Harriet Muncaster studied illustration at Norwich University College of the Arts before going on to get an MA in children’s book illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. In creating the art for her first book for children, she was thrilled to have found a good outlet for her lifelong fascination with miniatures. She lives in Hertfordshire, England.
I loved Isadora Moon and the Mirabelle series is so dang cute, too (though I do wish the illustrations were actually by Muncaster and not just "in the style of" as I do think it missed a tad of the charm). This book joins Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and The Sorely Trying Day as books that might be cathartic for young readers who are having a very frustrating day. (I read and reread both of those as a child and found them fairly comforting, that someone else could have a crummy (albeit not truly horrific) day where everything just seems to go wrong!) Mirabelle brings most of the trouble on herself, but I appreciate that she comes to realize this and make amends for her wrongdoing. I also kind of liked that the mom gets totally frustrated and yells at her (it's very tame, but still, it is not really textbook "good parenting") but then apologizes for it afterwards and they make up and have a really lovely special activity together to make amends. Moms can have bad days, too. But, no matter how bad your day is, it's not okay to take it out on other people. It all feels very natural and not too didactic. The little witch-fairy elements are adorable.
Welcome to a new Mirabelle book! This time she just wants to curl up in her bed because BOY her day sucks.
I read this book in Dutch and I am still laughing how this one is titled now, Mirabelle heeft altijd pech (Mirabella always has bad luck). Which is 1) not true. 2) not the original title. But this is what you get when you translate Mirabella breaks the rules (book 2) as Mirabelle heeft een slechte dag (Mirabella has a bad day). Sometimes… I wonder how translators work. XD
But back to the book! In this book Mirabelle has a terrible terrible day. You know the one. You just want to go back home and curl up in bed. Or just somewhere else that is dark and safe. Some of the bad luck is consequences because of what Mirabelle did the previous day. You know how kids are, yes, mom I will do that later. instantly forgets But some of the bad day? Is also due to other things. I just felt for Mirabelle and just wanted to give her a hug. It doesn’t help that her little annoying brother is being super-annoying and rude. I mean, seriously, you know that your sister loves her cookies and you just eat them all? Or that she doesn’t want to share her dragon. Just ask if you can pet her instead of just stubbornly holding her. 😐
It was quite a surprise how she wasn’t naughty (I don’t count what she did near the end, that is not naughty that is frustration and revenge and I allow that one), I guess with how the day was going she was just trying to get through it.
The ending was great, I am happy with how the parents reacted. Not too happy, but also understanding that she had a day.
The illustrations were fun and sparkly once again!
All in all, a book I really had fun reading it and I hope that Mirabelle has a better day in the next book!
Mirabelle is half fee en half heks, en dat leidt nog wel eens tot problemen. Haar drankje mislukt, haar bezem en draakje keren zich tegen haar. Komt dat wel goed? Vrolijk Engelstalig jeugdverhaal, gelezen voor biblion.
Muncaster has made a good decision to branch out from Isadora Moon and make other characters the focus, as the Isadora stories could have become stale. What I like about these books is that Mirabelle (or Isadora) have real-kid problems that they can't completely magic their way out of. The solution involves some effort, either bravery or commitment. My 7 year old relates to this well, and because there is a bit of tension, its not completely boring for me as a parent to read either.
In this one, Mirabelle creates her own problems by being a bit sloppy/lazy. She leaves her broom outside, and it gets wet, so it won't fly properly, and she leaves her potions on the pillow and some spills in her hair.
Isadora Kuun sisarsarjassa seikkailee Mirabelle, joka on puoliksi noita ja puoliksi keiju (mikä ihana yhdistelmä!). Näissä kirjoissa kuvituksen värimaailma on mustalilainen ja oikein kiva.
Tässä kirjassa Mirabellella tuntuu menevän kaikki pieleen. Luuta unohtuu illalla ulos sateeseen ja taikajuomapullot tyynylle valuttaen tukan ja sängyn täyteen liejua, koulussa ei mene sen paremmin ja sitten on vielä kiistaa veljenkin kanssa, niin silloin Mirabellelle riittää! Hän heittää taikajauhot veljensä päälle, mutta ne osuvatkin keijuisään, joka muuttuu sammakoksi. Voiko enää huonommin mennä?
Tästä vertaistukea lapsille huonojen päivien käsittelyyn, koska kaikilla meillähän niitä välillä on.
Eng: Total rip off of Amelia Fang. The main character is LITERALLY same as Amelia - she is half witch , half fairy. The illustrations are the same - probably same illustrator. My daughter (6) likes it. I am not a fan. Seems too silly.
Srp: Ovo je bukvalno skinuta Amelija Zubic - sve prekopirano. Cak su i ilustracije u knjizi iste. Ipak mi se vise svidja Amelija, jer ima vise desavanja, duza je knjiga, postoji uvek neka misterija.... Ova knjiga i nije bas nesto posebno i nema neku radnju.
I have reviewed this series before and they’re brilliant reads for younger readers. At just over 100 pages they’re easy reads and beautifully illustrated throughout. Mirabelle is half witch, half fairy and she’s having a bad day from when she wakes to when she falls asleep. We all have bad days don’t we? But the ending shows that however bad it is we can always change our day, make it better and have our family there to help us. Brilliant read! Funny in parts. Highly recommend. A well deserved four stars from me. A series I am passing onto my daughter.
Sweet story that's relatable (who doesn't have bad days because they cut corners and don't think things through before acting?) As usual, has the witchy content but no other flags.
4/5: Un libro que traía pendiente desde hace mucho tiempo. Sencillo, entretenido y totalmente ese encanto de una historia infantil. Con ganas de leer desde el primero para conocer mejor el mundo de Mirabella.
Adults may be annoying, chores may feel dumb but sometimes they do have a reason for saying something. When everything goes wrong in one day and you know it is because you didn’t do what you were supposed to who can you get angry at. Mirabelle learns this the hard way but it is nice to see the support from her family at the end and that things can always get better. I love the Mirabelle and Isadora Moon books and am glad to see more coming out to inspire a new generation of readers with their amazing stories and pictures.