Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The Sisters Grimm: Book Nine - The Council of Mirrors
Illustrator: Peter Ferguson
Fiction Series
For ages 8 to 12
Abrams Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-1419701863
Ever since Sabrina and her sister Daphne arrived in Ferryport Landing, their life has been complicated, and at times downright dangerous. First they met a grandmother, Granny Relda, whom they never knew they had. Then they found out that they are descendants of the Grimm brothers, and that Ferryport Landing is home to Everafters, fairytale characters like Prince Charming, Cinderella, and Snow White. The sisters also discover that these characters are not too keen on the Grimms because long ago a Grimm created a magical barrier that keeps the Everafters trapped in Ferryport Landing.
After many crises of various kinds, the situation in Ferryport Landing has now reached a critical point. Mirror, the arch villain, has inhabited Granny Relda’s body, and he is determined to break through the barrier and get out into the human world. He is so evil and dangerously powerful that Sabrina, Daphne, their parents, and their allies are trying to stop him. They know for a fact that Mirror will create chaos and death wherever he goes.
The problem is that the Grimms and their allies are few in number, and they don’t have the same amount of magical power that Mirror has. No one really knows what to do. Then they find out that it is prophesied that Daphne and Sabrina have the potential to save the day, and that they are the only ones who can defeat Mirror. Unfortunately, the prophecy does not come with any useful instructions. Though Daphne and Sabrina have the ability within them to bring about a happy outcome to the problem, they have no idea how they are supposed to do this.
Sabrina flounders, trying to come to terms with the prophesy. She does what others tell her to do until, finally, she gets some much needed advice. Since the person offering the advice is a nuisance at best, she is inclined to ignore it, but some of the advice actually seems to make sense.
This final Grimm Sisters title brings Michael Buckley’s fantastic series to a perfect close. The crisis that has been building over the last few books finally reaches a peak. Characters fall in battle, and we cannot be sure that the Grimms are going to prevail. Not until the very end do we find out if Sabrina and Daphne are able fulfill the prophecy. What an incredible bookish journey this has been!
