The Mirror's Tale (Further Tales Adventure Series)

by P. W. Catanese

Overview

Everyone has heard the story -- the dwarves, the talking mirror, the evil witch. But this tale doesn't belong to Snow White anymore....

Bert and Will, the twin sons of the baron of Ambercrest, are best friends. They do everything together and can't help it if trouble just seems to...find them. But the baron is fed up and has decided that separation will keep them out of mischief. One twin, he proclaims, will stay in Ambercrest for the summer, while the other will be sent to The Crags -- a foreboding, rocky outpost on the edge of the kingdom.

It is there, hidden in a forbidden black chamber, that one of the boys discovers a bejeweled and mysterious mirror. What is the precious object? And why does it make him feel so...powerful? Soon the twins' kinship is replaced by dark magic and deceit, and a kingdom hangs dangerously in the balance. What becomes of one who is ruled by the forces of evil? And can brotherly love conquer a consuming quest for power?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439113073
Publisher:	Aladdin
Publication date:	05/11/2010
Series:	Further Tales Adventure Series
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

P. W. Catanese is the author of ten fantasy-adventure novels. His books have been received with critical acclaim and have been translated into five foreign languages. His Books of Umber trilogy has been nominated for six regional book awards, including the Texas Bluebonnet award, the Florida’s Sunshine State Young Readers award, and the Pacific Northwest Library Association’s Young Reader’s Choice awards. He lives in Connecticut. When he’s not writing books, Catanese draws cartoons, works for an advertising agency, and tries very hard to respond to every message from his readers. Meet him at PWCatanese.com, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 4-7-In this accessible entry in the series, Catanese imagines events many years after "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" ends. Mischievous Bert and timid Will, twin sons of the baron and constantly in trouble, are separated by their parents to keep them out of trouble. Bert is sent to "The Crags," the former castle of the Witch-Queen of the Grimms' story, and now ruled by his Uncle Hugh and Aunt Elaine. He finds the enchanted mirror and is bewitched by it, deciding to kill his brother whom he believes is likely to inherit the barony from their father. While the plot starts a little slowly, it quickens and does not lag until the exciting and action-filled climax. The human characters have a contemporary feel, which is especially evident in their dialogue. This limits the magical and historical elements of the story, but makes it more accessible to reluctant readers. While Bert undergoes some soul-searching, the transformations in the boys over the course of the story are predictable and two-dimensional. The dwarves, or Dwergh, are the most successfully drawn and interesting characters. The mirror itself is far more evil than that in the original fairy tale, and, as the title suggests, this is really its story. Buy where there is a demand for fast-paced, easily read adventure fantasy.-Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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