I write for middle grade readers because they still dwell in a place of possibility. They know flashy magic doesn’t exist but they’ll still check the back of a wardrobe to see if it leads to Narnia. Middle grade is a period where readers explore their identity, trying to figure out who they are as well as who they’ll become. In these witchy books, the protagonists are exploring their identities, trying to reconcile expectations and the broadening world around them with who they truly are. The resulting books are adventures both external and internal and the start of exciting journeys.
While staying with her aunt in Italy, Lilla comes across a book that reveals she’s a witch. But the Stregamama, an ancient witch, wants to use Lilla for her own means. Meanwhile, Lilla’s crushing on her aunt’s assistant and trying to avoid the local boy her family is trying to set her up with. As a bookish introvert who wanted space to read, draw, and grow on my own terms, I couldn’t help but see myself in Lilla. Slightly artwork brings movement to the story while the palette adds spots of spookiness. A cute, queer graphic novel of realizing and voicing one’s identities, this book charms.
Thirteen-year-old Lilla feels she is a bit different. She's quiet and shy and sometimes feels uncomfortable in the company of boys. She'd much rather spend time by herself drawing and daydreaming. This summer, while staying with her aunt in rural Italy, Lilla discovers a book of magic which reveals that she is a witch with special powers, the magic of 'Strega'.
But unbeknownst to her, an ancient witch, Stregamama, threatens to ruin more than just her summer. Lilla is soon faced with a choice that could change her life forever.
When orphaned Effie moves in with her Aunts, she's expecting it to be the worst. But her spunky aunts are more than they appear and when Effie herself starts to exhibit magical talent, life gets interesting. Escabasse’s setting is contemporary Brooklyn, complete with smartphones and pop stars, imbued with the perfect balance of magic. As a reader who wants to believe that there’s always a hint of magic just around the corner, I fell in love with Effie’s world. With delightfully quirky characters and effervescent drawings, this book is sweetly smart, loving, and lovely.
There's a new witch in town! Life in Brooklyn takes a strange turn when Effie discovers MAGIC runs in the family.
A middle-grade graphic novel adventure filled with magical hjinks for fans of Phoebe and Her Unicorn and Making Friends.
Could there really be witches in Brooklyn?!
Effie's aunts are weird. Like, really WEIRD. Really, really, really WEIRD! The secretly-magic kind of weird and that makes Effie wonder . . . does this mean she can do magic, too?
Life in Brooklyn takes a strange twist for Effie as she learns more about her family and herself. With new friends…
1184 BCE. Ramesses III, who will become the last of the great pharaohs, is returning home from battle. He will one day assume the throne of the Egyptian empire, and the plots against him and his children have already started. Even a god can die.
Ostertag’s books wear their heart on their sleeve. Aster has always wanted to be a witch, despite the fact that boys can't be witches. When boys begin to go missing, it's up to Aster to help them, even if that means defying his family and realizing his true self. This coming-of-age graphic novel explores the bravery needed to express your identity and the strength needed to convince others of its' validity. Ostertag has created a contemporary fantasy for anyone who's struggled with defining their-self. What sets it apart from many others is the loving community in which it’s set. Yes, Aster has to fight to define himself but he does so armed with the compassion and love he was brought up with.
From the illustrator of the web comic Strong Female Protagonist comes a debut middle-grade graphic novel about family, identity, courage -- and magic.
In thirteen-year-old Aster's family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn't shifted . . . and he's still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it might be.When a mysterious danger threatens the other boys, Aster knows he can help -- as a witch. It will take the encouragement of a new friend, the non-magical…
Most towns have stories of the local witch. Snap’s is Jacks: a woman in the woods known for her eccentric ways and tendency to collect local roadkill. But as Snap begins learning more about Jacks, she realizes that Jacks can do real magic as well. Creator Kat Leyh takes stereotypes and challenges them in fresh ways. This story of identity, and what it can mean to embrace and inhabit your identity, is just a dash of magic away from the real world and will appeal to readers starting to pick up fantasy or looking for a bit more realism in their magic.
And when Snap's dog goes missing, the first place she looks is the witch's house. She finds her dog there, recovering from being hit by a car, in the care of a woman named Jacks. She is a crocks-wearing, internet-savvy older woman who's collects roadkill, put their spirits to rest, and cleans and sells their articulated skeletons online.
They make a deal: If Jacks teaches Snap how to take care of a crate of orphaned baby opossums that Snap rescued, Snap will assist Jacks with her work. But as Snap starts to gain an appreciation…
Robin dreamed of attending Yale and using her brain. Kory lived on the streets of Seattle and relied on his brawn. Without the asteroid, they never would have met.
For three years, Robin and her grandfather have been hiding, trusting no one. When a biker gang moves into town, Robin…
This candy-colored gem has serious Steven Universe vibes. Goblin Beetle is friends with a ghost and a witch and it’s going to take the help of one to save the other! Confusing feelings and shifting relationships capture the essence of what it means to be a pre-teen…all heightened by a world infused with magic. As a preteen realizing the corruption of the adult world and the scary allure of growing up, I wanted to escape into fantasy. Beetle and the Hollowbones is a beautiful, safe place to explore realistic new feelings and realizations.
An enchanting, riotous, and playfully illustrated debut graphic novel following a young goblin trying to save her best friend from the haunted mall—perfect for fans of Steven Universe and Adventure Time.
In the eerie town of ‘Allows, some people get to be magical sorceresses, while other people have their spirits trapped in the mall for all ghastly eternity.
Then there’s twelve-year-old goblin-witch Beetle, who’s caught in between. She’d rather skip being homeschooled completely and spend time with her best friend, Blob Glost. But the mall is getting boring, and B.G. is cursed to haunt it, tethered…
Most children think twice before braving a haunted wood filled with terrifying beasties to match wits with a witch, but not Masha. Her beloved grandma taught her many things: that stories are useful, that magic is fickle, that nothing is too difficult or too dirty to clean. The fearsome witch of folklore needs an assistant, and Masha needs an adventure. She may be clever enough to enter Baba Yaga’s house-on-chicken-legs, but within its walls, deceit is the rule. To earn her place, Masha must pass a series of tests, outfox a territorial bear, and make dinner for her host. No easy task, with children on the menu!
Spooky and poignant, my stunning debut—with richly layered art by acclaimed graphic artist Emily Carroll—is a storytelling feat and a visual feast.
Brother. Do. You. Love. Me. is a true story of brotherly love overcoming all. Reuben, who has Down's syndrome, was trapped in a care home during the pandemic, spiralling deeper into a non-verbal depression. From isolation and in desperation, he sent his older brother Manni a text, "brother. do. you.…
Clara and Angelica Grace have never met ghosts. They’ve never sailed on a tall ship, ridden wild unicorns, or fought with magical weapons. Instead, the teenage twins have a wretched existence, ignored by their troubled parents in a rundown home and tormented by the town’s snobs.
