I had high expectations for this book, and most of them were met. I really liked the duality of the two sisters and it was interesting to see Chaya and Maya play off each other. I also thought this was a realistic and compassionate study of anxiety in kids. The weight of anxiety is clearly felt for Maya. The verse format worked really well for this story, adding a lyricism that supports the themes of music throughout the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

This book was such a lovely story about twins coming into their own! The way mental health was tackled, along with sisterhood complexities, was absolutely brilliant. I felt extremely seen. I also really loved the incorporation of art and also the family dynamic. The poetry was gut-wrenching and I'm grateful to Rajani for continuing to tell these really important stories for my community. I would recommend this in a middle grade classroom.

As the mom of twins, this book was a great reminder that they both have very different personalities and shouldn’t be compared. It’s also a wake up call for those that don’t see how real anxiety is and how much it affects people.

A charming small town romance with heart, humor, and characters that feel like friends. Julia and Aaron are a match made for a Hallmark Movie. Grab a cup of froyo and enjoy this ride to Harper Landing.

Beautifully and artfully written, but ultimately more unsettling than pleasurable. There are significant mental health issues at the center of this book that aren't really dealt with in a meaningful way. Twins Maya and Chaya have always been mirrors of one another, apparently sharing interests and goals but both struggling in different ways as a result of their mother's untreated extreme anxiety that demands perfection of everyone and fears severe consequences for anyone that falls short. For Maya this results in a pathological need to be perfect, panic attacks, and self-harming behaviors. For Chaya, this manifests in an inappropriate level of perceived responsibility for her sister's happiness and an associated inferiority complex. Unresolved grief and anxiety in their broader community also occasionally surfaces in the form of a neighbor who feels obligated to hide his flaws and grief for his deceased father and a community of temple women whose primary function appears to be viciously gossiping about each other's daughters. While Maya and her mother's mental health concerns are briefly addressed and future support is implied, the complete lack of attention to Chaya and Jay's mental wellness makes the matter feel as if it is being swept under the rug. Kids probably would not find the resolution amiss, but adults who read the book are likely to wonder where on earth family services is in this community.

Is Rajani LaRocca ever going to not punch me in the feels with her books? This novel in verse about two identical twins who drift apart due to mental illness is a stunning work. As someone with anxiety, Maya's chapters in particular hit close to home, but Chaya's chapters, where she desperately wants to help her twin but doesn't know how, are heartbreaking. The family dynamics and characterizations leap off the page; you won't be able to put this book down.

Mirror to Mirror is a well written novel in verse that tells the story of twins who were once close, but grow apart due to secrets between them.
I love how the poems go back and forth between the perspectives of Maya and Chaya. Both girls have so much love in their hearts, but their struggles are very real. The situations in this book and the solutions are realistic.

Mirror to Mirror, by Rajani LaRocca, is a sweet middle grade verse novel dealing with the relationships between twin sisters Maya and Chaya. Maya has been dealing with horrible anxiety and Chaya is the only one who knows about it. When Chaya convinces herself that she is the source of Maya's anxiety and starts to pull away, their relationship becomes strained. The story follows how the sisters grow apart in interests, but draws on the powerful connection between the two to show how they find their ways back to each other.

I really enjoyed this book. Maya and Chaya were both lovable and you really can't help but feel for both of them. They both adore music and it takes up a large part of their lives, an aspect of the book that I really enjoyed. The sisterly relationship between the twins is at the core of the book, but their connections with each of their best friends and with the rest of their family (their parents and their little brother) are also carefully constructed and have their own time to shine.

I loved the depiction of Maya's anxiety. As somebody who has always struggled with anxiety, though not necessarily with the same sources as Maya, I found myself relating a lot to that aspect of the story. Depiction of anxiety is also something that I believe is really important for there to be in middle grade books, since I know from experience how scary it can be to be that age and not feel like anybody understands your worries.

The only real critique of this book is the pacing. The first and second half of the book felt like completely disjointed plots; while the central tension between the sisters remained, the setting, tone, and stakes all completely changed, making the book feel somewhat lacking cohesiveness. Otherwise, I greatly enjoyed the book and think that it's a very strong middle grade verse novel. I'm giving Mirror to Mirror 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Mirror to Mirror is a book in verse that beautifully tells the story of twin sisters.

These sisters encounter normal adolescence life including wanting to explore new experiences while trying to blend old friendships and ways with these new experiences. The underlying relationship between the sisters looked strained at times yet love always flowed when needed. The book shows parents allowing their daughters to grow and discover their own identities well.

Although the topics in the book (mental health, self harm, lying, struggling to find individual identity, new friends, feelings of not being enough) could be heavy and overwhelming; the author does a beautiful job drawing the reader in to have compassion and understanding for the characters. The topic of anxiety and mental health is compassionately illustrated throughout the book.

I truly appreciated reading this book as a mom of a pre-teen and who has a few set of twins in our lives. From an outsider; I have always wanted to show individually to the twins we know. This book highlights a family doing just that. The struggles the book shows can be easily be what a normal middle school student faces.

Not only is the story beautiful the typesetting of the words is stunning also.

Content Considerations: self harm, lying, mental illness, a few intense moments of a missing child, raw emotions

Age level: we have a 12 year old that I would let read this book as long as I discussed it with her as she read. I think because of the creative typesetting the book should be read or at least the listener should have the opportunity to look at the pages.
*please read this book along side your teenaged readers.

I don't think I've seen a verse novel done in the voices of identical twin narrators before. A lyrical duet between two girls on the cusp of adolescence struggling to figure out who they are both together and apart. Rajani LaRocca's talent in weaving issues and nuances of emotion in to luminous words that spill off the page and into the heart is evident here. While I've seen other verse novels that could have been told in straight story text--this is one that feels like it requires the poetry of the lines to fully create the story. At it's heart it's a story about love and family resilience and it pulls the reader in from start to finish and will leave them singing.

Mirror to Mirror is a poignant novel in verse that explores the bond between twin sisters. Maya and Chaya have always been inseparable, but they start to grow apart when Maya's anxiety (and her fear of telling anyone about it) forms a gulf the two can't seem to cross. Chaya is convinced that she is causing her sister's problems because she's always Maya's shadow, so she pulls away and tries to do new things. Meanwhile, Maya's striving to be perfect chips away at her mental health, and she's sure that anything that goes wrong is her own fault, both because she isn't good enough and because of her bad luck. While the sisters struggle independently to solve the issues between them, they only make the gulf grow wider.

The book is written in lyrical verse, which is a perfect form to express the internal struggles both the girls are going through. Family dynamics are an important theme, as the girls' parents have their own conflicts while the girls are dealing with their own. I appreciated that the book portrayed some relatively major arguments between the parents without leading to divorce in the end (kids should know that not all conflict means their parents are splitting up). And of course sisterhood is explored--while most kids don't have an identical twin sister, they can still relate to relationship rifts that often happen at this age, and many will relate to Maya's struggles with anxiety as well. And the sisters switching places (which they end up doing at summer camp) adds just the right touch of tension to keep readers engaged.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

This was fine overall, but I found myself getting annoyed at pretty much all of the characters. It was also sometimes difficult to tell Chaya and Maya apart.

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.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Mirror to Mirror is a wonderful novel-in-verse that draws the readers into the lives and thoughts of identical twins Maya and Chaya. Maya is a perfectionist who deals with anxiety. She worries, ever since breaking a mirror when she was six or seven years old, that she is responsible for any bad luck in the lives of the people she loves. Maya's perfectionist tendencies seem to be partly inherited, partly her belief that she can drive away the bad luck by being a perfect version of herself. Maya's twin sister Chaya, is one of the only people who understands the extent of Maya's anxiety and worries she causes it by competing with her in many of their activities, particularly music. Chaya tries to undo the feeling that she is Maya's shadow, dragging her down, by changing things about herself to cause separation between the girls - a distance neither of them truly wants. Things come to a head as the girls spend six weeks away at their summer music camp. The story ends on a hopeful note.

LaRocca has written a beautiful, lyrical novel and the verse format is a wonderful reflection of the music that is so important in Maya and Chaya's lives. Chapters alternate between Maya and Chaya's point of view, which felt cumbersome at first, but made more sense as the novel continued, due to LaRocca's ability to paint them as distinct characters. The adults in their lives are realistically flawed while being loving and supportive.

Many readers will find something to relate to here - I highly recommend Mirror to Mirror for readers in grades 4-8..

Mirror to Mirror by Rajani La Roca is a beautiful novel in verse that explores the question of what happens when identical twins start developing very separate personalities. Add to that a secret that one twin is hiding from the family and the tension builds with every page. Readers will be able to identify with at least one of the twins even if they're not twins themselves.
A quick read, this book will be perfect for any perfectionist and/or anxious kiddos in your life.
It's incredibly well written and lyrical. It would make a terrific read-aloud as well.

Chaya and Maya are identical twins. They are both excellent musicians and the best of friends, but Maya carries a secret. She has anxiety and panic attacks. Chaya wants her to talk to their parents about it, but Maya refuses. Chaya thinks maybe Maya’s drive to be perfect would be lessened if she didn’t feel like she had to compete with Chaya, so Chaya decides to branch out and do different things to give Maya the chance to shine. Maya can’t understand why Chaya is pulling away from her. A trip to music camp during the summer during which the girls decide to switch places brings all of their issues to a head.

Oh poor Maya. She’s carrying such a heavy burden, and it all stems from comments from her mom about superstition and her mom’s perfectionism leaking out. Chaya’s sacrifices to do what she thinks will help Maya are noble, but also show how assumptions and guesses cannot solve issues like open communication can. I hope that many readers can learn through their experiences and get the help they need. This could be such an eye-opening and powerful read for some kids (and adults…their loving mother’s unintentional part in Maya’s issues is important too). The resolution at the end is hopeful, and shows the whole family moving in a more positive direction. I also liked all the musical bits woven throughout this story. I haven’t read any other middle grade books that dives so deeply into what it is like as a tween/teen seriously pursuing music. As a music major drop out, I related a lot to their experiences (even if my instrument was different from theirs), and I know several serious young musicians who will love meeting a kindred spirit in Maya and Chaya. Their music camp experience includes a musical play production of something that sounds a lot like The Parent Trap minus the matchmaking of separated parents, which was fun, especially with twins as the main characters. Overall, a powerful novel in verse on an important and relevant topic delivered with lots of musical overtones.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really interesting book about twin sisters who have similar interests but different approaches to life. Maya is an incredible musician who tends to be a perfectionist and feels anxiety when anything feels out of her control. Chaya likes to take risks and try new things and put her own spin on her musical abilities. There's a 'gift of the magi' aspect of this story as each sister hopes to help the other be happier by sacrificing part of themselves. It started a bit slow for me, but the lyrical pace lured me in and then I found myself racing to find out how it ended. I recommend this for fans of stories about friendship, family, and identity. Anyone who's felt stressed out about the expectations of others might see themselves in this story. Read alike to Other Words For Home and Inside Out & Back Again.

My review in School Library Journal: Gr 4-8–Chaya and Maya are identical twins with a strong bond. Maya has been keeping a secret since they were six years old, something even her twin doesn’t know about. Chaya picks up on Maya’s anxiety and wants to tell their parents, but Maya asks her to keep it undercover. When Chaya discovers Maya is harming herself by digging into to her hand with her own fingernails, seeing the blood shocks her into action. Blaming herself for the anxiety her twin is experiencing, Chaya changes her interests and activities to those different from Maya, to give her space to shine. Unfortunately, Maya sees this as her sister pulling away from her and feels isolated. Each sister feels like the other twin has it easier, so they swap places while at camp—à la The Parent Trap–style musical Long Lost, which they both adore. This novel-in-verse is told in alternating, dual perspectives of Chaya and Maya, which give readers insight into their thoughts and Maya’s superstitious secret. LaRocca has created each sister with her own clear voice that is easy to discern as the point of view shifts. The cadence of the lyrical free verse lends itself beautifully to the musical talents of both girls. Family dynamics give readers more understanding and compassion for Maya’s perfectionist ways when another family member seems to experience similar pressure that sometimes results in tense situations. Anxiety is presented respectfully, with the goal of helping to remove stigma.VERDICT This engaging verse novel opens doors to more conversations about mental health and deserves a place on every middle grade shelf.Reviewed by Lisa Krok , Mar 01, 2023

There is so much that I loved in this book! A gorgeously written novel in verse from Rajani LaRocca about twin sisters and the music that connects them. Maya and Chaya are identical, yet opposites in personality. LaRocca brings these two girls to life through emotionally written verse - their secrets, their worries, their love for one another, and the different ways they express themselves.
Against the backdrop of summer music camp, the twins switch places to experience life in each other's shoes - with both expected and unexpected results.
Recommended for ages 10+, this book will resonate with readers for many reasons - themes of family, friendship, identity, responsibility, and forgiveness all come together in a multi-layered, lyrical masterpiece of middle grade literature.