Afternoon of the Elves is about two little girls who are complete opposites. Hilary has the perfect family, a mother and a father that love her and take care of her, and a close group of friends. Sara-Kate lives with her sick mother, has no friends, and is left to fend for herself. The story follows the formation of their unlikely friendship as Sara-Kate shares her elf world with Hilary. Intermingled with the story of their friendship is frequent social commentary on how we, as a society, view and respond to children such as Sara-Kate who are left to raise themselves. I remember loving this book as a kid. Mostly, I think, because of the descriptions of the miniature elf world in Sara-Kate's backyard. Reading this book as an adult, I recognize how beautifully written it is. But I don't like it. I feel that the book is not meant for children, as child, you could see the adults wanting to help Sara-Kate as doing something wrong. It is just to dark, and leaves to much unsaid on such a sensitive topic. And you don't get a sense of any of those deeper issues from the title or from reading the back. You might think you were just reading a happy, little, fantasy book about two girls who imagine a world of elves living in their backyard. But this book is much more than that and I wouldn't recommend reading it unless you are ready for that.
