Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: The Diary of Bess Brennan, The Perkins School for the Blind, 1932 (Dear America Series)
Grade 3-7-After Bess loses her eyesight in a sledding accident, she enters the Perkins School for the Blind. At first she fights against learning, especially braille, but gradually she adjusts to the school and her condition. Readers learn a great deal about how people compensate for vision loss, such as arranging food on a plate by the hours of the clock and placing their finger over a cup when pouring a liquid so that the fluid does not overflow. The information is well presented, as are Bess's feelings when people talk about her as if she were not there. However, the voice of the narrator is not always that of a 12-year-old, even in the 1930s. "My sorrow is unfathomable" is not a typical expression. It is also hard to believe that Bess would be able to remember the detail she includes in her diary, which she dictates to her sister when she returns home on the weekends. The book briefly alludes to the economic problems of the day and other news items, such as the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. Qualms aside, Bess's story should hold the interest of readers.Margaret C. Howell, West Springfield Elementary School, VACopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.