Magic of the Black Mirror

Matter-of-Fact Magic

by Ruth Chew

Face to face with an Indian from long ago...
"Amanda," Will whispered to his sister, "that boy is just like the picture of an Indian I saw in my social studies book."
The two children stared at each other. Suddenly Amanda remembered. "The book said this was how the Totmen Pole Indians looked long ago!"
Neither Will nor Amanda spoke, but they both knew what had happened. The black mirror had taken them into the past!

Genres: Young Adult, Childrens, Fantasy

127 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1990

About the author

Ruth Chew is the author of a number of popular books for young readers, including Secondhand Magic and The Wednesday Witch. She was born in Minneapolis and grew up in Washington, D.C. She studied art at the Corcoran School of Art and worked as a fashion artist. She was the mother of five children.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although definitely not politically correct, this was an enjoyable read. I remember how much I loved reading it as a child, and found my sense of wonder renewed. The only thing which surprised me was that throughtout the story the children never seem to worry about getting home -- they simply embrace their time travel experience. I would have to do some research before recommending it to a child, but this book was definitely an enjoyable read.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book also has the pair of kids slip back in time and not just to their local region this time. Most of these kids live in Brooklyn and when they slip back, it's still New York state. This pair slips to what can only be the Pacific Northwest. Transported by accident with a shaman polished obsidian mirror. Chew gets in chores, local customs and food of the natives in this one. Nice little read and one of the ones my daughter remembers from her childhood.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I keep reading Ruth Chew books because I'm hoping to find another one that I like as much as the one about magic fudge. Sadly most of them follow the same basic premise that just doesn't hold up. (Yes, I'm an adult, but I think that even a child would be bored with reading the same idea this many times in supposedly different books.)

[Madame Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandy and Will visit the Brooklyn Museum and are transported through a mirror into the past. They meet a boy named Fox-of-the-Water, and lives with his family and learn ways of how Natives lived.

[Pahulina]

Cornejo, Pahulina
January 5,2012
7B Literature
The Magic of the Black Mirror
By: Ruth Chew


Have you ever wanted to read a book about adventure and mystery? Have you ever wanted to have adventure? Sometimes when I see something it reminds me of the past. When i started to reading this book i couldn't stop reading. Every single sentence was interesting.

The author of this book is Ruth Chew I don't really know much about Ruth Chew all I know is that most of her books are adventure. This book is fiction and if I would describe it I would describe it as make believe, interesting, and mysterious. My opinion about this hook is that describes many scenes.

It all started at a park they were at the park. That morning was so hot. So, they went inside a building and under a totem pole there was a black mirror. The black mirror took them to the past. So they were going to journeys, adventure, and mysterious. So one day they went they saw the totem pole and the black mirror was there. I recommend everyone to read this book to read what happens at the end.

[HeavyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's another Ruth Chew book where kids (with no parental supervision) in a museum (the Brooklyn Museum) are magically (and for no reason that is ever explained) transported to another time and culture. Of course, they meet friendly people with whom they can easily communicate.

The people who house and feed them and are kind to them have slaves. At least this time the kids express (at least mild) displeasure about slavery to each other, even if they don't question or speak out against it to their hosts.

The kids are also kidnapped by rivals from another village and that part is exciting.

Of course, all ends well and the white kids find themselves back at home, only moments after they left, although they have been in the alternate universe for days.

I wonder if Ruth Chew wanted to write a story that did not involve magic but was told or felt no one would read her books if they were entirely mundane.

[Hank Hill]

Pretty good so far. My social security number is 111-11-1111.