Mirror to Mirror, by Rajani LaRocca

Mirror to Mirror, by Rajani LaRocca, is a sweet middle-grade verse novel dealing with the relationships between twin sisters Maya and Chaya. Maya has been dealing with horrible anxiety and Chaya is the only one who knows about it. When Chaya convinces herself that she is the source of Maya’s anxiety and starts to pull away, their relationship becomes strained. The story follows how the sisters grow apart in interests, but draws on the powerful connection between the two to show how they find their ways back to each other.

I really enjoyed this book. Maya and Chaya were both lovable and you really can’t help but feel for both of them. They both adore music and it takes up a large part of their lives, an aspect of the book that I really enjoyed. The sisterly relationship between the twins is at the core of the book, but their connections with each of their best friends and with the rest of their family (their parents and their little brother) are also carefully constructed and have their own time to shine.

I loved the depiction of Maya’s anxiety. As somebody who has always struggled with anxiety, though not necessarily with the same sources as Maya, I found myself relating a lot to that aspect of the story. Depiction of anxiety is also something that I believe is really important for there to be in middle grade books, since I know from experience how scary it can be to be that age and not feel like anybody understands your worries.

The only real critique of this book is the pacing. The first and second half of the book felt like completely disjointed plots; while the central tension between the sisters remained, the setting, tone, and stakes all completely changed, making the book feel somewhat lacking cohesiveness. Otherwise, I greatly enjoyed the book and think that it’s a very strong middle-grade verse novel. I’m giving Mirror to Mirror 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Miraculous Sweetmakers: The Frost Fair, by Natasha Hastings

The Frost Fair, by Natasha Hastings, follows 13-year-old Thomasina, whose twin brother, Arthur, died of an asthma attack in front of her four years previously. When a sorcerer named Inigo promises that he can bring her brother back to life if she only accompanies him to the magical nighttime Frost Fair four times, Thomasina readily agrees. As she makes her visits, however, Thomasina begins to realize that not all is as it seems at the Frost Fair, and, indeed, that something sinister is going on beneath the surface.

This is a lovely middle-grade fantasy book set in 17th-century London and filled with all of the wintry magic one could possibly want. The atmosphere alone is enough to highly recommend it, but the characters and plot are amazing in their own right, all combining to make for a truly wonderful reading experience.

This is definitely a little darker than I would necessarily expect from a middle-grade book, both in the plot and the way in which it handles grief. As compared to other middle-grade books dealing with grief that I’ve read, this one really does not hesitate to show its adult characters completely falling apart, leaving their children forced to pick up the pieces. The plot and mystery itself is also a tad more horrifying than I would expect for this age group. I still really enjoyed it, but I would definitely only recommend it to more mature middle-grade readers. I personally feel like I would have been fine reading this in middle school, but it’s definitely something I would only recommend on a case-by-case basis.

Overall, The Frost Fair is a really exemplary middle-grade novel, and I would definitely recommend it for more mature middle-grade readers or for older readers looking for a whimsical, wintry fantasy adventure. I’m knocking off a star only because I’m unsure of its suitability for its target audience and thought it could have done with a bit better pacing, but it is otherwise an enthusiastic 4/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Where the Lost Ones Go, by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Where the Lost Ones Go, by Akemi Dawn Bowman, follows Eliot, a girl who becomes obsessed with ghosts and paranormal activity when her grandmother passes away. When her family moves to a small town and she hears rumors of ghosts in a nearby house called Honeyfield Hall, she immediately tries to investigate. She finds the ghosts she is seeking, learning that they are trapped between worlds and need her help to move on, enlisting the help of Hazel, Honeyfield Hall’s owner’s granddaughter, to do so.

I really enjoyed this book! I don’t always love ghost stories, but the promise of a middle-grade novel dealing with memory and grief while also featuring a queer romance was too good to pass up, so I’m really glad I gave this a try.

This is fundamentally a story about grieving and coming to terms with the death of a loved one, so if you’re just looking for a paranormal mystery then this probably isn’t the book for you. If you’re looking for a poignant and touching story that happens to be set amid a mystery, however, then I think you’ll really enjoy this book.

Eliot’s relationship with her Babung is truly at the heart of the story, and I think that that was done really well. There are some books about grief I’ve read that truly don’t flesh out the relationships enough for the reader to truly invest themselves in it, but that’s absolutely not the case here. You truly fall in love with all of the characters, even those who aren’t present.

I also really appreciated the low-key queer representation between Eliot and Hazel. I know that seeing casual queer rep in middle-grade books would have meant the world to me as a middle schooler, so I’m really grateful to see that becoming more of a thing.

My only criticisms about the book are the fact that the plot could have been a bit better placed (it felt quite slow at times), and the fact that Eliot desperately needs a lot of therapy, but her parents aren’t really coping with their own grief, much less helping her. Overall, though, I’m giving this 4/5 stars and highly recommend it for anybody looking for a thoughtful middle-grade novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.