Comparisons may be odious, but compared to recent children's books, "Burnish Me Bright" stands out like a torch. There are all kinds of things wrong with it—illogic, melodrama, sentimentality—but from first page to last, the story glows….

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It is unnecessary to reveal the chilling climax to this book, and equally unnecessary to state that its theme is the destruction of the innocent, those who are brave—or simple—enough to be "different." Suffice it to say that Julia Cunningham is no ordinary writer. Like her characters, she understands the substance of magic. (p. 26)

Barbara Wersba, in The New York Times Book Review (© 1970 by The New York Times Company; reprinted by permission), May 24, 1970.