MirrorMask

Young British television actress Stephanie Leonidas reprises her film role as Helena Campbell, the daughter of circus performers who is cast into a dark realm that is part ALICE IN WONDERLAND, part WIZARD OF OZ, and part Salvador Dali. In a moment of rebellion, Helena wishes her mother dead. Later that evening, her mother falls into a coma, and Helena soon falls into a bizarre fantasy world in which a Dark Queen tries to wipe out Helena's past and make her a Dark Princess. Leonidas reads with a rich, sweet voice but lacks the energy and emotional intensity of her on-screen performance. Still, her enticing accent coupled with Gaiman's off-kilter storytelling makes MIRRORMASK a delightful, if at times spooky, family audiobook. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

March 1, 2006
Gr 6-9 -"Coraline" fans too young for -The Sandman - series (DC Comics) form the most likely audience for this novella of the film "MirrorMask". A fitful dream the night before her mother -s surgery takes 15-year-old Helena to a world split into light and darkness. The queen of the White City is ill, and only the stolen MirrorMask can save her and her kingdom. As Helena -s quest to find the Charm wears on, she realizes that she might not be dreaming after all. McKean -s stark but lively pen-and-ink drawings perfectly reflect the narrative -s sinister humor. The images from the film, however, are drab and unclear. While entertaining, this scant story is less developed than Gaiman -s other work and, being a movie tie-in, threatens to join the growing pile of pop-culture ephemera all too soon." -Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library, NY"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.