"Sara-Kate Connolly thinks she's got elves," eleven-year-old Hillary tells her mother one day after spending an afternoon in the Connolly's neighboring yard. And, indeed, it appears that she does have them, if the elaborate elf village in Sara-Kate's yard is any indication of truth. Hillary's fascination with Sara-Kate, her elves and her mysterious home life grows as she becomes more and more involved in her alternate world. Changing perceptions of reality resonate as a central theme in a finely crafted novel. (Ages 9-12)