Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Mr. Badger and the Magic Mirror
Fiction Series
For ages 6 to 8
Allen and Unwin, 2011 ISBN: 978-1742374208
Mr. Badger works at the Boubles Grand Hotel as the Special Events Manager. At the moment his assistant is having a lovely holiday in Spain, so Mr. Badger has to work harder than ever. One morning he arrives at the hotel to find out that workers are installing a large mirror at the top of the main staircase. When Mr. Badger makes his rounds later in the morning to make sure that everything is as it should be, he decides to check on the mirror as well.
Mr. Badger notices that his reflection in the mirror is “foggy and unclear,” and he decides to investigate. He climbs on a chair to study the mirror more closely and touches the surface of the glass. Then, without really thinking too much about what he is doing, Mr. Badger leaps right through the mirror and into a place on the other side. What Mr. Badger discovers astounds him. He is still inside a building, but in the building there is a beach, complete with a bucket, spade and sandcastle. There is a real castle there too, which Mr. Badger decides to visit.
Meanwhile, back in the hotel, Lady Celia Smothers-Curruthers arrives with Sylvia, her dreadful granddaughter, in tow. Sylvia goes to look at the mirror, sees Mr. Badger on the other side, and when her grandmother is otherwise occupied, the little girl dives through the glass too.
On the other side of the mirror, Mr. Badger is surprised to find Sir Cecil Smothers-Curruthers standing in the doorway of the castle. Sir Cecil tells Mr. Badger that they are in Boubles-land, and that he would be delighted to give Mr. Badger a tour. For a change Mr. Badger will be the guest, and the hard-working Special Events Manager happily accepts Sir Cecil’s invitation, never imagining that his time in Boubles-land will far exceed his expectations.
There is no doubt that the Boubles Grand Hotel is the kind of place that is packed full of secrets. Young readers are going to enjoy sharing Mr. Badger’s adventures as he stumbles, once again, across one of the hotel’s many wonders.
