What is the theme in Afternoon of the Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle?

Afternoon of the Elves shows the danger of spreading rumors and creating false impressions about people. Sara-Kate is ridiculed at school about her odd behavior. As someone who is "other," Sara-Kate is the victim of malicious lies and rumors. Jane and Alison spread a rumor about how the new bike Sara-Kate had ridden last spring was stolen. This causes Hillary to think of other minor missing items—a pencil case, and missing equipment from art class—and to blame Sara-Kate for their disappearance. Rumors are shown to have a snowball effect, raging out of control to the point they no longer reflect reality.