death with Ellie’s power. The ancestors also supports the theme of life and death because they also have powers of raising animals from the dead.

Conclusion:
Elatsoe is a fantasy and mystery novel by Darcie Little Badger, published in 2020. The story is about a Lipan Apache girl, Ellie, who goes to find clues about her cousin, Trevor,’s death with her ghost dog, Kirby. She realizes that Trevor’s ghost wants to avenge Al Allerton, leading her to protect him with Kirby. Al Allerton makes Trevor’s ghost go back to the underworld. At the end, she has a new dog, Snickers, and when Kirby reappears, she felt her ancestor’s emotion from Kirby. The novel presents the theme of life and death. The connection between life and death is shown through Ellie’s power and her ancestors.