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Afternoon Of The Elves (Hardcover)
by Janet Taylor Lisle
| Category:
Friendship, Fiction, Award-winning books, Ages 9-12, Children's book |
| Market price: ¥ 198.00
MSL price:
¥ 168.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
This enchanting story about friendship reveals the beauty, wonder and mystery that lies within the imagination. |
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Description |
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Author: Janet Taylor Lisle
Publisher: Scholastic
Pub. in: September, 1989
ISBN: 0531058379
Pages: 128
Measurements: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BC00063
Other information:
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- Awards & Credential -
The winner of Newbery Honor book |
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- MSL Picks -
This is a difficult book to read and accept. It beautifully delivers a message that 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. Slowly, Sara-Kate's elfish 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.
This story 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.
Target readers:
Kids aged up 8
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Janet Taylor Lisle's novels for young readers include five selected as Best Books of the Year by School Library Journal: Sirens and Spies, The Lampfish of Twill, Forest, A Message from the Match Girl (from the Investigators of the Unknown series), and Afternoon of the Elves, a Newbery Honor Book. Her most recent title for Atheneum is The Art of Keeping Cool, a Horn Book Fanfare title and winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.
She lives with her family of the coast of Rhode Island.
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From Annette Curtis Klause, Montgomery County Department of Public Libraries
It's 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.
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| View all 5 comments |
A reader (MSL quote) , USA
<2006-12-28 00:00>
This book was a wonderful story that had me dreaming about it every night. Nine year-old Hillery Loxanne is invited over her next-door neighbor's house to play. Sounds like an ordinary day, right? Well it's not so normal when you live next to the weirdest girl, or family in town. Sara-Kate Colonne is the eleven year-old who lives with her mom who is "always sick”. A tiny, delicate village is found in Sara-Kate's junky over grown yard. Who could have made it? Sara-Kate believes its elves. There’s nothing special about her, but maybe the elves saw something that maybe Hillery could see to in Sara-Kate. This book will have you dreaming about enchanting and thrilling things that will have you fall in love with this book just as I have. |
Tzu-Ting Liao (MSL quote), Japan, Osaka
<2006-12-28 00:00>
I love this book because it was so good. I can't actually tell if it was a sad ending or a happy ending. You can't ever hate this book because it has a great (or the greatest) plot. The first part of the book was Hilary and her best friends hates Sarah-Kate. But Hilary is beginning to like her. Sara-Kate had found elves building houses. Hilary was the only one who can go over and look. But her friends don't agree... |
Indiansmms (MSL quote), KY
<2006-12-28 00:00>
11 year old, Sara-Kate, and 9 years old, Hillary, find there lives full of magic and suspense as they work on the mysterious elf village. Hillary finds herself walking slowly up the stairs of Sara-Kates house. When she gets there she sees a light flowing from beneath the door. She walks toward the door to find... well you will have to find that out for yourself. Later on in the book Hillary begins to be really good friends with Sara-Kate. They were at a party at Sara-Kate's house when Hillary asked her if she was an elf, but before she could answer there was a knock on the door. This is a wonderful book that teaches you that you can be friends with any one. It doesn't matter how different they are from you. All in all, I recommend this book to people who believe in fairytales. |
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-28 00:00>
When I say this book I thought it would be a fantasy book but when I started reading it I found out it wasn't fantasy it was a story about the friendship of two girls, Sara-Kate and Hillary, Sara-Kate an unpopular girl who is afraid and Hillary who is more popular. They become friends because Sara-Kate says she has Elves in her backyard and even though many rumors about Sara-Kate are going around and many people keep telling Hillary to stop being her friend there friendship still sticks together!! |
View all 5 comments |
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