Before the story, in place of an inspiring quote is a definition for “kangaroo court”, a concept that turns out to be central to this book.

Sheed and Otto Alston, the Legendary Alston Boys, are trying to enjoy a laid-back Saturday, except that Sheed is constantly annoyed by Otto, who can’t forget that when time was frozen in their first adventure, he learned that Sheed has some kind of illness that will cause him to die young. But as he hasn’t figured out a way to talk about it, it’s just looming over his head and making him push Grandma to take them to the doctor without being able to explain why.

Photo of author Lamar Giles
Edgar Award nominated author Lamar Giles
All of this is secondary, though, as Missus Needraw, proprietress of the Mirror Emporium appears in their bathroom mirror and tells them that a dangerous criminal has escaped from his mirror prison and that it’s all their fault. Soon, they’re off on a wild adventure involving mirrors with a myriad of functions, including prison cells, communication and teleportation devices and portals to parallel universes. Much of the story time is spent in a wacky mirror world where the friendly neighbor who barbecues for the neighbors in their own world now has flaming hot hands that allow him to grill without needing coals, and Grandma’s church choir ladies all have enormous hats with wings that really let them fly. (Hooray for the choir ladies!) In this world, they meet ArachnoBRObia, a group of spider kids. But are they a dangerous gang, as Missus Needraw claims, or a super cool band, as they themselves claim?

As Otto and Sheed chase down the criminal, the things they learn lead them to doubt everything they’ve been told and they start to wonder why it is that so many people are locked up in mirror prisons in so many different dimensions. And even as the scope of the problem they’ve been asked to solve gets bigger and bigger, Otto is always looking for a way to save Sheed while keeping the terrible truth from him.

There’s obviously some timely commentary on the prison-industrial complex here, but it’s set in enough speedy, slapstick adventure that kids who aren’t aware of this real world issue might not recognize the connection. Even those who are will appreciate the humor of talking about the term “kangaroo court” and then making one of the villains a kangaroo. This is a book with fast-paced adventure enough to draw in reluctant readers, but with enough heart and real-world issues – like what real justice is – to keep conversations going afterwards. If you haven’t yet met the Legendary Alston Boys, what are you waiting for?

A fun middle-grade book perfect for readers who like a little bit of sci-fi/magical realism and humor. Otto and Sheed, the Alston boys we met in the book The Last Last Day of Summer. They find themselves in an alternate universe where nobody is quite as they should be. They find themselves in trouble with the law, on the run jumping through mirrors into alternate universes all while Otto finds a way to save Sheed from his untimely demise.

Giles is a YA favorite and his middle-grade books are sure to be a hit as well. It is nice to see two black boys in a story that is part adventure, part friendship, and a whole lot of fun. This is a must-have for all library shelves.

The cutest middle grade book! I didn't know this was part of a series when I picked it up, and it did not affect my enjoyment in any way. I'm a sucker for stories that have mirror dimensions reflecting our own world, and loved the way this one was illustrated.

The Alston boys are back with a new adventure that you can read without having read Book One (although you’ll for sure be wanting to spend more time with these characters). In the first story they helped get their entire town unstuck from a time freeze in THE LAST LAST-DAY-OF-SUMMER,. Readers also learned one of the boys will get sick in the near future and not survive.

Let’s hope this turns out well for both in THE LAST MIRROR ON THE LEFT. Here they get caught in one mirror after another, sending them to an alternate Warped World that sort of looks like home but with some major differences, and now they’re stuck.

Crazy looking animal-human like characters greet them at every turn. Most are versions of people they know from the real world. Otto and Sheed also change depending on what mirror they go through. It’s a wildly inventive story line sure to please and these two cousins will win your heart.

FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: THE LAST MIRROR ON THE LEFT by Lamar Giles

1. You’ll be rooting for Otto and Sheed as they mend their relationship and find a new way to bring justice to wrongdoers.
2. Many of the comeback lines from the the Alston boys were laugh out loud. Young readers will be laughing, too.
3. Even if you don’t like spiders you may grow to like the ArchnaBRObia gang. They aren’t left out from having an engaging character arc.
4. Despite the magical fantasy backdrop, many themes relate to our lives in the present world.
5. Will there be a third adventure? It sure seems so with the bright reveal in the closing chapter. Crossing my fingers for one!

Fun adventures of two boys who have been appointed somehow to save the world. This is part of a series, so it starts with them having to clean up something they messed up while saving the world, and they confidently strut off to fix whatever needs fixing. Otto, the worrywort of the pair, is freaking out because he knows his friend is doomed to die young, but is too afraid to tell him (that would make it true!) but just makes himself annoying by mentioning doctors and expressing strange concern a lot. Lamar, more confident, finally pulls this info out. They follow their adventure into an alternate world where symbols become true and deal with some knotty ethical questions while also having some well choreographed fights with various baddies. I wanted to shake Otto a few times for keeping secrets but it was consistent and the other characters had similar reactions.

I like the balance between different kinds of tension -- character growth, plot adventures, and ethical questions about justice and loyalty. I liked how the boys were clearly African American -- hair, slang, (home training showed up again! I only learned that term last August and now I've seen it three or four times) etc. I'm not sure most kids would be happy to start with this one -- there are a lot of references to the events previous which I rolled with but some readers would find unbearable. My son would've insist on getting the previous book, but he would want to read them all.

The boys had crushes on some of the girl characters which I am always cranky about, mostly because it distorts their view of the girls as people rather than as objects. But the other girls, the ones the boys didn't see as possible romantic targets, got to have more rounded and changing lives.

I read a review copy on Netgalley, so I didn't get all the illustrations.

Ever catch your reflection not quite doing what you expected? I mean, you're there, but it's not quite you? You very well might have been seeing beyond the looking glass and into a whole new different...or at least, a world varied from our own. Still familiar in many ways, but just off putting enough to not be "right".

The Alston boys have to deal with this situation time and time again as they make their way through this adventure. There's a criminal loose in the other worlds, an officer of sorts willing to look the other way at past transgressions if she's helped out of this sticky web of a situation, and a judge that you definitely won't want to cross...but that's only the beginning! Behind all the hubbub, and beneath all the oddness, there's secrets being kept for the right reasons that come out all wrong, consequences that may come around sooner than expected, and hope that is dangling on a well woven silken thread (thanks to a particular band of spiders!). Will it all come out right in the end...or at least SOME version of right? You'll have to risk a trip through the glass to find out, but I can tell you this...you've no better guides than Otto and Sheed. They've not only got style, and their own code for communicating, but they've got each other's backs through thick and thin, and enough of grandmother's wisdom to help them bounce back from anything!

First off, this is the second book in a series, and it should be read as such, since Otto and Sheed take off where the last one ended. The background to the worlds, situations, and characters are all found in the first book.

Packed with fun character, great dialogue, and imagination at every curve, this is an exciting adventure which hooks and holds.

Sheed and Otto think their adventures have calmed down. They don't expect to be pulled off to court and accused of being criminals for the way they handled their last case. Plus, they discover that things didn't wrap up as nicely as they hoped, and they have to go hunt down the evil doer again. But not only are they thrown into a warped mirror world to go on their search, Sheed becomes ill, and the only cure supposedly holds consequences. Sheed might not ever be able to return to the 'normal' world again. Add spiders, people who look like those they know but aren't, disappearing towns, time travel, and a very tricky bad guy, and the adventure is anything but a sure win for these two.

I love the imagination and fun in this series. The author allows two, very normal boys to take off into the most obscure situations and lets them battle and solve as best they can. There's nothing really special about the two. They are as normal as young readers themselves, and this makes them very easy to connect to. The back and forth between the cousins is not only humorous and fun to read, it does a great job at bringing the reality of such relationships to life. The two are best friends and yet, they don't always get along or understand each other. Still, their loyalty for one another is inspiring and exactly how it should be. It's a duo that readers wish they could join.

The author does a wonderful job at twisting worlds, fantasy and time travel into a smooth and...well, mostly logical tale. The reasonings behind the world and those in it are clever, and easy to follow. For all it's quirkiness, things do hold their own strange reasoning and aren't just grabbed out of nowhere. But with all of the twists, unexpected run-ins, and strange meetings, there's nothing normal about a lot of things. And it's great that way.

I see readers, who love tension, excitement and a bit of ridiculousness enjoying this one quite a bit, especially the younger end of the middle grade spectrum. There are illustrations peppered in during the tale, which are always a bonus in my opinion. While I do see kids ages 7 to 10 enjoying this one more than the slightly older end, I am wondering how many will be willing to plop into a thicker read like this one. But those who do are in for an exciting read with smiles, heart and edge-of-the-seat moments, too.

I received an ARC and enjoyed this fun adventure quite a bit.

I was so happy to join Sheed and Otto back in Logan County. The adventure was fresh and fun, and Lamar's creativity overflows in the dimensions Otto and Sheed visit (or don't visit). This is a great read for your favorite kid in your life. I also have to thank Lamar for introducing me to the concept of books as mirrors and windows. He does great work, and he's putting important and wonderful things into the world.

I received an electronic ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group through NetGalley.
The cousins are back and tackling new adventures. This time they move through mirrors in the emporium to find some escaped convicts and save themselves from the mirror fate. As the book progresses, readers discover characters may not be as portrayed. Otto and Sheed sort through rescuing their alternate selves in different worlds. They always connect with Wiki and Leen to help them and I wish they were more involved in the rescues.
Giles continues to develop the characters and bring readers into the story. They'll feel like participants rather than observers as the cousins work with others to save their various worlds. A large hint at the next adventure is provided in the final chapter.

I had enjoyed the first book in this series and was curious how a second would be. This adventure is fun and confusing in the two world kind of way. Kids will enjoy it and get a hidden message that there are always other ways to look at things

Hang in There

This starts a bit slowly, but gets up to speed soon enough. From there on it's a clever, fun ride.

Our heroes, Otto and Sheed, are cousins who live with their grandma. This is their second adventure, so a lot of their backstory was told in the first Alston Boys adventure. The most important carry over is that at the end of Book One Otto learned that Sheed has, or might have, "health problems" that could be fatal in the near future. Otto's concern for Sheed is a running theme throughout the book, motivates a fair amount of the action, and plays a decisive role in the finale. This mostly works as it adds some weight to what could otherwise be just a ditzy adventure, but it does sometimes get in the way and distract from the action.

In that regard, we basically have a prison in the form of a hall of mirrors. Some mirrors are prison cells. Some mirrors lead to an alternate bizarro world where everything familiar from our world is backward, mixed up, or "warped". This is where you have to be patient, at least at the outset. It takes a bit to explain the mirrors, the prison, the bad guys, and the warped world. Once that is in place, though, the action, jokes, bits and bobs, and twists become clear and easy enough to follow. Indeed, this is one of those alt-universe, time travelly books where everything becomes clearer the deeper in you go. Sometimes these books can be a challenge, and at least this one doesn't keep throwing you odder and odder curves.

As always the Alston Boys are a hoot. They are smart, resourceful, loyal and steadfast, and all of the good things you want from your middle grade quest heroes. Likability is off the chart, and it doesn't hurt that the Boys are surrounded this time by a fine cast of supporting characters. This is a fun find.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

October 20th 2020 by Versify



After The Last Last-Day-of-Summer, Otto and Sheed return to their world rather warily, especially since Otto is very concerned that Sheed is ill and will die prematurely. He tries to convince his grandmother to take the boys to the doctor, but are soon swept up in another adventure. Officer Nedraw needs the boys' help; Nevan has escaped from his mirror prison in the Rirrom Mirror Emporium and has freed a lot of other criminals and taken them into another dimension, the Warped World. Trying to retrieve him is dangerous, and the boys run into other threats, like the ArchnaBRObia gang of jailbird spiders with names like Spenelope. These spiders turn out to be more helpful than dangerous, and the boys start on their quest through this alternate reality. They run into versions of people they know from Fry, including Dr.Medina, odd versions of Wiki and Leen, and even travel into other worlds. Otto's main concern is still Sheed's health, and when he learns that there is a cure-all elixer, Fixityall, he wants very much to obtain some for Sheed. However, Dr, Medina warns him that unless Sheed intends to stay in Warped World forever, taking the medicine might have serious consequences. In addition to finding Nevan, the boys turn their attention to the disappearances occurring in town. Could the two be connected? And what is behind the alternate versions of people in Warped World? Most importantly, will Otto be able to look into the Black Mirror and see an old version of Sheed so he knows his cousin will survive?
Strengths: Any significantly well-crafted time travel or alternate dimension book makes my brain hurt a little bit, and Otto's and Sheed's journey into Warped World caused a little bit of an ache! Their hunt for Nevan causes them to question many other occurrences in Warped World, and Nedraw in particular. I liked that the explanation for why people manifest the way they do in Warped World, and there is a sort of Phantom Tollbooth allegorical vibe to this. There are also funny things like "butt shrubs". You'll just have to read this to find out about those! It's difficult to find fantasy books with Black characters, and I am so glad that Otto and Sheed are prominent on the cover! Most of all, Otto's concern for his cousin and his attempts to insure his survival is a great example of a caring, positive relationship between boys.

Weaknesses: It would have been nice to see more of Wiki and Leen in this; they are intriguing characters, and excellent foils for the Alston boys. I have four copies of Giles' Fake ID, which is hugely popular in my library, so I keep hoping for another murder mystery from this author!
What I really think: I can see this being especially popular in an elementary setting, especially with the spot illustrations, the goofy names, and the funny adventures, but it is also a solid choice for middle school libraries wanting to add some humor and diversity to their collections.