The Girl in the Mirror

By Jenny Blackford

Cover and internal illustrations by Fiona McDonald

ISBN: 9780648194521

Publication date: October 2019

WINNER, BEST CHILDREN’S CRIME NOVEL, 2020 DAVITT AWARDS

About the book:

The girls at Maddy’s new school look through her as if she is invisible, and say mean things behind her back. The only person who has tried to talk to her is Gareth, who is new too. And he’s good at maths. Talking to him would mean social death. But then strange things happen in old inner-city terrace house Maddy’s family has moved into. She hears spooky noises on the stairs and sees strange faces in the mirror – first a ghastly white face, then a girl in a weird old-fashioned dress. They’re ghosts! The house is haunted!

The girl in the mirror – Clarissa – starts to talk to Maddy. Maddy’s bedroom was Clarissa’s room back in the 1890s, and it’s the same mirror on the wall – though Clarissa is a Young Lady, so she has to call it a Looking Glass. The spook on the stairs is Clarissa’s brother Bertie, who died of whooping cough when he was six years old. Clarissa and Maddy get on really well – but then Clarissa disappears, and Maddy has strange visions of a huge, evil thing like a giant spider looming over her.

Maddy’s baby brother gets seriously ill with whooping cough. Even in the hospital, the doctors are helpless.

Meanwhile, back in the 1890s, the girl in the mirror is having problems of her own. Clarissa’s mother has been in a decline since Clarissa’s poisonous Aunt Lily was widowed, and she moved into their house. Aunt Lily makes a Strengthening Tonic for Mother every week, from plants in the garden. But what if the Tonic that Aunt Lily makes for Clarissa’s mother is actually making her sicker? What if she wants to get Clarissa’s mother out of the way forever?  The two girls have to use all their intelligence and verve to fight against Aunt Lily’s plots, each in her own time, with help from Clarissa’s ghostly brother Bertie—but will they succeed?

An enthralling, original middle grade novel by award-winning poet and short-story writer Jenny Blackford.

A wonderful story, with creepiness lurking in the corners, to startle you and make you look twice next time you go past a mirror. Jenny Blackford has created a time-shifting, spine-tingling winner with The Girl in the Mirror. (Geoffrey McSkimming)

WINNER, BEST CHILDREN’s CRIME NOVEL, 2020 DAVITT AWARDS.

You can read a review of the book here.

Watch an interview with Jenny on the Sisters in Crime You Tube channel.

About the author:

Jenny Blackford writes poems and stories for people of all ages, usually with a tinge of myth and legend, ancient history, science, or deep time. Over 30 of her short stories and over 50 of her poems have appeared in Australian and international anthologies and journals including Westerly, Australian Poetry Journal, The Pedestal Magazine, Strange Horizons and Going Down Swinging.

She loves to write for kids as well as adults. Her poems and stories for kids have been published in the School Magazine, Our Home is Dirt by Sea: Australian Poetry for Australian Kids, Stories for Nine Year Olds and other wonderful places. Kids aged 11 plus should enjoy her poetry books The Loyalty of Chickens and The Duties of a Cat, both published by Pitt Street Poetry, as well as her YA novel set in Ancient Greece, The Priestess and the Slave, published by Hadley Rille Books.

Jenny’s most recent poetry prizes are first place in the NEWC Thunderbolt Prize for Crime Poetry 2017 and first place in the Humorous Verse section of the Henry Lawson Awards 2017. She won two prizes in the Scarlet Stiletto Short Story Awards 2016 for a murder mystery set in classical Delphi, with water nymphs. In 2014 she was awarded third in the prestigious ACU Prize for Literature 2014.

Jenny’s degree was in Classics (Greek and Latin) at the University of Newcastle, but she took a twenty-year detour into large mainframe computer networking before she returned to her first love, writing.

Read an interview with Jenny on Kids’ Book Review here.

Listen to an interview with Jenny on Compulsive Readers Talks podcast here.

About the illustrator

Fiona McDonald is an illustrator, author and doll-maker with over 12 books published, including acclaimed picture books, a graphic novel, and non-fiction books. She is also half of the duo who write under the name of Phoebe McArthur,  whose first book, the illustrated chapterbook Lucy Newton, Little Witch(published by Christmas Press)  was shortlisted for the 2019 Speech Pathology Awards.

Selected reviews:

Blackford’s prose is silky smooth and the book reads quickly, driven by its fantasy narrative and the way in which historical detail is covered. Though the story has paranormal overtones, shifting as it does between the two narrative timeframes, and featuring a shapeshifting villain and ghosts that move between worlds, The Girl in the Mirror is relevant to a 21st century reader. Of particular appeal is the way Blackford explores the differing mores and norms between the two young women – from Maddy’s scandalously short skirts, to Clarissa’s household duties and restrictions. Maddy and Clarissa are likeable and well-drawn protagonists whose quantum entanglement is handled perfectly, and feels natural. ….The Girl in the Mirror is a delightful book for readers of all ages and can also be read to younger children as  it isn’t too scary and the overall theme is a positive one. Fiona McDonald’s lovely ink illustrations add a lovely touch to the text. I particularly like the little funnel webs at the bottom of some of the pages. The Girl in the Mirror would make a great gift for a young reader, who will find Maddy and Clarissa’s ability to transcend time and work together as a team engaging. (Compulsive Reader, December 13, 2019)

Here is a ghost story and a time slip novel in one. Maddy, in the present, has just moved into an old house with her parents and younger brother. She has started at a new high school and is being picked on mercilessly by the “in” group. To make matters worse, her little brother is now very sick. Clarissa, in 1899, is living in the same house with her father, mother and aunt. Her younger brother and sisters died of whooping cough the previous winter and her mother had not been herself since then. Her aunt is awful, but Clarissa starts to suspect her of more nefarious deeds than unkindness. The two girls are connected by a mirror in the room they occupy in different times, and they use it to communicate. They help each other resolve their respective problems, and together put a stop to Clarissa’s aunt once and for all. This is an engaging, creepy ghost story and will be especially enjoyed by fans of the genre. The characterisation is fairly good but the conversations between the characters don’t quite ring true at times. There are interesting comparisons between life in 1899 and the present, especially the differences for girls and women. Appropriate for upper primary and secondary students. (Reading Time, December 14, 2019)

There is a mystery to be solved and lives to be saved and an evil force to be overcome. This time-shifting tale hooks the reader into the mystery with its clever storytelling. The reader wants to join the girls in their quest to remove the evil that lurks in the shadows of both their lives. Maddy tackles the girls at school and makes friends with Gareth but worries time is running out to save her baby brother Cory who has become ill since moving into the house. The only person she can turn to is Clarissa. Meanwhile, Clarissa’s mother’s health is in serious decline and widowed Aunt Lily seems to control everything and everyone in the house. Her strengthening tonic made from plants in the garden seems to not be working. The two girls must use all their intelligence and work together. But will they succeed?  This is a gripping middle grade novel that is an original and captivating read. (Buzz Words, September 19, 2019)