What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
SOLVED: Children's/YA
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SOLVED. YA: Book about two sisters and their brother exploring a 'mirror house' in search of a woman. Spoilers ahead... [s]
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Hmm, it was sometime in high school, so I'm going to guess 1997-1998. Maybe 1999. It wasn't a new transfer that I can recall, so I think it'd been around a little bit since then.
It involves a talking fox rather than a dog, but any chance it could be
The Night of the Solstice by L.J. Smith? Here's the summary from Kirkus:"Four California children foil an invasion by evil magicians from another world. Claudia, the youngest Hedges-Bradley, is beseeched by a talking vixen to bring her brother and sisters to the old house on the hill. They learn that the vixen is a familiar of the sorceress Morgana, for centuries the guardian of the only passageways into Findahl, the Wildworld. Morgana, however, has disappeared, just as the winter solstice approaches--the only time when passage between the worlds can be made without a magic amulet. The vixen convinces the children that they must search for Morgana, to prevent the most powerful and evil of the Wildworld magicians, Cadal Forge, from invading and enslaving earth. Despite scoldings by the police and their parents, the children concoct magic amulets and pass through mirrors into the Wildworld. There, they win the aid of some of the inhabitants and avoid the dangers of others, rescuing Morgana just in time to destroy Cadal Forge and close the passageways. Although the plot sounds jaded, the book is not. The children are individuals; the twists and turns are believable and entertaining; the narrow escapes are suspenseful, and the end brings a sigh of relief that good has prevailed. Next-to-youngest Janie, the brains of the team, solves the puzzles and outfoxes the riddler. This is Smith's first book, an impressive debut. The scene has been set for a sequel, to be anticipated with pleasure. (Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 1987)"
Sounds like it could be it. I'll have to find a copy and read it.It's perfectly logical that I mis-remembered a few things. Such as the fox, and number of children.
Managed to buy a copy of this book and skimmed the ending. Yep it is indeed the book I remember, and there were sequels! I never knew about that part.I was so convinced it had 'mirror' in the title. >_<
Thank you all again!
I don't remember how they got involved, but it dealt with I believe a sister of about 14 or so, and her younger brother and sister having to go into this house that had a mirror in every room.
They were there to find the woman who lives there. The woman is able to 'enter' the mirrors into another world and is trapped there, and they have to rescue her. I'm not sure if they know she's trapped in the mirror world or not.
I think the other sister was the youngest of the three, but I'm not sure.
I know there is a dog that belonged to the woman who tries to help them out. I 'think' the dog can talk while in the house.
There is a part where the older sister writes a fake note to the police and sticks it poking out of a drawer for the police to come search the house and find. Except the kids get upset because the police don't notice it, so they end up pulling it out and going "Er, look what I found"
The oldest girl is able to 'fake' different handwritting so it doesn't look like her own, but the cops can tell the kids set it up and obviously don't believe a woman is trapped in a mirror.
They find out HOW the mirror is positioned effects how they are in the mirror world. Because of that there is a part where they are being chased by the people that trapped the woman in the mirror world, and one of the sisters enters a mirror that is facing another mirror. Because this gives you infinite images of yourself in each mirror, she comes out as these sorta holographic light versions of her self, and there are many of her, so she's able to distract the people long enough for them to escape.
They need to free the woman before a full moon if I'm not mistaken.
I also think in order to enter the mirror you needed an amulet, which I believe they made themselves. One of the things you had to do to enchant the amulet was to reflect the first rays of moonlight onto it. They do this by using the aluminum wrapper of a candy bar.
Near the end they think they found the woman, and she tells them not to worry, she'll take care of whatever task only she can do to save something. (The whole point of finding her I think is for her to perform a ritual that only she can, which the people who locked her up don't want her to do)
So they believe they won, except one of them realizes the woman they found is too tall to be the owner of the house. (No they never actually met the woman before) Because I believe the shoes they found belonging to the woman are too small as well as the mirrors being really low to the ground.
Finally one of them realizes that every room in the house has a mirror except one. They realize the one room with two mirrors has that missing mirror, so they move it back and find the real woman, who's upset and says there's so little time left it might be too late.
Being a kids book it's not, and they win. Each of them being given a reward.
The little sister gets the ability to talk to the dog where ever she is, instead of just in the house. At first she thinks she'll be able to talk to animals, but the woman explains they can't have her starting up a conversation with any random squirrel she sees.
The boy gets the element kryptonite. He wanted the superman version, but since it didn't actually exist, he got what it is in our world instead. He mentions wanting to trade it in for something else.
I do not recall what the eldest sister got, but I think it might have been to be trained in being a witch or whatever the woman was, but I can't be certain.
Isn't it so great I can remember all these details, but not the stupid name!? >_<