The Magic Mirror of the Mermaid Queen (Changeling, #2) by Delia Sherman

The Magic Mirror of the Mermaid Queen (Changeling, #2) Reviews

• 
  Devann

  This was a cute enough sequel but I just didn't find it as engrossing as the first one. For one thing I thought the plot was a little bit too similar - I mean she JUST went on a quest to find the mirror and now it's lost and she has to go do the exact same thing again? The new characters were interesting enough and I think it's good to see her meeting and interacting with more mortal children, but I'm not wild about the school setting and I was kind of sad that none of the characters from book one showed up at all, even in small cameo roles. It was still a fun read and the ending was interesting and there's definitely room for a more unique sequel next time.
• 
  Tamora Pierce

  Neef, the Central Park changeling from Sherman's book CHANGELING (see how nice that worked out?), is back, and sentenced to Van Loon's, the school for changelings. The courses might be strange--Talismans, Diplomacy, Questing, Mortal History and Customs--but some things are all too familiar, like the glossy, beautiful, perfectly clothed bully girls from the Upper East Side. And then there are the Rules--all one thousand of them. In a big, fat book that everyone must carry with them.
  
  Some of the rules? They can't fight with other students. They can't talk about anything at school with any of the Fairy Folk, including Fairy Godparents. They must not visit other neighborhoods. They must not challenge or dare other students. And as those who know Neef can tell you, she is born to break all of those rules, without even meaning to. She can't help it.
  
  Things only get worse when she learns she must recover the mirror she took from the Mermaid Queen in CHANGELING and bring it back to her. She must quest again--and this time, she needs a lot of help from people she hadn't wanted to ask for anything. Not help. Not friendship.
  
  School sure is hard!
  
  You don't necessarily have to have read the first book to read this one. It's fun; it's magical; it's scary; and it's adventurous. It's rollicking good!
• 
  Nilsson

  Not her, too! Everyone gets trapped into going to school, don't they?
• 
  Jim

  a c tale, though just short of book #1 with respect to just about everything... maybe Neef was too grown up in this one... most of the elements were there, they just lacked a certain cuteness or childishness or simplicity... still, a rather funny and fun book, albeit a tad more YA (or a tad less Children's Lit) than i was hoping...
• 
  Emily

  Neef is thrilled when her fairy godparents tell her she's going to Miss Van Loon's School for Mortal Changelings. For less than a day. Then she's tossed into a new place with new rules and other mortals and classes. On the very first day she makes some friends--and an enemy. Little does she know, she'll need everything she has to complete a quest to protect Central Park.
• 
  MissM

  This wonderful sequel to Changeling is the best kind of YA book out there. With focus on a sharp, fun story, a likable protagonist and nothing overtly scary/cruel/vulgar, author Delia Sherman really writes for any and all ages.
  
  I initially picked up Changeling on a whim at my local library after running across it on Amazon. I have no prejudice against YA books and will read them for enjoyment on occasion. Many are a let-down though, and I feel often that such books "talk down" to their youth audience, or try too hard to "sound" hip and young. Changeling didn't do that. It simply gave you a wonderful, classically inspired and good-old-fashioned fairy tale set in modern New York City.
  
  I'm pleased to say that The Magic Mirror of the Mermaid Queen continues this same setting and characters and builds on the first book. The story continues past the first book's conclusion and gives us new challenges for the main character, Neef, to conquer. We meet some new characters along the way and in traditional "hero's quest" format, Neef not only ultimately succeeds in her goals but learns important lessons about herself and life along the way.
  
  I highly recommend both of these books to young and old alike. They are a good way to introduce kids to myths and literary characters they might not have been as exposed to in the modern media (especially not in their more classic presentations) and a fun way for adults to remember hearing fairy tales with such creatures/characters from their own youth.
• 
  Sbuchler

  Genre: Fantasy
  
  I enjoyed this book far more then the previous one, Changeling. Neef has been declared the Official Changeling of Central Park, but it isn't until she starts attending Miss Van Loon's School for Mortal Changelings that she has any idea what that really means. Once she starts school, the book has a very Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone feel to it, with descriptions of classes and Neef's interactions with her classmates interspersed with her quest to find the magic mirror of the mermaid queen. It is these descriptions that give the book most of it's charm; Neef's school chum Espresso talks "Village" (e.g. "moo juice in your java anyone?") and is unfailingly perky. Fortran, the best liar in Columbia is New York Between's version of a computer geek, a tech-head obsessed with fairy talismans the one kind of magic mortals can learn. While Tiffany (Neef's school nemesis) is the quintessential snotty popular girl from the East Side who seems to have everything her own way and is bent on making Neef's life hell. Tiffany's machinations actually matter to Neef's quest, though, which makes for a very satisfying conclusion.
• 
  Margaret

  Sherman returns to her delightful alternate New York City in her second book about Neef, the official changeling of New York Between's Central Park. After surviving her first quest (in
  Changeling), Neef figures that going to school won't be too difficult, but Miss Van Loon's School for Mortal Changelings turns out to be tougher than she thought. The snobbish East Side girls look down on Neef and her friends, and there are way too many rules to follow. As if that weren't enough, the magic mirror of the Mermaid Queen of New York Harbor is lost, and Neef has to go on another quest to find it, with a little help from her friends, and maybe from her enemies.
  
  I thought this was just as delightful as the first book. I love the playful setting, the wealth of faerie lore and references to other books, and the tough, clever, impulsive Neef.
• 
  Kathryn McCary

  The second New York Between novel is a school story. Uh-oh! But, no, there's little here of J.K. Rowling, other than the general structure common to all school stories (the outsider, the cliques, forming alliances, dealing with authority). And it takes us outside the walls as well, to the entrancing City that shares the same space, but not entirely the same reality, as New York City. There are a couple of mistakes in continuity with the first novel (keep your eye on the jade frog!), but nothing to mar the rollicking pleasure of visiting the Folk's version of the Bowery, the Upper East Side, the Garment District, Lincoln Center, Riverside Park. My greatest regret is that it would be tough, at best, to integrate the two short stories ("CATNYP" & "Grand Central Park") that led me to Sherman's work, with the developing world of NYB; they were both set there, but won't quite lock into place with the two novels. Too bad--but that's one of the dangers of storytelling.
• 
  Chris

  Sherman follows up her enjoyable Changeling (2008) with a sequel that is just as exciting and fun to read. Neef, the human changeling living in New York Between is back; after successfully tricking the Mermaid Queen of New York Harbor out of her magic mirror in the last book, Neef has earned the right to attend Miss Van Loon's School for Mortal Changelings. Like its predecessor, Magic Mirror combines elements of folklore, popular culture, and classic New York icons to create a fair world that is dangerously exciting for any reader. Readers unfamiliar with New York City will not be as disoriented with this book as they may be with the Changeling, but its essential to read these books in order. Although the cast of fairy characters is not as large as in the last book, readers will delight in meeting other changelings from around the city. Native New Yorkers will truly love this flippant look at their city. Best for 'tweens and anyone who believes in fairies.
• 
  Kathy

  I really missed Changeling, from the first book, almost as much as Neef did, but this one manages to stand on its own, and is just as good as the first one. Neef gets to go to a school for changelings. She has to learn diplomacy, since none of the Geniuses of the various territories of New York Between can manage to communicate with each other without a conflict developing. That's why they need changelings. And since Neef is the first changeling from Central Park to survive to a reasonable age, high hopes have been pinned on her. But first, she must manage to memorize and follow all the Rules of her school, and return the magic mirror to the Mermaid Queen of New York Harbor. Neither task is as simple as it seems. Good fun.
• 
  Jaimie

  In the second Changeling novel Neef of Central Park must undo her quest from the previous volume and return the Mirror of the Mermaid Queen to its rightful owner - all while attending Miss Van Loon's school for changelings. Sherman adds better characterization and more thematic complexity to her rpetoire in this novel, rather than simply focusing on plot and action, so I found this book to be a much more enjoyable read than the first. Neef has to learn to make human/changleling friends, and while doing so she also learns her place as the diplomatic voice of Central Park - which clearly sets us up for further stories about grown up Neef.
• 
  kvon

  Book #2, but it's easy to read having skipped the first. A magical New York, with only fairies of various kinds, just a few human changelings, who have to go to school. And obey (and break) the rules, and make friends, and frenemies. A fun, quick read with an engaging, brash, heroine. YA
  Note that I really like NY without the people.
• 
  Rena

  I was kind of surprised that Changeling was not in this book at all. But I enjoy the random references to all kinds of things, like "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood." It's kind of like the author was sharing private jokes with the reader that the characters didn't know about.
• 
  Kristin

  more girly than Percy Jackson...but this series (starting with Changeling) would be a good read a like for that series...or for Anne Ursu's Chronus Chronicles. Not Greek mythology, but somewhat similar feel...and sense of humor about itself.
• 
  Raye

  This sequel to Changeling returns to Neef, who is growing bored with her home in Central Park. Lucky for her, she is being sent to school for changeling children. Too bad there are Rules there, too. Also for younger YAs.
• 
  Christen

  A great book, reminiscent of Percy Jackson, but folklore based instead of myths. Solid sequel (don't find many of those these days).
• 
  Beth

  A fun sequel to Changeling. I loved the portrayal of New York cultures through mortal changeling kids' various neighborhoods.
• 
  Holly

  This sequel looks like it might turn into a series! Yippee!
• 
  Allen Garvin

  Very cute YA novel, the sequel to the earlier Changeling, involving the adventures of Neef, a fairy changeling.
• 
  Gapeach

  Neef goes to school with other mortals and has a quest in her spare time.
• 
  Jasmine

  This book is so grounded in the city, and in New York in particular. It fills me with joy.
  
  A very fun book. (Also, CITY.)
• 
  Deb

  Engagin sequel to Changeling. Neef is thrown into a number of new environments, and has to learn how to work with both allies and enemies.
• 
  Deedee

  Lexile 690L
  IL: MG - BL: 4.6 - AR Pts: 9.0
  
• 
  Debbie Notkin

  This is light fun, reasonably entertaining. I'm not a big fan of "magic school" books, but I did enjoy the characters in this, and the ways the students get around the rules.