Elidor
#6153.85 adjusted 3.87 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1965 Reading commitment Low Alan Garner Last reviewed 2026-09-06
Overview
Elidor (1965) is a standalone children's fantasy novel by Alan Garner, published in the United Kingdom by William Collins, Sons. Four English siblings living in Manchester find a doorway, through the ruins of a derelict church, into Elidor, a dying otherworld under siege from encroaching darkness, and are tasked with guarding four ordinary-looking treasures needed to restore its light; back home in their own world, the treasures keep interfering with household electricity, and something from Elidor wants them returned by any means necessary. The novel was a commended runner-up for the Carnegie Medal, the Library Association's award for the year's best children's book by a British author, and has since been translated into at least nine languages. It was adapted into a six-part BBC children's television serial broadcast in early 1995, and remains one of Garner's best-known works alongside The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Owl Service.
Portal fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Elidor (1965) core · 3.85 (3,719 ratings); Standalone children's portal fantasy: four English siblings in Manchester find a doorway, through a derelict church, into the dying otherworld of Elidor, and must guard four magical treasures needed to restore its light. First published by William Collins, Sons (UK, 1965); a commended runner-up for the Carnegie Medal. Confirmed as a separate, unrelated universe from Alan Garner's other two already-admitted works, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Owl Service.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Elidor? Elidor's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Elidor finished? Complete (1965).
- How much reading does Elidor take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~173 pages).
- How is Elidor ranked? #615 in this site's official ranking, based on 3,719 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #615?
Ranked #615 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.85 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (3,719 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.02 behind #614, Lavinia.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 1 book · Complete · 4k ratings · Ranks #615 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment portal fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No juried award win found; a commended Carnegie Medal runner-up mention is recorded in the notes above.
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Suggestions computed from what Elidor and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Phantom Tollbooth Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.20
- Brave Story Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.19
- Mio, My Son Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.10
- Tom's Midnight Garden Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.05
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.85 across 3,719 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit Elidor (Alan Garner) accepted 2026-09-06
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Elidor Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-09-06
Rule: A single standalone novel (William Collins, Sons, 1965); registered as one Core Canon entry.