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Afternoon of the Elves
by Janet Taylor Lisle
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (1991-06)
ISBN: 0590439448
EAN: 9780590439442
Paperback: 122 pages
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
SKU: M131236
Condition: New
Comments: 0590439448 Book free of markings. Cover shows very minimal shelf wear. This book shows no evidence of having been used; gift quality, pretty. Your book will be carefully protected for transit in sturdy, weather-resistant packaging. We are prompt, efficient, communicative.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
When her misfit classmate Sara-Kate tells her that elves have built a miniature village in her backyard, Hillary wonders why elves would choose to associate with the outcast girl. Reprint. Newbery Honor Book. AB. K. H. "
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Customer Reviews
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Bittersweet reality, not fantasy
Rating  (4)
Date: 2007-10-17
This is a story of two young girls - Hillary, fortunate and comfortable in her family home, and her backyard neighbor, Sara-Kate, poor and outcast and forced to take care of herself. It is a story told convincingly in the voice of Hillary, as she slowly enters first the magical world of Sara-Kate's imagination, and then the cold and deprived world of Sara-Kate's real-life situation. The ending is not a happy one, but neither is it hopeless or overly sad ending.
My nine-year-old daughter told me that she thought it was a very well written book, but the ending was not satisfying to her. She's correct, it is not a "satisfying" ending, but it is probably the truest and best ending for all that. My daughter failed to appreciate fully the transformation of Hillary, so that the open-ended last page seemed to dangle into uncertainty. For adults and more mature readers, this open ending is a sign that Hillary has moved forward and beyond her once-ordinary self.
I am surprised by the range of reactions to this book from kid reviewers - some kids taking it mostly at face value, as a story of mystery and imagination, and only a few seeing that it is mostly about friendship, emotional vulnerability, trust, and the sometimes unfairness of life. Personally, I think it is an excellent book, but I would recommend it only for middle school and more mature grade school kids. Younger and less mature readers will miss out on too much, failing to understand the deeper meaning.
If you are familiar with another Newbery Honor book, "The Hundred Dresses" by Eleanor Estes, then I think you'll know where this book is coming from. Afternoon of the Elves is also about imagination in the face of poverty and unintentional childhood cruelty, and about the redeeming emotions of the central character, who comes to see things in a new way, although perhaps a bit too late. I strongly recommend "The Hundred Dresses" for ages 7-11, and "Afternoon of the Elves" for ages 9-14.
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Great book teaches about acceptance
Rating  (5)
Date: 2007-06-18
I love this book. I read it to my class every year. In the story, two neighbor girls become unlikely friends. Sara-Kate is not fashionably dressed and does not have friends at school. Hillary lives a very "normal" life and is part of a clique. As Hillary spends time in Sara-Kate's messy yard, perfect for the elves she longs to see, she learns to question what "normal" means. She begins to see that there is more than one way to look at something and to be more accepting of other points of view. The ending leads to great class discussion.
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Pulled Me In
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-10-23
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
From the very start I knew I would love this book. I was right! It is full of adventure and suspence. At some moments it is sad, at some moments it is scary, and at some moments it is happy. It is about two verry diferent girls who become friends and soon they realise that they are more similar than they think. They are named Hilary and Sarah Kate. Hillary is clean and normal. Sarah Kate has a backyard cluttered and messy. The two girls play together in Sarah Kate's yard. They take care of an elfe village with little houses, pools, ferris wheels, and gardens. Sarah Kate has a verry short temper, but Hillary learns that nomader what Sarah Kate will always forgive her. Sarah Kate never talks about her family or herself, just about the elves. She naver gets cold, never menchions her mother, never invites Hillary into herhouse, and never goes to Hillary's house herself. Sarah Kate runs errands for her mom all over town by herself. Just whene the girls become better friends than they ever where before somthing tragic happens. Can Hillary run the elfe village byh herself?
I think this book is wonderful for boys and girls. I could not put the book down and finished it in one day.
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The Afternoon of the Elves
Rating (4)
Date: 2005-10-11
1 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
This book is really good! I really enjoyed reading it! In the book there's two girls named Hilary and Sarah-Kate. They find something magical in Sarah-Kate's backyard. You'll have to read the book to find out what it's about! IT'S GREAT!
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Deep Downer
Rating  (1)
Date: 2005-05-30
2 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
Janet Taylor Lisle hooks you in with a story that evokes the best of popular fantasy with some Pippi Longstocking thrown in. Then she sucker punches you with a depressing dose of misfortune devoid of fantasy and stripped down to a cold, sad version of reality that shocks and confounds. The denouement involves mental illness, neglect and orphaning. For more on this kind of approach to youth literature, check out "Welcome to Lizard Motel" by Barbara Feinberg.
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