Biracial twin sisters, separated at birth in 1936 and raised on opposite sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, reunite to vanquish the metaphorical and literal ghosts of their entangled past.For nearly 17 years, fledgling civil rights activist Charlene "Charlie" Yates believed she was the only child of a Black mother and a White father who were murdered by White segregationists. She has lived in Harlem with Nana, her maternal grandmother, but when Nana becomes terminally ill and demands to be buried in her rural hometown of Eureka, Georgia, Charlie accompanies her. As a result, she learns that she has a twin sister-a White-passing Southern belle named Magnolia Heathwood. At first, Charlie wants nothing to do with her twin, who seems hopelessly adrift between two worlds. But Nana's death sheds light on a long-standing family curse that threatens Magnolia's life, and Charlie's conscience won't allow her to leave. As the girls grow closer, they unearth horrifying details about the town's brutal legacy of chattel slavery, discover how sisterhood can transcend the color line, and use the power of love to defeat the poison of hate. The narrative, which alternates between the first-person perspectives of Charlie and Magnolia, captures the horrors of Jim Crow without gratuitous detail, vividly depicts each sister's internal struggles, and speaks to McWilliams' skill with characterization.An immersive, supernatural take on the nuanced construction of Black identity that delivers hope and catharsis. (family tree) (Historical fiction. 13-18)

McWilliams' latest novel is a moving story about sisterhood and perseverance in the face of a society that tells Black girls they are worthless. In 1953, Charlie escorts her dying grandmother from New York City to Eureka, Georgia, where the elderly woman has requested to be buried. As a native New Yorker, Charlie is unprepared for the rampant racism in 1950s Georgia. Nor did she expect to be introduced to her white-passing twin sister, Magnolia, who grew up believing she was a white Southern belle. When the two meet, they learn about the tragic end their parents met and a curse that could be the death of Magnolia, and they have a chance to stand up to white supremacy in the South. With its strong family overtones, Mirror Girls will resonate with fans of character-driven stories, and it paints a vivid picture of the pervasive, ugly history of slavery in the U.S. McWilliams' historical novel easily weaves magic and curses into 1950s America in a powerful read asserting that Black girls can find happiness in a world that belittles them.

Biracial twin sisters, separated at birth in 1936 and raised on opposite sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, reunite to vanquish the metaphorical and literal ghosts of their entangled past.For nearly 17 years, fledgling civil rights activist Charlene "Charlie" Yates believed she was the only child of a Black mother and a White father who were murdered by White segregationists. She has lived in Harlem with Nana, her maternal grandmother, but when Nana becomes terminally ill and demands to be buried in her rural hometown of Eureka, Georgia, Charlie accompanies her. As a result, she learns that she has a twin sister-a White-passing Southern belle named Magnolia Heathwood. At first, Charlie wants nothing to do with her twin, who seems hopelessly adrift between two worlds. But Nana's death sheds light on a long-standing family curse that threatens Magnolia's life, and Charlie's conscience won't allow her to leave. As the girls grow closer, they unearth horrifying details about the town's brutal legacy of chattel slavery, discover how sisterhood can transcend the color line, and use the power of love to defeat the poison of hate. The narrative, which alternates between the first-person perspectives of Charlie and Magnolia, captures the horrors of Jim Crow without gratuitous detail, vividly depicts each sister's internal struggles, and speaks to McWilliams' skill with characterization.An immersive, supernatural take on the nuanced construction of Black identity that delivers hope and catharsis. (family tree) (Historical fiction. 13-18)