Mirror Mirror review by Sarah Bartholomew 
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Singer, Marilyn. Mirror Mirror. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2010.
ISBN 9780525479017
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Mirror Mirror is a collection of reverso poems based on classic fairy tales. With each poem, the reader is able to gain further insight regarding the well-known story as the reverso poem often represents another character's viewpoint, cautions from the narrator's point of view, or merely the main characters’ evolving viewpoint of their situation. From princesses to bears, to ducklings, and more, the readers are able to read short, poetic retellings of stories that have been told for centuries.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Since every poem in Mirror Mirror is a reverso, the word choice was incredibly thought out. These reverso lines are all based on popular fairy tales; some providing two sides to the story, while others merely show a change in the main character’s mindset. Some of the poems do rhyme but not all of them. There is a clear rhythm to each poem though. The breaks between lines were each done so that the reverso of the initial poem made just as much sense. The use of imagery can be found in most of these poems, as the author sought to bring these fairy tales to life. The language is similar to that often found in retellings of classic fairy tales; minus the cliches “once upon a time” and “happily ever after.” The illustrations in this book of poems have dual images to match the reverso poems which allows for the overall experience to be much more vivid and fun.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
From Kirkus Review: “A mesmerizing and seamless celebration of language, imagery, and perspective."
From Publishers Weekly: "Masse’s clever compositions play with symmetry, bringing this smart concept to its fullest effect."
From School Library Journal: “remarkably clever and versatile book that would work in any poetry or fairy-tale unit. A must-have for any library”
5. CONNECTIONS
Gather other works by Marilyn Singer
Follow Follow ISBN 9780803737693
Echo Echo ISBN 9780803739925
Gather other Fairytale Poem Collections
Gill, Nikita. Fierce Fairytales. ISBN 9780316420747
Mieder, Wolfgang. Disenchantments: An Anthology of Modern Fairy Tale Poetry. ISBN 9780874514407
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