The Magic Mirror

March 14, 2016
In this medieval adventure, Long (Whistle in the Dark) blends classic fairy tale elements with swift pacing and broad humor. Created through a combination of alchemy and glassmaking, the magic mirror of the title reveals different truths to those who behold it. After drawing readers in with a scene teasing royal murder and intrigue, Long jumps ahead 10 years as the mirror comes into the possession of a 15-year-old foundling named Margaret, known for her limp. Margaret sees a man with wild green eyes in the mirror, and she decides to seek him out, fleeing the home of her ill-tempered protector after the threat of an unwanted betrothal. Once on the road, Margaret encounters a motley crew including a highway robber, a musically talented pilgrim, and a princess to whom Margaret bears a striking resemblance. While some of the narrative devices used are a bit convenient, Long’s story is full of twists and surprises. Margaret may not get a traditional happy ending, but her triumph proves all the more satisfying for it. Ages 8–12. Agent: Heather Schroder, Compass Talent.

March 1, 2016
A foundling girl searches for the man she saw in a magic mirror. Margaret--sometimes called Maggot--lives in a harsh, dirty, and often disgusting medievallike world (largely inhabited, as these worlds are, by white characters). Taken in by a woman named Minka after she was found alone in a church, Margaret has been persecuted all her life because of her twisted leg. Even Minka, who the narrative asserts really loves Margaret, hits and berates her. When a friendly peddler saves Margaret from the village bullies, she trades her crutch for a magic mirror that shows the beholder's true desire. Spying a wild-eyed man in the glass, Margaret decides to journey to find him. Along the way, she falls in with robbers and pilgrims, and all problems unravel with unbelievable ease--most by the convenient appearance of just the right people at the exact moments they're needed. Arriving in the capital, Margaret is believed to be the long-thought-dead princess, and it turns out that everyone in the story is intimately connected--a coincidence that adds to a generally implausible plot. Fans of body humor will find much to entertain in the profuse number of farts and burps. Though Margaret and some of the other characters are likable, the predictability and unbelievable nature of the story make it ultimately disappointing. (Historical fantasy. 9-13)

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May 1, 2016

Gr 4-7-A magic mirror, traded for Margaret's crutch, sets off a merry fugue of medieval travels. Although the focus continually returns to Margaret, the lives of a delightful cast of characters, including her sullen mistress, a wily peddler, a boy with bagpipes, a monk, a beggar, a lonely and frightened princess, and even the wild-eyed man whose face appears to Margaret in the mirror, are gradually untangled and rewoven together. The sense of anticipation as connections are revealed to readers before the characters make them is fun and pushes the story forward. These twists and turns may be a concern for struggling readers, but period-inspired comedy will maintain engagement, especially when combined with such a lively plot. The whip-smart dialogue plainly divulges deep characterization without falling back on tiresome exposition. Although the book, including the cover art, seems to advertise a fairy tale, the historical aspects of the novel actually shine brighter, even when they focus on some of the lighter aspects of medieval life.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2016
Grades 3-6 Margaret, a crippled orphan girl, has the worst luck. She is taunted and teased by local boys at the market, and her caretaker, Minka, has no patience for her. When she happens upon a peddler named Bilious, who saves her from the bullies, she thinks her life might just change for the better. Bilious gifts her with a magic mirror, which he says will show her her heart's desire. When Margaret, who is already desperate to escape a marriage pact with the local hunchback, sees a green-eyed, red-haired man in the mirror, she is convinced he is her father and runs away. But Minka and Bilious are hot on her trail, and her adventure does not go as planned, instead giving her hope and fear in equal measure as she encounters both thieves and friends. Long, known mostly for historical and realistic fiction, takes to the fractured fairy tale genre well. Fans of slightly silly adventures will enjoy this, cheering for Margaret as she hurtles along her wild journey.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2017
Foundling Margaret trades her crutch for a magic mirror and sets out to pursue her heart's desire. Her quest quickly becomes entangled with the stories of other familiar fantasy types, each driven by their own desires. Aside from Margaret, characters are broadly drawn, and the meandering plot is over-reliant on coincidence; but Long's prose sparkles, and the medieval setting is drawn with engaging detail.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)