Mirror to Mirror

Stories about sisters are incredibly special. And sisters who would do anything to win each other’s heart? You have me with the premise itself.

I read Mirror to Mirror only because I attended an author talk that Rajani LaRocca gave for the Neev Literature Festival Reading Challenge. Listening to her read from the book and then talk about her book, I knew that this was a book I was likely to enjoy.

I didn’t just enjoy it; I loved it.

Maya and Chaya are identical twins. But when Maya tries to hide her anxiety from Chaya and even refuses to let Chaya talk to their parents about it, Chaya knows she must act. She must reinvent herself so that she isn’t a shadow, an image pulling her twin down. They must be different, so different that Maya can shine with her own light.

Maya, on the other hand, must be perfect. If she isn’t perfect, the world will crumble. Even as she creates an illusion of perfection, she must let no one else suffer.

And so begins a saga of silence, hiding, and the desire to protect each other, which leads to more pain than ever. Gorgeous verse, rhythmic and musical, intertwines the twins’ love for music with a story of love. Told from two perspectives, Mirror to Mirror weaves a metaphor of mirrors over and over again. The girls are like mirrors; the piece Maya learns to play on the piano is Spiegel im Spiegel – mirror in the mirror. And the superstition that breaking a mirror leads to seven years of bad luck causes, perhaps, the first cracks to appear.

From the voices of the twins to the ways in which they interact with the world around them, each detail is intricately drawn and completely believable. The bond between the sisters grows and strains, and is almost unbearably beautiful. All in all, Mirror to Mirror is a poignant middle-grade verse novel that leaves you aching with love.

Title	Mirror to Mirror
Author	Rajani LaRocca
Tags	Middle Grade, Verse Novel, NLF Reading Challenge
Rating (out of 5)	5
Ages	10+

I’ve also read and loved Red, White and Whole by the same writer.