Middle-Grade Review: Mirror Mirror (Whatever After #17) By Sarah Mlynowski

 

About This Book:

In this thrilling conclusion to the bestselling, beloved Whatever After series, Abby and Jonah return to where it all began–the story of Snow White–and also wind up reuniting with ALL of their favorite fairy tale characters…
Abby and Jonah might be moving away, which means it’s time for one last mission through the magic mirror in their basement! 

And where does the mirror send them? Back into the story of Snow White, where their adventures all began. Snow White is happily ruling the kingdom, hanging out with the seven dwarfs, and getting ready for her big royal wedding to Prince Trevor (while the evil queen is safely locked away.) Abby’s mission is clear: free Gabrielle, the fairy trapped in Snow White’s mirror. But a few wicked fairies are up to their old tricks, doing all they can to stop Abby from succeeding… 

When Abby herself gets trapped, she must turn to old friends–like Cinderella, Rapunzel, the Snow Queen, Aladdin, and many more–for help, which leads to an epic fairy-tale showdown between good and evil. With a magical mix of courage, quick thinking, and fairy power, will Abby, Jonah, and all their friends be able to save the day? 

The Whatever After series lives on with graphic novels! Look for If the Shoe Fits: The Graphic Novel in September 2025.

*Review Contributed By Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer*

A Fantastic Final Fairy Tale

When Abby and Jonah’s parents break the news that the family might have to move back to Naperville after barely a year in Smithville, Abby is devastated. Not only would she miss her new friends Frankie, Robin, and Penny, but leaving their current home would mean leaving the enchanted mirror that housed Maryrose. Desperate to find out their fate, the two call on their favorite fairy and are swiftly whisked away to a fairy tale world, still in their pajamas! Things look a bit familiar, and when they meet some of Snow White’s dwarves, they realize they are back in Zamel. Snow and Prince Trevor’s wedding is in a few days, so Snow thinks they have come for that, but in reality, Maryrose has asked them to help Gabrielle, another fairy trapped in a mirror, this time by her twin, the evil Gluck, who is currently trapped in the story of Peter Pan. Doing their research, Abby and Jonah discover that they have the best chance of freeing Gabrielle if they can assemble eleven fairies from their previous journeys. While they are inviting these fairies to the wedding, the realize that Prince Trevor is acting very oddly. This is just part of an enormous magical problem they have to solve with the help from characters from their past. Will they be able to free Gabrielle and figure out a way to continue their adventures even if their parents move them back to Naperville?
Good Points
This was a fantastic final volume in the Whatever After series, which was first published in 2012. Mlynowski manages to tie together both the siblings’ magical and realistic journeys, and to reconnect them with pivotal allies from the past. The parallel construction of Maryrose and Gabrielle’s entrapment is clever, and there is a bit of a dark turn where Abby finds herself trapped in the mirror! Prince the dog is a steadfast character, and he gets to stay with the children, which was a huge relief.

The magical elements align nicely, and there are some explantions that are helpful if one has followed the entire series. Revisiting the Snow White tale and having Abby and Jonah help with the wedding is a nice touch, as was having their grandmother’s fairy tale book feature them in all of the updated stories.

There isn’t as much attention paid to Abby’s friends in Smithville, but that’s understandable since there are so many threads to be woven together to end this tale. It was heartening to see that not only will the children be closer to their Nana, who has stayed in Naperville, but to watch as they start off on a new adventure with her at the end of the book.

While I am not normally a fan of series that last twenty books (including super special editions), each book is rather short, and the stories move quickly. Fans of Baker’s The Wide Awak Princess series, Zahler’s fairy tale retellings, or Colfer’s Land of Stories books will enjoy Abby and Jonah’s fractured fairy tale adventures, and revel in this all inclusive finale.

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