The magic half

Annie Barrows

Book - 2008

Eleven-year-old Miri Gill feels left out in her family, which has two sets of twins and her, until she travels back in time to 1935 and discovers Molly, her own lost twin, and brings her back to the present day.

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Subjects
Published
New York, NY : Bloomsbury Children's Books : Distributed to the trade by Holtzbrinck Publishers 2008.
Language
English
Main Author
Annie Barrows (-)
Edition
1st U.S. ed
Physical Description
211 p. ; 20 cm
ISBN
9781619636255
9781599901329
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Barrows, author of the well-received Ivy and Bean (2006),  tries her hand at a time-slip story. Miri is the cheese in a twin sandwich. Her older brothers torment, while her toddler sisters annoy. But soon after the family moves to an old Victorian house, Miri has something to take her mind off her siblings. Looking through the lens of an old eyeglass, she is transported back to 1935. There she meets Molly, who lived in the same house, under the thumb of her violent cousin. Miri becomes committed to bringing Molly to the present, but how is she going to do that? Finally, she puts together a plan, but so much depends on timing, to say nothing of the nature of time itself. Although Barrows once again presents utterly real kids, time travel is the core of the story, and though the logic seems thought out, readers may feel as Miri does: that getting their heads around the slippery concept gives them a headache. Still, this is pleasing fare that adds a bit of history and a tad of mystery into the mix.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2008 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Not only is 11-year-old Miri a middle child, but she's stuck between two sets of twins, neither of which will let Miri tag along as they explore the nooks and crannies of the family's new house. Good thing Miri has a wild imagination to keep her company and a powerful belief in magic, too. She needs both for this clever take on the through-the-looking-glass(es) adventure that Barrows (Ivy and Bean) spins for her. "Magic is just a way of setting things right," Miri learns after peering through an eyeglass she discovers in her room and then suddenly finding herself in the company of a girl who could almost be Miri's twin, except that the year is now 1935. Barrows limits the fantasy to the simple but effective time-travel device, using it sparingly as Miri bravely sets about making things right for her new friend-and eventually herself. Readers will savor the author's lively observations (thinking she is trapped in the past, Miri "consider[s] the fact that several of her favorite books would not be published for seventy more years. `Great.... When I'm in my eighties I'll find out what happens to Harry Potter' "), while the heroine's adaptability and independent thinking endow her with the appeal of a Ramona Quimby or a Clementine. Ages 8-12. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-6-Miri sometimes feels left out as the only non-twin in her family, sandwiched between older twin brothers and younger twin sisters. But after her family moves to an old farmhouse, Miri discovers a mysterious piece of glass taped on her bedroom wall. The glass acts as a portal, allowing Miri to travel back to 1935. There, she meets Molly, a girl her own age who could almost be her twin, except for the time difference. Together, the two hatch a plan to return to Miri's time together. But first, they must escape Molly's cruel cousin and heartless aunt. Narrator Cris Dukehart's excellent pacing keeps this story moving forward and will leave listeners at the edge of their seats. Children will easily be able to keep track of what decade it is thanks to Dukehart's distinctive character voicing. Overall, this is a fun adventure-part history, part mystery-and listeners will root for Miri and Molly as they work to align their two stories.-Anne Bozievich, Friendship Elementary School, Glen Rock, PA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

Eleven-year-old Miri is ordinary, a singleton middle child between two sets of twin siblings. Her humdrum life changes when a magic eye-glass lens transports her back through time to 1935 where she meets Molly, a girl very much like Miri herself. More than just a time-travel adventure, the story also realistically depicts Miri's complicated relationships with her siblings. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Miri, singleton daughter sandwiched between two sets of twins, feels depressingly ordinary. When she finds a lens to a pair of eyeglasses taped to the baseboard of her room in the old Victorian home her family has just moved into, she is pulled through time to 1935, where the orphaned Molly relies on the dubious kindness of relatives. Molly's aunt would happily send her to an orphanage, while her cousin, a brute of the first order (and a petty thief to boot), delights in torturing her. The two girls feel an instant kinship: Miri must save Molly, of course--but how? Barrows has crafted a serviceable time-travel fantasy with the right amount of moving back and forth (Miri's own glasses are her ticket back to the 21st century) and reflection on the consequences of changing the past. Narrative nuance and finely tuned character development are sacrificed to quick pacing and plotting, however, a trade-off that will keep middle-graders turning the pages but that may make this offering a disappointment for fans of the superb Ivy Bean chapter books. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.