BOOK CORNER
By Marissa Wells
Contributing Writer
Mashka and Mishka are siblings who can see each other only, and not themselves in a mirror. One day, they wake up in a magical land near a skyscraper city of flowers, the Floreton.
While there, they must work with the city’s ruler, Tiny Royal de Vasil, to help save the magical land from Hue Burglar. During their journey, the siblings find out secrets about the enchanted land and themselves.
Will Mashka and Mishka find their way back home and also find their identity?
Find out in, “Mashka and Mishka Get Trapped in a Rainbow” by Marina Makaron
“Mashka and Mishka” is the author’s first children’s book and it was inspired by her third-grade son’s read-out-loud class activity.
“I wanted to do something original for the class,” Makaron said. “I wanted to come in and read Eastern European books but when I started translating them, I understood in this global arena that a lot of things were being lost in translation and time and needed a little more explanation so I told my son, ‘let’s write a story.’”
The story they created led to a collective project with her children and became this exciting fairy tale.
The middle grade chapter book is filled with colorful illustrations and the stories were inspired by Eastern European folklore and fairy tales.
Some of the adventures the siblings encounter inside the book include flying over a biting forest, escaping creeping shadows in a cabin, meeting a golden phoenix-like creature and much, much more.
“Mashka and Mishka” is an inspiring and empowering book that will be enjoyed by readers of all ages.
“A parent reading to the child before bedtime, a teenager curling up in the corner and having a Sunday read, an adult that enjoys fairy tales,” Makaron said. “I already hear anecdotal information on how grandparents took the book for themselves before the mom could read it to the kids.”
The book is the first in what Makaron hopes will be a series of books that focus on the siblings’ adventures.
In addition to being an author, Makaron is a fashion designer. She lives with her family in Pennsylvania. To learn more about the author and her work visit marinalmakaron.wixsite.com/books and marinamakaron.com.
“Mahska and Mishka Get Trapped in a Rainbow” is available for $18.00 (print) and $9.99 (Kindle) via marinalmakaron.wixsite.com/books and Amazon.
