The Bell Between Worlds (The Mirror Chronicles, Book 1)

This is the first in what promises to be an interesting series,The Mirror Chronicle. Sylas lives in our present day world, although his lonely orphaned existence has rather a Dickensian feel about it. After being given a mysterious book, Sylas is drawn by the tolling of a huge bell into an alternative world, the Other, which he discovers to be in some way a mirror image of his own. He starts on a quest, gradually learning about the magical world he finds himself in, and helped by a variety of characters becomes involved in an ongoing struggle between good and evil, in which you don't always know for sure who is on which side. Sylas starts to uncover mysteries about himself and his mother, whom he had thought was dead, and discovers he has magical powers over nature. This leads to an exciting climax, which leaves us ready for the next installment. The book is fast paced and exciting, although quite a challenging read, and the world of the Other, with all its magic, characters and strange scenery, is well imagined. The way in which this fantasy world is similar to, yet quite different from, our own is cleverly developed, but does not slow down the action. The quality of the writing is good, and the characters are mostly believable and well rounded. For lovers of fantasy, with good reading stamina, this is a good choice. 512 pages / Ages 12+ / Reviewed by Carol Williams, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 11+