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Type of bind: Paperback
EAN num: 9780142406434
ISBN number: 0142406430
Label: Puffin
Manufacturer: Puffin
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: August 03, 2006
Publishing house: Puffin
Age index: Young Adult
Sale Popularity Level: 795853
Studio: Puffin
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Abandoned by her parents, and then apprenticed to a witch, Mira is captivated by the other young apprentice, who adopts her as a sister. Mira would do anything for this beautiful girl— and that’s just what her sister bargains for. With the utterance of a simple spell, Mira’s body is turned to wood, her face to glass. Her only power is the magic her sister gives her, the power to make her sister a queen. But the sister disappears, and where one fairy tale ends, another begins. Mira is left to gather dust until a new hope arrives—a peasant girl with troubles of her own. Soon the two are on their way to find a new kind of magic, a magic that gives life instead of taking it.
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Rated by buyers 
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This book does less succesfully what other books in the 'twisted tales' genre have succeded at - re-telling a famous fairy tale from another angle and enriching the story. For a more sterling example try either Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (Harper Fiction) or Ella Enchanted (rack), both books are far better than Mira, Mirror.
I rather liked the concept - a book told from the point of view of the Evil Queen's Magic Mirror from Snow White. What falls short is the authors strange focus on torture and death. Bloody, cruel death. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE a good, dark tale -- but this book fails. If you want a shiver, try Coraline Movie Tie-in Edition before it explodes onto movie screens. Mira, Mirror depends far too much on the shock value of small cruelties than real character building. Half way through and I'm ready to put it down.....
Rated by buyers -
I very first read this when I was 11, and I loved it. I would've thought it was the best book in the world, and would have definitely given it a rating of 5 stars. (That was before Les Miserables and the Scarlett Letter came by)
A few days ago, I took it out of my shelf and read it again. Now, I'm giving it a rating of 4.5, which I will consider 5 stars. It is a great read for kids ages 8-12, and has the perfect combination of fantasy and mystery, with a twist from old classical tales. The age bracket it for kids udner 12 because I really felt that the writing was easy to read and comprehend, so for 12 year olds, it would be considered not as challenging as other books could be. (friends and family agree)
However, the ending was not as satifying as I thought it was years earlier. I couldn't help but wish there was an epilogue of some sort that would tell what happened to Ivana and Talia. But the ending was still good, as what happened (which I won't reveal in this review) felt like it really is what is supposed to have happened.
I would recommend this book to any kid's personal library of books, particularly girls who like reading about fantasy and magic.
Rated by buyers 
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I wasn't looking for it; in fact, I came to the bookstore for another book. Yet, I found myself taking home Mette Ivie Harrison's young adult novel, Mira, Mirror. Though I doubt it was the book cover that piqued my interest - the art reminded me of Lemony Snickett covers, cutesy but not arresting enough in and of itself. I did, however, find a story told from the point of view of the Wicked Queen's magic mirror, in the classic story of Snow White, interesting enough to keep me company on a rainy Maryland autumn afternoon.
At least, that was the plan. From the very first page to the last, this book kept me transfixed. It's not the usual young adult retelling of a fairy tale at all. It's darker, earthy and connects with one's emotions in ways much deeper than Disney's movies ever could.
Harrison introduces us to four female characters, Mira (who tells the story in the very first person narrative), her "sister" Amanda (who becomes the wicked step-mother of an absent Snow White), the peasant Ivana, and the merchant's daughter Talia. Each in her own way different. Each in her own way strong. How would you feel if you had been betrayed by one whom you thought of as a sister? To be trapped in the body of a mirror for more than a hundred years?
As I read, I wondered to myself:
What is beauty?
What does it mean to be "human"?
What is love?
"'Magic is born in death,' I said. 'But love is born in life, and death cannot end it.'"
Her words are beautiful, the meaning even more so. Even Harrison's ending left me thinking far into the night.
*from my blog at http://www.marikris.com
Rated by buyers -
I found the premise of Mira, Mirror to be extremely creative, and I really like the message at the heart of the book (that human love is greater than any magic) and the exploration of the bond between sisters. Unfortunately, there were other things about the book that just kept me from truly liking it. To begin with, I had a hard time finding sympathy for any of the characters for a long while. Mira's sister is, obviously, selfish and cruel, but Mira (though she is acting out of a lack of trust from extensive emotional wounds) is hardly any better as she manipulates those around her for her own gain throughout much of the story. Talia, the merchant's daughter, is also selfish, as well as spoiled, and Ivana, the only considerate character, is rather thick-headed the majority of the time. The face switch can be kind of confusing, as well. Of course, the characters' personalities get better as the tale progresses, as does the discerning of who is who, but it takes a bit too long for my taste.
The redemption qualities of some of the characters, too, didn't really cut it for me. I have a hard time seeing Mira's sister, especially, as anything but cruel. Yes, she had a hard life and has rare moments where she allowes her "love" to show through, but is that really enough? Also, the fact that Mira is a mirror throughout the book tended to bother me, as she is mostly an outsider in all the scenes. Maybe that was the point, but I sometimes had a hard time with her role in the story, which was often that of a bystander.
Finally, this may sound odd, but I don't think the cover art is right for the type of book this is. The artist portrays the girl on the cover (I am assuming she is the queen) as rather quirky and darkly humorous. Overall, the cover has a sort of fanciful feel to it, and Mira, Mirror is not fanciful; it is much darker than that. I'm not saying that dark fantasies are bad at all, just that I think a different kind of cover might have illustrated it better.
Like I said, Mira, Mirror has a lot of good qualities. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a fantasy that also contains a deeper look into the human emotion beneath it, or to those who want to read all the fantasy they can get their hands on, but not to someone who wants to be carried away and gripped by a heroine they can truly relate to.
Rated by buyers -
Do you remember the magic mirror in the fairy tale, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"? Where you ever curious about where the magic mirror came from, or who was in it? Well, in this truely original fairy tale, you find out how a young witch named Mira was put into the magic mirror, and how she has been trapped there for over a hundred years. This story begins around the time of Snow White, but most of the story takes place a hundred years later, when Mira tries to find a way to escape the mirror and return to human form. This story is not a sanitized "Disney" version of a fairy tale, but a true "dark" adventure like the original fairy tales written by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm. This fairy tale is not for the very young, or faint of heart ... but for those who yearn for unique adventure about a girl who was never shown love in her human life, but learns how to love and be loved while imprisoned in a magic mirror. The recommended age for this book is for grades 7-9, but I really wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under the age of 14, unless they where emotionally mature, because of the "dark" overtone of the story. This story is truely a "work of art" for all fans of the classic fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm.
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