Mirrors

This is a collection of 15 specially commissioned short stories by some of Britain's best-known authors of children's books, including Malorie Blackman, Melvin Burgess, Berlie Doherty, Anne Fine, Lesley Howarth and Jeremy Strong. These authors have written for children of all ages, but the stories in this collection are aimed at younger teenagers. The stories all share the central image of the anthology, that of the mirror, but are very different in form and tone, covering humour and horror, fantasy and fairytale, realism and romance. If there can said to be a common thread running through, it is that many of the confrontations with mirrors and reflections contain an element of darkness to them. This tone is set in the first story by Elizabeth Laird, which is a retelling of the sorry fate of Narcissus and Echo, and continues, for instance, in the very modern 'mirrors dot com' by Lesley Howarth, in which buying a mirror on the internet has some unearthly results. Being haunted by the past through a mirror ties together the tales of Malorie Blackman, Vivian French and Alan Durant, which range from the melancholy reflections of a middle-aged film actress through a humorous fight with a pirate ancestor to a terrifying ghostly revenge tale. Most striking of all are 'Whose Face Do You See?' by Melvin Burgess and 'Double Vision' by Paul Stewart, the latter a disturbing story with an unexpected ending and the former the dramatic tale of a young girl in a coma. All in all, this is a fine collection of short stories which will be thoroughly enjoyed by the young readers it is aimed at. (Kirkus UK)