Elfsong - Hardcover

Turner, Ann

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152008268 ISBN 13: 9780152008260

Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books, 1995

Synopsis

Maddy stumbles upon an elf while searching for her lost cat and witnesses the strange sights and sounds of elfin magic--a talent that, she discovers, is not all sweetness and light.

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6?The first volume in a projected trilogy. Maddy is sent to stay with her grandfather for the summer. On the first day of her visit, she sees an elf riding a cat. After that, things snowball until she and her grandfather end up helping the Eastern Clan battle The Horned One (an owl) and his mate. Some of the language Turner uses is stunning. However, she doesn't use it effectively to create a sense of place, or to fully develop her characters. Maddy's relationship with her grandfather seems to be based on their shared delight in the flip side of life, yet she does not confide in him about the elves?she leaves him to discover them on his own. The final hints that he had previous dealings with them come too late to support the middle of the story. Though Turner has a good ear for dialogue, she fails to infuse it with emotion. The elves do not come off as particularly believable, either. The sprinkling of elfin words is more distracting than charming, and though there is a glossary at the back of the book, it comes a little too late to be of much use. Finally, the need for a human alliance seems contrived, since the people don't provide anything more than sideline support during the final battle with The Horned One.?Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-7. Maddy has always found summers with Grandpa to be full of peace, joy, and nature. This summer is even more magical, for what begins as a search for her missing cat, Sabrina, becomes an exploration of the lush world of the forest where elves have lived for hundreds of years. Like the elves they discover, Maddy and Grandpa find that they also can hear birds speak and animals quarrel. Turner's ability to meld the real world with the magical one of the elves will be appreciated by young fantasy readers, who will easily migrate between the two worlds just as Maddy and Grandpa do. The conflict between Nata, who wants a relationship with the humans, and the other elves, who are terrified of the possibility, and the terror of the owl's hunt to destroy the elf population add suspense to what is in essence a gentle, poetic fantasy. It will be interesting to watch how Turner continues her mix of magic and reality in the other books in the planned trilogy. Frances Bradburn

About this edition

• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0152008268
• ISBN 13: 9780152008260
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 168