Koja, Kathe. The blue mirror.Farrar, Straus & Giroux Farrar, Straus & Giroux Publishing company in New York City noted for its literary excellence. It was founded in 1945 by John Farrar and Roger Straus as Farrar, Straus & Co. . 119p. c2004. 0-374-30849-7. $16.00. S Koja writes with great artistry--her words sometimes work as brushes creating paintings; her prose is close to poetry. This works well in her acclaimed ac·claim v. ac·claimed, ac·claim·ing, ac·claims v.tr. 1. To praise enthusiastically and often publicly; applaud. See Synonyms at praise. 2. YA novel Buddha Boy, about artists. The Blue Mirror is also about an adolescent artist who loses herself in the world she calls the Blue Mirror, the world she creates through her drawings. Maggie is 17 years old, confused and lonely as she lives with her alcoholic mother. She likes to hang out in a cafe in the evenings, escaping her home life that isn't a home life. It's there that she becomes aware of the homeless young people living on the streets, stealing, getting drugs, living on the edges of Maggie's world. She draws them. She sees a beautiful young man and can't resist getting to know him, falling in love with him, disregarding dis·re·gard tr.v. dis·re·gard·ed, dis·re·gard·ing, dis·re·gards 1. To pay no attention or heed to; ignore. 2. To treat without proper respect or attentiveness. n. his weaknesses and his power over young street girls. Strangely, she is unable to draw him--a symptom symptom /symp·tom/ (simp´tom) any subjective evidence of disease or of a patient's condition, i.e., such evidence as perceived by the patient; a change in a patient's condition indicative of some bodily or mental state. of her blindness as to his true nature. Her friend at the cafe warns her, but she can't see the truth. When the young man, Cole, invades the home Maggie and her mother share, then Maggie begins to see that she doesn't belong to him really. Her eyes are opened and she is horrified hor·ri·fy tr.v. hor·ri·fied, hor·ri·fy·ing, hor·ri·fies 1. To cause to feel horror. See Synonyms at dismay. 2. To cause unpleasant surprise to; shock. at the cruelty Cruelty See also Brutality. Achren mean, spiteful enchantress of Spiral Castle. [Children’s Lit.: The Castle of Llyr] Allan, Barbara spurned her dying sweetheart because of a fancied slight. [Br. with which he controls the girls around him. At this point, she is able to capture him in a drawing. The world on the streets that Maggie enters briefly is a dark one. She has casual sex with Cole, powerless to resist him. There are drugs, petty crimes, hunger, loneliness, disease, lost souls. This is a brief and powerful story. It is understandable that Maggie is drawn to Cole and his life, because she too feels she has no real home. Fortunately, she is strong enough to pull back before being swallowed up by Cole and his destructive ways. There will be an audience for this fine short work of fiction. Claire Rosser, KLIATT |
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