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The Magic Mirror: Concerning a Lonely Princess, a Foundling Girl, a Scheming King and a Pickpocket Squirrel
The twisty-turny journey of a girl searching for her heart’s desire—glimpsed in a magic mirror. Perfect for fans of Rump or Catherine, Called Birdy
A foundling girl with a crooked leg and a crutch doesn’t expect life to be easy. Indeed, Maggie’s dearest wish is to simply not feel so alone. So when she spies a man behind bars in a magic mirror said to show one’s truest desire, she feels sure he is the father she’s always longed for—and she sets off on a quest to find him.
Along the way, Maggie meets both kindly pilgrims and dastardly highwaymen. She discovers she bears a striking resemblance to the princess Petranilla. Their connection is so remarkable that Petra believes Maggie must be her lost sister who fell from the castle wall and was swept downriver as a baby.
What a turn of fate! From reviled foundling to beloved royal! But being the lost princess turns out to be more curse than blessing given the schemes of the current king... And if Maggie’s a princess, then who is the man she spied in the magic mirror?
This is a grand middle grade adventure story full of mistaken identities, lost loves, found families, and a tantalizing tinge of magic.
"I love this book—an uproarious, thoughtful, touching, absurd, ans altogether splendid adventure." —Karen Cushman, Newbery Medal-winning author of The Midwife's Apprentice and Catherine, Called Birdy
A foundling girl with a crooked leg and a crutch doesn’t expect life to be easy. Indeed, Maggie’s dearest wish is to simply not feel so alone. So when she spies a man behind bars in a magic mirror said to show one’s truest desire, she feels sure he is the father she’s always longed for—and she sets off on a quest to find him.
Along the way, Maggie meets both kindly pilgrims and dastardly highwaymen. She discovers she bears a striking resemblance to the princess Petranilla. Their connection is so remarkable that Petra believes Maggie must be her lost sister who fell from the castle wall and was swept downriver as a baby.
What a turn of fate! From reviled foundling to beloved royal! But being the lost princess turns out to be more curse than blessing given the schemes of the current king... And if Maggie’s a princess, then who is the man she spied in the magic mirror?
This is a grand middle grade adventure story full of mistaken identities, lost loves, found families, and a tantalizing tinge of magic.
"I love this book—an uproarious, thoughtful, touching, absurd, ans altogether splendid adventure." —Karen Cushman, Newbery Medal-winning author of The Midwife's Apprentice and Catherine, Called Birdy
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 10, 2016
28 people are currently reading
671 people want to read
About the author
Susan Hill Long
25 books14 followersSusan Hill Long, graduate of Bowdoin College, resident of Portland, Ore., is the author of many children's books.
She is also published as Susan Hill and Frances Ann Ladd.
She is also published as Susan Hill and Frances Ann Ladd.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
February 21, 2016
What do you want from a fairy tale? Magic? Romance? Derring-do? Despicable villainy? Academics and scholars have puzzled and puzzed until their puzzlers were sore over what it is about the European fairy tale genre that so enthralls us. Recently fairy tale lovers have seen the entertainment industry discover that fairy tales are still a primo source of capital. On the book side of things, I’ve seen a distinct uptick in retellings of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and more in the last five years. Classic fairy tales have it easy. It’s the newbies that have a hard time going. How do you get a foothold in a genre that’s been in existence for centuries? In The Magic Mirror by Susan Hill Long, the author decides to simplify. Merely take the elements that suit the story best (highway robbers, princesses, and just a smidgen of magic) and then weave in some surprisingly stellar writing. The result is fairy tale fare that reminds one of nothing so much as the best of Gail Carson Levine. Funny, friendly, witty and sly, this makes for perfect bedtime reading.
Margaret (or Maggot, depending on who’s talking about her) should technically be grateful for her life. Though she sports a lame foot (an “accident of birth” she’s been told) and is an orphan, she has a roof over her head, food in her belly, and aside from avoiding Thomas, the local bully, not too much trouble in life. But of course she’s desperately lonely, and that’s a problem that’s hard to cure. When she makes the acquaintance of a man with a wooden leg, she receives in a trade a mirror capable of showing anyone their heart’s desire. But what she sees when she peers into it is a strange wild-eyed man she’s never laid eyes on before. When Minka, the woman who cares for Margaret, decides to marry her off, our heroine decides that leg or no leg she is not going to have her life decided for her. And in the course of her adventures she’ll little suspect there are royal mix-ups, a king with little in the way of fatherly feelings, a boy with a bagpipe, and a light-fingered squirrel in her very near future.
Is anyone going to challenge me when I say that comparing a book, any book, to The Princess Bride is never a good idea? The Princess Bride inspires a loving fandom that jealously guards its unique storytelling. Still, there are many familiar tropes in that book/film. A princess, a pirate, giants, swordplay, you name it. When writing a new fairy tale you Harry Potter it. You take those familiar elements and weave them into something new. So when Ms. Long wrote The Magic Mirror she did exactly the same thing. Additionally, by splitting her narrative into an increasingly large cast of characters, she gives it a distinctly Princess Bride-like feel. It has humor and fights and baddies in all the same ways. When Kirkus reviewed this book they said that it was predictable and unbelievable (because of the coincidences in the plot). I’d counter that there’s nothing any more predictable or unbelievable here than you’d find in any modern fairy tale, be it Ella Enchanted or Frozen, and just as much joy.
In this particular case it’s Long’s descriptions and characters that stay with a reader long after the book has been put down. Even the foulest villain has an emotional weak spot, and characters that are set up to seem like baddies at the beginning (like Minka) turn out to be pretty soft in the end. Plus you really root for these characters. Some authors think it necessary to drown their villains in a thick sauce of sadism so that when the heroes triumph it’s an even keener victory. But when writing books for 9-12 year olds there’s no need to pile on the bloodshed. In the right writers’ hands, as long as the antagonist is preventing the heroes from their happy ending, that’s all you really need to do to keep the plot moving at a sharp clip. I liked the people I met in this book, but the descriptions were probably my favorite aspect of the novel. Lines like, “Her voice climbed up the sentence like a ladder, and quavered at the top,” make me happy. Ditto wisdoms like “It’s all in the angle of the squint.” Or a description of a cathedral’s shadows where a character “shuffled away from the creeping dark so that she might escape God’s notice.”
I did experience a palpable sense of relief that it was written today, though. Since Margaret has a physical disability (a foot and leg injured long ago that were never set correctly) there is a brief suggestion at one point that there might be a magical remedy to her problem. I was reminded of a similar middle grade novel Handbook for Dragon Slayers which also starred a girl with an injured limb. In that book a cure for her disability is bandied about and ultimately rejected in an excellent manner. Indeed, the book went on to win a Schneider Family Book Award given annually to books that embody, “an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.” Reading The Magic Mirror I had the very clear sense that if this book had been written in the past an easy cure for Margaret’s leg would have been part of the story’s happy ending and that would be that. These days such endings are mildly insulting answers to what, in truth, are very real problems. Happily The Magic Mirror does not fall into such a trap (though sadly the heroine does have some unfortunate thoughts about a successful man with a hunch on his back that did not gel well with the book’s otherwise positive embrace of disability).
As it happens, I did find one particular aspect of the book problematic. This is Ms. Long’s second novel so while the bones of this story are strong there are aspects to the writing that will need a bit of strengthening in the future. Specifically, the exposition. Now the art of exposition is learned, not born. Filling the reader in on a hitherto unknown back-story is no easy task. At best, back-story is woven into the dialogue so naturally the reader is hardly aware that they’re learning about what’s come before. Clunky back-story, in contrast, places huge chunks of it en masse in the same general vicinity of the novel. Alas, near the end of The Magic Mirror the author has set herself up to reveal not just the back-story of our heroine, but of at least three to four other people as well. The result is ultimately somewhat confusing, with new characters popping up (a midwife, a thief’s wife) to fill in the details out of the blue. Without a character guide (which would, admittedly, give away some of the plot) there is little to help kids distinguish between Petra vs. Minka vs. Margaret.
For all that there is a magic mirror in the story the book is pretty devoid of magical activities. You won’t find dragons or wizards or much of anything out of this world here, with the sole exception of the mirror itself. It’s almost a pity that it’s in the title since you could probably hand this title to kids that only like realism (and they do indeed exist) and they’d get just as much out of it as the most ravenous fantasy fan. While it’s not a perfect novel, it is a ripping good yarn that keeps you enthralled from page one onward. Will you see where it’s going? Maybe. But you’ll enjoy the sights along the way. Fine fantastical stuff.
For ages 9-12.
Margaret (or Maggot, depending on who’s talking about her) should technically be grateful for her life. Though she sports a lame foot (an “accident of birth” she’s been told) and is an orphan, she has a roof over her head, food in her belly, and aside from avoiding Thomas, the local bully, not too much trouble in life. But of course she’s desperately lonely, and that’s a problem that’s hard to cure. When she makes the acquaintance of a man with a wooden leg, she receives in a trade a mirror capable of showing anyone their heart’s desire. But what she sees when she peers into it is a strange wild-eyed man she’s never laid eyes on before. When Minka, the woman who cares for Margaret, decides to marry her off, our heroine decides that leg or no leg she is not going to have her life decided for her. And in the course of her adventures she’ll little suspect there are royal mix-ups, a king with little in the way of fatherly feelings, a boy with a bagpipe, and a light-fingered squirrel in her very near future.
Is anyone going to challenge me when I say that comparing a book, any book, to The Princess Bride is never a good idea? The Princess Bride inspires a loving fandom that jealously guards its unique storytelling. Still, there are many familiar tropes in that book/film. A princess, a pirate, giants, swordplay, you name it. When writing a new fairy tale you Harry Potter it. You take those familiar elements and weave them into something new. So when Ms. Long wrote The Magic Mirror she did exactly the same thing. Additionally, by splitting her narrative into an increasingly large cast of characters, she gives it a distinctly Princess Bride-like feel. It has humor and fights and baddies in all the same ways. When Kirkus reviewed this book they said that it was predictable and unbelievable (because of the coincidences in the plot). I’d counter that there’s nothing any more predictable or unbelievable here than you’d find in any modern fairy tale, be it Ella Enchanted or Frozen, and just as much joy.
In this particular case it’s Long’s descriptions and characters that stay with a reader long after the book has been put down. Even the foulest villain has an emotional weak spot, and characters that are set up to seem like baddies at the beginning (like Minka) turn out to be pretty soft in the end. Plus you really root for these characters. Some authors think it necessary to drown their villains in a thick sauce of sadism so that when the heroes triumph it’s an even keener victory. But when writing books for 9-12 year olds there’s no need to pile on the bloodshed. In the right writers’ hands, as long as the antagonist is preventing the heroes from their happy ending, that’s all you really need to do to keep the plot moving at a sharp clip. I liked the people I met in this book, but the descriptions were probably my favorite aspect of the novel. Lines like, “Her voice climbed up the sentence like a ladder, and quavered at the top,” make me happy. Ditto wisdoms like “It’s all in the angle of the squint.” Or a description of a cathedral’s shadows where a character “shuffled away from the creeping dark so that she might escape God’s notice.”
I did experience a palpable sense of relief that it was written today, though. Since Margaret has a physical disability (a foot and leg injured long ago that were never set correctly) there is a brief suggestion at one point that there might be a magical remedy to her problem. I was reminded of a similar middle grade novel Handbook for Dragon Slayers which also starred a girl with an injured limb. In that book a cure for her disability is bandied about and ultimately rejected in an excellent manner. Indeed, the book went on to win a Schneider Family Book Award given annually to books that embody, “an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.” Reading The Magic Mirror I had the very clear sense that if this book had been written in the past an easy cure for Margaret’s leg would have been part of the story’s happy ending and that would be that. These days such endings are mildly insulting answers to what, in truth, are very real problems. Happily The Magic Mirror does not fall into such a trap (though sadly the heroine does have some unfortunate thoughts about a successful man with a hunch on his back that did not gel well with the book’s otherwise positive embrace of disability).
As it happens, I did find one particular aspect of the book problematic. This is Ms. Long’s second novel so while the bones of this story are strong there are aspects to the writing that will need a bit of strengthening in the future. Specifically, the exposition. Now the art of exposition is learned, not born. Filling the reader in on a hitherto unknown back-story is no easy task. At best, back-story is woven into the dialogue so naturally the reader is hardly aware that they’re learning about what’s come before. Clunky back-story, in contrast, places huge chunks of it en masse in the same general vicinity of the novel. Alas, near the end of The Magic Mirror the author has set herself up to reveal not just the back-story of our heroine, but of at least three to four other people as well. The result is ultimately somewhat confusing, with new characters popping up (a midwife, a thief’s wife) to fill in the details out of the blue. Without a character guide (which would, admittedly, give away some of the plot) there is little to help kids distinguish between Petra vs. Minka vs. Margaret.
For all that there is a magic mirror in the story the book is pretty devoid of magical activities. You won’t find dragons or wizards or much of anything out of this world here, with the sole exception of the mirror itself. It’s almost a pity that it’s in the title since you could probably hand this title to kids that only like realism (and they do indeed exist) and they’d get just as much out of it as the most ravenous fantasy fan. While it’s not a perfect novel, it is a ripping good yarn that keeps you enthralled from page one onward. Will you see where it’s going? Maybe. But you’ll enjoy the sights along the way. Fine fantastical stuff.
For ages 9-12.
June 19, 2016
I read this book to see if it would be suitable to read aloud with my kids. I was surprised by some of the adult content. While not overly graphic I think some of the aspects of this book would be disturbing or confusing to younger readers, while it was too immature for my taste. The ending wrapped up very neatly and I appreciated that all the various story lines were resolved, but it also felt very rushed at the conclusion. I won't be reading this one again, and I don't really think it would hold my children's interest.
September 25, 2017
The publisher done this author WRONG.
The cover, title, and quotes all promise a fun little story, funny, perky and quirky in a fairy-tale setting.
Uh-uh.
Page 59 was the first time I cracked a small smile. By then I was tired of living in a dirty, dingy, unfair 'medievalish' world where hearts are made to be broken, dreams all die, and only the bad guy succeeds at anything (although he lives in his own private hell), and a plot driven by desperation.
But it ends....better. Some measure of inner peace is achieved, certain characters find that their courage has made them stronger, wiser people, and we learn to find joy in life despite the patent unfairness of it all.
I can think of several people I know who would quite enjoy this type of book.
But I picked it up because I wanted something charming, silly, and lighthearted.
I had no fun.
The cover needs to be of a group of dingy, hungry looking peasant sort of people. In the foreground stands a girl on homemade crutches, looking desperate and brave.
And then all those people who like this sort of thing would pick it up and love it, and it would stop ambushing poor innocents who just wanted a chuckle.
The cover, title, and quotes all promise a fun little story, funny, perky and quirky in a fairy-tale setting.
Uh-uh.
Page 59 was the first time I cracked a small smile. By then I was tired of living in a dirty, dingy, unfair 'medievalish' world where hearts are made to be broken, dreams all die, and only the bad guy succeeds at anything (although he lives in his own private hell), and a plot driven by desperation.
But it ends....better. Some measure of inner peace is achieved, certain characters find that their courage has made them stronger, wiser people, and we learn to find joy in life despite the patent unfairness of it all.
I can think of several people I know who would quite enjoy this type of book.
But I picked it up because I wanted something charming, silly, and lighthearted.
I had no fun.
The cover needs to be of a group of dingy, hungry looking peasant sort of people. In the foreground stands a girl on homemade crutches, looking desperate and brave.
And then all those people who like this sort of thing would pick it up and love it, and it would stop ambushing poor innocents who just wanted a chuckle.
June 29, 2018
3.5 stars rounded up.
March 29, 2020
Just a really cute book.
March 18, 2017
Margaret has walked with a limp for as long as she can remember, earning scorn and derision from the people in her village. One day, a kind peddler trades her a magic mirror for her sturdy crutch, and Margaret sets out on a quest to find the wild-eyed man she sees in the mirror's surface. As she travels, she meets a great many people and learns of the surprising ways their stories connect.
If you enjoy Karen Cushman's historical fiction, you will almost certainly enjoy this medieval tale. My only criticism of the story is that it wraps up a little too neatly, and every person Margaret meets is somehow wrapped up in her life story one way or another. However, that's a minor detail that did not interfere with my enjoyment of the book. Recommended.
If you enjoy Karen Cushman's historical fiction, you will almost certainly enjoy this medieval tale. My only criticism of the story is that it wraps up a little too neatly, and every person Margaret meets is somehow wrapped up in her life story one way or another. However, that's a minor detail that did not interfere with my enjoyment of the book. Recommended.
May 16, 2023
I did not like it. I wanted a fairy tale, and I thought it was because of the cover. I did not like the book and it looks nice but it is not. You need to not read the book because it is so bad.
August 22, 2016
The story: Margaret has always been the orphan girl with a crippled foot. Her future isn't exactly rosy, but it takes a turn for the worse on the day her caregiver, Minka, makes a deal to marry her off to the local hunchback. But that's also the day Margaret trades her crutch for a magic mirror and gets far more than she bargained for: what she sees in the mirror sends her on a journey that helps her find adventure, love, and even a most unexpected family--as well as a squirrel that picks pockets. She certainly never saw that coming!
June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (general evil-doing) PG; overall rating PG (but too hard for ES readers--I disagree with the review sources on this one. I'd say grades 6-9).
Liz's comments: Here's a charming story, probably good for girls 7th grade and up. Long does a good job of weaving together all the story threads, and although there are never any real surprises, there are a few twists before the happy ending--and I'm always in favor of that!
June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (general evil-doing) PG; overall rating PG (but too hard for ES readers--I disagree with the review sources on this one. I'd say grades 6-9).
Liz's comments: Here's a charming story, probably good for girls 7th grade and up. Long does a good job of weaving together all the story threads, and although there are never any real surprises, there are a few twists before the happy ending--and I'm always in favor of that!
November 28, 2015
While Maggie who is lame and a foundling is the central heroine, there are so many other wonderful characters in this tale that weave in and out each with their own stories. It will make you laugh, touch your heart and enthrall you with it unexpected twist and turns. An absolutely wonderful novel.
June 15, 2016
This was an enjoyable book. It was mislabeled, however-- it was in no way "hilarious," "uproarious" or "absurd." It had all the ingredients of a great story, and a well-thought out interweaving of plot, but it never managed to become unique, to transcend the stereotypes.
August 29, 2016
This one requires a bit more mental prowess than I anticipated... there are many hidden connections between characters (most you can figure out if you pay attention!) that are important in the story's conclusion.
October 9, 2016
A delightful, rollicking tale of magic, adventure, mixed up identity, with heroes, heroines, villains, minstrels, beggars, princesses and of course, the magic mirror.
May 3, 2020
As the extended subtitle suggests, this book has ample characters and elements to keep the story going with separate stories intertwining as readers get closer to the finale. Magic certainly takes on a role in this medieval tale, but more the focus lands more squarely on the true magic within people to be kind, to make friends, and to see the good (and bad) within one another. With so much happening it becomes less and less clear why the book's title features the "magic mirror" at all; it's nearly akin to titling the first Harry Potter book "Letters from Owls.” Yes, the owl/mirror plays a major role and gets things started, but they’re not a key feature.
The misnomer of a title aside, other portions of the book range from intricate and well-planned to mind-bogglingly coincidental or simplified. Characters suffer this same fate with some getting a satisfying journey of self-discovery and with some having personalities and changes tacked on as an after-thought. However, the representation of a character with a disability is well done, especially as she is a fantastic example of wielding self-love to her advantage. The protagonist, Maggie, finds others that love her as well with a classic use of the “found family” trope which fits well into a happy ending.
The overall feel is that of a book that could have used more editing to slim it down and drop unnecessary plot devices to leave more room for character development and a cohesive plot. Younger readers will likely enjoy the balance this title has between dark and light-hearted story elements but even they may balk at the rushed writing.
The misnomer of a title aside, other portions of the book range from intricate and well-planned to mind-bogglingly coincidental or simplified. Characters suffer this same fate with some getting a satisfying journey of self-discovery and with some having personalities and changes tacked on as an after-thought. However, the representation of a character with a disability is well done, especially as she is a fantastic example of wielding self-love to her advantage. The protagonist, Maggie, finds others that love her as well with a classic use of the “found family” trope which fits well into a happy ending.
The overall feel is that of a book that could have used more editing to slim it down and drop unnecessary plot devices to leave more room for character development and a cohesive plot. Younger readers will likely enjoy the balance this title has between dark and light-hearted story elements but even they may balk at the rushed writing.
November 15, 2023
3.5 stars
I picked this book up at the thrift store because when I was younger, I was obsessed with quirky and whimsical fairytale adjacent stories. So, I was looking for a certain remembrance of that and by the reviews mentioning how fun and whimsical it was, I thought I had found the key. It was... not successful.
On its own, this book mostly succeeds as a delightful romp through a lot of fairytale tropes. It doesn't do anything particularly special with the tropes but not every book needs to be groundbreaking. All of the coincidences and nods to connections between characters was quite impressive, and while none took me by total surprise, I do think the twists worked well. Especially for a younger reader. I would happily suggest this book to a child who has just outgrown some of the classic fairytales - although parents beware: there is some dark elements (animal/pet death, emotional manipulation, alcoholic references, lots of death).
It's just not the light-hearted adventure I was promised. On top of some of the dark elements above, it was also lacking the wit and cleverness I was looking for. The style of writing is a bit younger than the material suggests, so there is some dissonance between the voice and the actual events. The cover and map seemed to indicate a certain travel narrative that wasn't fulfilled. Most of the characters stay put, especially once we get to the capital. The biggest issue is that this book isn't what is promised. It's a fine story on its own (looking back, I genuinely enjoyed it) but it doesn't give what it promised.
I picked this book up at the thrift store because when I was younger, I was obsessed with quirky and whimsical fairytale adjacent stories. So, I was looking for a certain remembrance of that and by the reviews mentioning how fun and whimsical it was, I thought I had found the key. It was... not successful.
On its own, this book mostly succeeds as a delightful romp through a lot of fairytale tropes. It doesn't do anything particularly special with the tropes but not every book needs to be groundbreaking. All of the coincidences and nods to connections between characters was quite impressive, and while none took me by total surprise, I do think the twists worked well. Especially for a younger reader. I would happily suggest this book to a child who has just outgrown some of the classic fairytales - although parents beware: there is some dark elements (animal/pet death, emotional manipulation, alcoholic references, lots of death).
It's just not the light-hearted adventure I was promised. On top of some of the dark elements above, it was also lacking the wit and cleverness I was looking for. The style of writing is a bit younger than the material suggests, so there is some dissonance between the voice and the actual events. The cover and map seemed to indicate a certain travel narrative that wasn't fulfilled. Most of the characters stay put, especially once we get to the capital. The biggest issue is that this book isn't what is promised. It's a fine story on its own (looking back, I genuinely enjoyed it) but it doesn't give what it promised.
January 31, 2018
A light, delightful reading. The title goes "The Magic Mirror: Concerning a Lonely Princess, a Foundling Girl, a Scheming King and a Pickpocket Squirrel". It should also mention a one-legged traveling salesman, a bagpipe-player, a monk pilgrim, a mad magic mirror maker and a sour (sort of)widow, whose life have all been connected because of the mirror. When the mirror falls into the hands of the orphan cripple Margaret, it sets her on a quest which will make all their paths converge again and expose the truth.
Though aimed at a younger audience, the book remains fun and challenging enough to also please adult readers and keep them in suspense as well. The prose is concise and efficient and the characters strong and interesting.
My only disappointment in this book is that I wish there would have been more of the Pickpocket Squirrel. In fact, he should get his very own book - now that would be interesting ;)
Though aimed at a younger audience, the book remains fun and challenging enough to also please adult readers and keep them in suspense as well. The prose is concise and efficient and the characters strong and interesting.
My only disappointment in this book is that I wish there would have been more of the Pickpocket Squirrel. In fact, he should get his very own book - now that would be interesting ;)
March 23, 2021
This is a middle grade novel (I think) primarily about a disabled girl named Maggie. Be warned there are quite a few disabled tropes here, and making fun of a disabled person from minor characters. But, as a whole Maggie does preveal in the book, so you could say she's kind of positive disabled representation. I thought, in general, this book is fine. The book is pretty slow for about three-quarters of it, with a very strong and action packed ending. There are some twists and turns you don't expect, as well. It's mostly inoffensive (except for the disability tropes), but neither is it soul stirring.
June 30, 2019
I thought this would be a really cute, whimsical read, but it actually ended up being surprisingly...grim? That’s not the word I want, but it was definitely heavier on the plot than I was anticipating. I thought it was interesting that she grounded it so much in medieval times. I kind of thought it would be a generic “once upon a time” setting. It felt like it was a middle grade book trying to be a YA book and....I don’t know, something about it didn’t quite work for me. However, it was definitely engaging and I liked a lot of the characters.
January 2, 2022
I read this book aloud to my daughter who was 6 at the time. While she enjoyed the book, there were themes that were a bit dark and probably not the most appropriate like the king's best friend being the person who killed the king and then hiring someone else to get rid of a child he did not want. It was very well written and a fantastic take on the story of a magic mirror that may or may not be the origin of the magic mirror from Snow White. It sucked us in and it had a lot of excellent turns. I highly recommend this book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2017
Maybe with some better balancing, the book could have stood out a little more. As it is, I think it's a little on the dull side for older teens and adults, and while younger children may take to the story more, some of the themes and overall archaic tone of the book are a little mature for them and will likely go over their heads. The last 1/5 in general feels a little lazy, trying to cram in too much to tie everything up, leading to a lot of telling, not showing.
May 12, 2022
The book was good but definitely not what I was expecting or looking for. The title and cover art give the impression of a fun, light hearted comedy. While it is well written it is certainly not that. I would also say that it is NOT a children's book. The language used is far too complex and stylized for kids as well as some of the subject matter isn't for children. I went in expecting a fairytale and instead got a medieval journey story.
February 15, 2017
This book has so many fun elements: some magic and fantasy, a likable protagonist readers will cheer for, memorable and engaging secondary characters, a twisty-turny plot that though set in a medieval-feeling time and place feels contemporary in emotions, plenty of adventure. In short, an engaging romp for young readers.
June 11, 2017
The author's idea, characters, and plot are amazing, but the story itself is quite boring. In fact, I chose to skip many paragraphs and part of the way through the book I became so bored that I set it down and chose another. If your looking for a book to keep you on the edge of your seat, read Swindle by Gordan Korman instead.
September 30, 2017
Lonestar 2017-2018/Name That Book 2017-2018. I think some of my problem with this book was that I started it and then didn't have a lot of reading time, so when I came back, I had trouble keeping track of the characters and the plot. Even with review, I found the story overly complicated. It also wasn't funny; the title made it seem like it would be humorous.
January 13, 2018
I finished this book but just barley. I don’t usually like fairytale fantasy type things so I should have known j wouldn’t really like it though. I love the characters as it centers on an orphan who has to use crutches to walk. The storyline is also pretty cool but overall I just found it kind of boring.
September 23, 2019
Wonderful!
This was not what I expected for at first I believed it would have to do with fairy tales. But, instead it was a story of one, young girl's journey to find a man in a mirror and the friends she makes along the way. It was uplifting and inspirational! Such likable characters! I highly recommend this book
This was not what I expected for at first I believed it would have to do with fairy tales. But, instead it was a story of one, young girl's journey to find a man in a mirror and the friends she makes along the way. It was uplifting and inspirational! Such likable characters! I highly recommend this book
October 15, 2019
A medieval adventure with all the characters in the title, pls a few more quirky ones. Lots of traveling, searching, evading. A bit of mystery solving, especially of true identities. A bit of a love story, too.
Our heroine Maggie walks with a limp and a staff and always keeps going.
All combine into an enjoyable tale.
Our heroine Maggie walks with a limp and a staff and always keeps going.
All combine into an enjoyable tale.
July 1, 2017
Nice historical fiction story with lots of twists and turns! Well developed plot, colorful characters, with a map In front that helps to keep track of the multiple quests. The unexpected ending helps tie up the whole story. Fun read for middle graders!
January 5, 2019
It was a really good book and there were a lot of surprising twists too. Though, the ending felt rushed. Maybe the author should've made it into a double or something, though that would be a problem for me.
February 8, 2019
A cute fairy tale quest story for middle readers. There are some interesting twists and silly humor, but not as good as some other whimsical books for middle readers that I've read. Kids will enjoy this more, but I can quite give it my "adults will love this too!" stamp of approval.
July 8, 2020
I love a fairy tale. Especially one that allows assumption then cleverly disproves that assumption. Especially when it is the assumptions of the characters about themselves. Plus I have great affection for cranky characters of big heart.
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