Afternoon of the Elves [Paperback]

Janet Taylor Lisle (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Novel

Hillary doesn't believe all the mean things she hears about Sara-Kate. Sure, she wears weird clothes and she lives in a dumpy house, but if Sara-Kate's as bad as everyone says, how could she take such good care of the elf village in her backyard? She and Hillary spend hours fixing the tiny stick houses and the miniature Ferris wheel so the elves won't move away. But as Hillary is drawn further into Sara-Kate's world, she learns there are other mysteries besides the elves. Why doesn't anyone ever see Sara-Kate's mother? And why isn't anyone allowed in her house? This updated edition will bring new life to Janet Taylor Lisle's best-selling novel.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This enchanting story about friendship reveals the beauty, wonder and mystery that lies within the imagination. With rare talent, Lisle ( Sirens and Spies , The Great Dimpole Oak ) conveys a girl's vision of magic and truth through a montage of surreal images. Sara-Kate, the poorest, least reputable girl in school, invites Hillary home to see what the village elves have built in her yard. Among the overgrown weeds and piles of rubbish, Hillary discovers an incredible landscape filled with miniature houses. During the next few weeks, the girls work together to create their own additions to the village. Hoping to catch a glimpse of the tiny inhabitants, Hillary becomes more aware of her surroundings and eventually gains insight about her new friend. Then Hillary's mother learns about Sara-Kate's decrepit house and the girl's ailing mother, who lives upstairs. Sara-Kate is sent away to relatives in Kansas, her mother is placed in an institution, and only the village remains. Ultimately, the book suggests that friendship is as eternal as magic--even after Sara-Kate has left, her presence is still felt. Ages 9-11.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- A fascinating portrayal of a manipulative yet touching friendship. Nine-year-old Hillary lives in comfortable suburbia with her parents. In the house behind lives tough, independent Sara-Kate. Her father's gone, her sick mother hides, she dresses like an urchin, and is despised and mocked at school. However, Hillary stumbles on Sara-Kate's secret; she tends a tiny village in her weed-filled back yard, a village where she says elves live. Hillary is fascinated, and in helping her neighbor maintain the village, gradually becomes closer to Sara-Kate despite her school friends' disdain and parental disapproval. She starts not only to believe in elves, but also to wonder if Sara-Kate is not one herself. The ambiguous clues as to whether Sara-Kate is really an elf or just a disturbed child are so well wrought that readers will be as uncertain as Hillary. The children's emotions and behavior are believable and authentic, depicted clearly without over-explaining, especially Hillary's inner conflict. Lisle captures the subtlety of childhood feelings and perceptions, while maintaining a language and style accessible to average readers. Hillary grows from a bland follower to someone who knows that it is she, ultimately, who must make up her mind, despite the opinions of those around her, and perhaps become a little like all that was good in Sara-Kate herself. --Annette Curtis Klause, Montgomery County Department of Public Libraries, MD
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (May 24, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0698118065
• ISBN-13: 978-0698118065
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #253,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tragic judgment on our comfortable social assumptions, March 22, 2000

By 

Margaret Fiore - See all my reviews

This review is from: Afternoon Of The Elves (Hardcover)

This is a difficult book to read and accept. It beautifully delivers a message that I think most readers will dodge, particularly young readers, but perhaps most well-trained adults as well. It points out that our society's politically correct response to some social situations may be morally completely wrong.

Hillary is a happy kid from a good home, with plenty of happy friends. But she is fascinated by her next-door neighbor Sara-Kate in spite of her junk-filled yard, her ratty clothes, and her strange ways. Sara-Kate, you see, has elves in her back yard. And an inordinate amount of knowledge of the strong and independent ways of elves. Slowly, Sara-Kate's elvish charm draws Hillary closer, until finally Hillary enters into Sara-Kate's fantasy along with her. As this happens, Hillary also begins to absorb the ugly reality that the fantasy makes bearable: Sara-Kate's father has left, and sends odd bits of money sometimes. Sara-Kate's beloved mother is sick, mentally ill, and Sara-Kate cares for her like a child, hiding the reality from the world so that authorities won't take her mother away from her as before.

There are two levels to the story. On the surface, there is the story of an odd, graceless outcast slowly charming another child away from her old friends with the intensity of her fantasies. Below, however, is the story of an abandoned child and mother, and more, the story of an unusually loyal, strong and resourceful child forced by her mother's mental illness to take on incredible responsibility.

It is a terrible story. By that, I mean that it draws a picture of a horrible mental and physical ordeal. The beautiful fantasy that sustains this unusual kid has the power of its creator's determination. And the sadness of the story is offset by the amazing nobility and optimism of an unusual character.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Surreal, enchanting, and more than a little odd., May 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Afternoon of the Elves (Paperback)

I wasn't sure what to make of this book after I finished reading it. I think it makes big statements about social conditions and imagination vs. reality that, judging from the reviews posted here, younger readers do not quickly pick up on.

I am still filled with conflicting emotions about the end of this book. Clearly, it was necessary for the authorities to intervene and take Sara-Kate and her mother away. But the author seems to condemn this action, looking through the eyes of Hillary, who tries to persuade her mother that Sara-Kate would have been just fine had she been left alone in her broken-down home and property, stealing and lying to stay alive. There seems to be an elevation of a child's imagination (taken to extremes) over reality; that somehow Hillary's perspective was right and that of the adults was wrong.

I also seemed to pick up on a dark note at the very end with the line about Hillary seeming to have "disappeared." It's almost as if Sara-Kate's elf world sucked Hillary in so effectively that she was destined to "become" Sara-Kate herself--distant, cold, manipulative, and blinded by her fantasies. A disconnection from the real world seemed to have taken place.

Now, I have focused on the negative aspects in this book. It does indeed contain elements of freshness, spark, and a healthy dose of imaginative playfulness. But I found the story to be more haunting than refreshing, more disillusioning than enlightening. This book is very well-written, but strange. Just strange.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for both adults and children, March 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Afternoon of the Elves (Paperback)

Many books that receive the Newbery Honors award seem to blend into obscurity in a short time, while their Newbery Medal associates become widely read and praised. Imagine my shock to find that there were no copies of the book at my local bookstore and several large bookstores! Lisle's beautifully written novel is one that must not be overlooked. Children will be intoxicated by the mystery of the elves and Sara Kate's elf-like presence. But there are other issues at the heart of the book: how are those that are different in our society treated, especially the impoverished? What happens to children with parents who are unable to care for them? There are also several pertinent points on the theme of friendship--what makes a real friend and why one must choose them wisely. One step into Sara Kate's world and you'll be hooked. Buy this book and share it with everyone you know!