Afternoon of the Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle

This was not what I expected.  I thought it'd be a fun fantasy read with mellow characters and a bit of silliness.  Instead, this is the story of a young girl and her mother who have fallen through the cracks of social aid.  It's a bit sad and what's worse is it is true things like this happen...

Antheneum Books and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published May 16th.

Hillary is pretty much a loner at school.  She has casual friends, is good at her studies and doesn't attract much attention.  When a new student appears, she's wearing men's work shoes and clothes that hang on her.  She's not looking for friends.  But she lives right next door to Hillary.

When she offers to show Hillary an elf village, she can't say no.  She does say she doesn't believe in elves, but Sara-Kate does.  When she sees the small town and how things are put together, she's quite impressed.  She'd like to see an elf, too, but Sara-Kate says they've been hiding from humans for years and they're not about to be seen now.

As time goes on, Hillary helps repair the village after bad weather and she even begins to believe in elves.  She thinks maybe Sara-Kate is part elf.  But when she stays too long at their house, her mother comes to retrieve her and finds out what the situation is like at Sara-Kate's home.  Then everything falls apart.  The girls kept the secret but the Mom is "helping" them.

This story tugged at my heartstrings.  How do you know what's right for others?  When should you intercede?  And, if you do, you shouldn't desert the ones you're trying to help.  This story disturbed me.  I'll be thinking about it for a while.