Mirror to Mirror
Ranaji LaRocca
HarperCollins
Published March 21, 2023
About Mirror to Mirror
In Rajani LaRocca’s breathtaking follow-up to the Newbery Honor– and Walter Award–winning Red, White, and Whole, identical twin sisters with a complicated relationship do everything together—until one day, they break apart.
Maya is the pragmatic twin. But when her sister threatens to reveal her secret anxiety to their parents, she feels completely betrayed.
Chaya is the outgoing twin. With Maya shutting her out, she decides to make a drastic change to give her twin the space she seems to need.
The once-close sisters can’t seem to find their rhythm, but they know that something has to give. So they make a bet: they’ll switch places at summer camp, and whoever can keep the ruse going longer will get to decide where they both attend high school—the source of frequent arguments. But stepping into each other’s shoes isn’t as easy as it sounds. Will the twins’ relationship recover?
My Review
I didn’t realize this book was a novel in verse until I began reading it. From the first pages, I was drawn in to Chaya and Maya’s lives. I got them mixed up early on because they both say similarly complementary things about each other, but as the story went on and I got to know them better, it became a lot easier to keep track of which was which, so that by the end, when they switched places, I followed those scenes with no confusion at all.
I love sister books, and I don’t often get a chance to read books about twin sisters, so I was super excited to read this one. I loved the way the sisters know each other better than anyone, but even then, they’re not immune from doubts or unable to keep secrets. I also liked some of the things their parents said to them. Their parents are obviously not perfect, and they have a rocky relationship. But they still see and notice Maya and Chaya, more than the girls even realize at first. So I really appreciated the dynamics in their family.
All in all, I think this is a great novel in verse and a wonderful story of the bond between sisters.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Representation
Maya and Chaya are identical twins and Indian American.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content
None.
Spiritual Content
Mentions of celebrating Gokulashtami, Lord Krishna’s birthday.
Violent Content
Self-harm: Maya battles anxiety and begins scratching C’s into her hand using her nails in response to her anxiety.
Drug Content
None.
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