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Abel makes a desperate gamble for love, but when he falls into Mirror Town, he gets more than he bargained on.
The Bizarre Bazaar: Mirror Town by Daniel Nayeri, illustrated by Liz Enright. Little, Brown Ink, 2025. 144 pages.
- Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 10-12
- Recommended For: Ages 10-12
Babs and Bruno run the Bizarre Bazaar in small town, Texas: “We buy, sell, trade–whatever you need. And after that, whatever you want. All the most interesting things.” Interesting as in… all the interesting things from the stories. You know, the items that make people fall in love, go to war, and have adventure.
Conveniently, Abel Azari has fallen in love (with Ginny Mendoza) and he needs something interesting for his lady love (or, rather, the middle school girl who may or may not know he exists). He and his mom don’t have much money, and she’s hardly around because she works so much. But he checks out the Bizarre Bazaar anyway, and Babs has just the thing. How much does it cost? More than Abel can afford. But men have worked hard for women before, so he begins working for a neighbor lady (Mrs. Branley). In her shed, he finds a mirror. After much hemming and hawing, she agrees to let him take the mirror to the pawn shop (the Bizarre Bazaar) in return for more work.
Interesting object? A young man desperately in love? Cue the adventure. Abel drops the mirror in a creek and ends up falling into it. When he emerges, he doesn’t realize he’s in “Mirror Town.” He proceeds with his plan, and suddenly, the girl is interested in him, his dad is back, his mom is not working all the time, and he has friends. But something is off.
In the end, Abel must summon up his courage and get out of Mirror Town. Abel learns what really matters when you’re trying to woo women and gain friends, but he also learns that, well, I won’t spoil it. Throughout the story Babs talks directly to the reader, helpfully narrating what’s going on at times and offering funny (snarky) commentary at others. This graphic novel is a mashup of fairy tale and quest tropes set firmly in contemporary Texas. As with most Nayeri works, every detail counts, and you will want to reread this upon finishing it to catch what you missed the first time around. A tale passing strange and clever all the way.
Considerations:
- Bruno is a djinn, but that isn’t mentioned until nearly the last page.
Bottom Line: A terrifically clever graphic novel that will appeal to clever kids; try this with your reluctant readers.
Recommended Reading at Redeemed Reader
- Reviews: Check out Drawn Onward for another visual story by Nayeri (although it’s a picture book, it will work for the same aged readers as Mirror Town).
- Review: Other books that may interest reluctant readers include The Minor Miracle and The Minor Rescue about a boy who turns out to have super powers.
- Reviews: More graphic novels for this age group include Otto: A Palendrama, Zeus, King of the Gods, The Lemonade War: The Graphic Novel, or browse all of our graphic novel reviews!
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