Billed as Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Roller Girl, this debut graphic novel from Emma Steinkellner is a laugh-inducing look at middle school. Thirteen-year-old Moth Hush loves everything that has to do with witches, but then she discovers that her town has a centuries-old history of witch drama. Even crazier, her family’s smack dab in the center of it all.

Things get worse for Moth when she realizes she’s a half-witch. Her new powers soon go out of control and secrets from generations past come back to complicate her life. At least she’s got a talking cat, an enchanted diary, and a hidden world of witches to help her through it all!

This story about a witch-in-progress is a weird, fun, and memorable read. If you like Steinkellner’s art, you can see more of it in the projects of her sister Kit, such as the teen rom-com webcomic Aces and the Eisner-nominated superhero coming-of-age story Quince.

I received a free ARC of this book through Netgalley and the publisher, Simon & Schuster/Aladdin. Special thanks to the publisher for sending me a physical copy of the book when I was not able to download the digital copy.
The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner is about a thirteen-year-old girl named Moth Hush. Moth has always loved all things witchy, and Halloween is her favorite time of year. At the beginning of the story, Moth discovers she has powers and that she comes from a family of witches. For reasons of her own, Moth’s mother has kept all this a secret from her. As Moth discovers more about herself and her family, the reader is presented with themes of kindness, forgiveness, and friendship.
This book is the debut graphic novel by Emma Steinkellner. The illustrations are cute and colorful! This middle grade graphic novel is a fun, “fallish” read that includes magic, a complicated mother-daughter relationship, and a talking cat!
I personally gave this book 3 stars on Goodreads. It was a cute book, but I could tell that this is the author’s first novel. The illustrations are awesome, and I thought the overall message of the story was good. I know some of my followers will be hesitant to let their children read this book because of the content. If my daughter were a middle grade reader, I would let her read this book, but I know each family has different standards. If you are not sure, I would recommend parents read the book before giving it to their children to read. (Because it is a graphic novel, it is a quicker read.)

This would be a great addition to a young reader's library. Dealing with current issues in a way that is not overtly heavy handed seems difficult to do these days, but both boys and girls should read this book.

I enjoyed this charming tale with witches, diversity, and a great message. This story addresses themes of prejudice and women's empowerment without being heavy-handed. I loved the artwork and I hope there is a sequel.

Okay I have to admit that unfortunately didn’t finish this entire book because the program I was using to read it just kept crashing on me, but I read enough to know that I absolutely loved this book and I honestly can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy when it comes out, The artwork was amazing and really adorable. I especially loved the story as well. It was just so heartfelt and and slightly heartbreaking as well.

I LOVED this one. It's a lot of fun and perfect for kids getting into witchy content. Moth is a wonderful main character. Her path from the beginning of the book to the end is a solid one with a lot of relatable points for young readers. None of the characters felt like a stock character and there was nuance to each of them. This book'll get you in the feels but it'll make you laugh too. The world Steinkellner created is rich and I'd love to explore it some more.

This is such a great story and a beautiful book! Perfect for fall, it tells about a girl named Moth who finds out she's actually a witch on her 13th birthday. She learns more about her towns history and her family history and starts to gain confidence. I love the way this story unfolded. It would be the perfect thing to read during fall, and is a great story about friendship, the potential for people to change and grow, and the difficult relationships that family can mean. Loved it and will definitely be adding it to my library.

If you like feel-good witchy movies like Practical Magic or the Worst Witch, or maybe you've watched Kiki's Delivery Service one too many times...this is the comic for you.

The Okay Witch is a delightful coming-of-age story that discusses America's past and the (somewhat blown up in popular media) witch hunt attempts of the 1600s, with of course the concept that there were witches after all. Moth is precious, and her moods are infectious. I love that we have a diverse cast of women, whose shapes and sizes go all over the spectrum. I don't love that the plot essentially boils down at its climax to a fight between men and women, but at least this fact isn't emphasized by characters overmuch.

Things tie up fairly neatly, as they do in this kind of story, with the promise of more problems, fun, and adventure. I wouldn't be mad if there was a sequel. There are certainly enough loose ends to warrant one, which I hope would include why the heck they worship Hecate of all deities, and what the creation of the other world really did to those witches.

As a teacher of middle school students, I am always on the look out for books that have a strong female lead. I want my female students to be able to relate to the character. This graphic novel is one that will make its home in my classroom library.

I found the book to be entertaining. It shows a young girl Moth who feels different from everyone and does not belong. All she is looking for is acceptance. On Halloween, Moth discovers a secret that her mom hopes would never happen. Moth discovers that she has magic like her mom and grandmother.

This book had me thinking about my coming of age. I was friends with my mom before and after that stage, but the in-between was rough. This book does a great job at showing the conflict that arises during that awkward stage in everyone’s life. The end even made me tear up when thinking about this stage with my own children.

The characters make great growth and I am not just talking about the main character. Her mother, grandmother, friend Charlie, and Charlie’s dad. Also this story shows that there are more than one side to the events that happen in history and makes you think about other events that you learned about with the other side might say.

I was provided an advance reader copy of this book through Netgalley. All reviews and thoughts are mine own. It can be viewed at http://prissreadinglounge.weebly.com/home/the-okay-witch-by-emma-steinkellner

Moth Hush, a young teenager, helps her mother run a secondhand shop, and struggles with bullying in a contemporary school setting. She befriends a new boy in school, and after a particular emotional scene at school, realizes she has powers. Her mother is reluctant to discuss their history of magic, so Hush steals her diary (with the help of her new cat familiar, which is possessed by a family friend), and explores her mother's memories in the diary. When visits from long lost relatives and an old villain born anew surface, Moth must learn how to harness her powers and work with her family to save the day. The illustrations, facial expressions, and story-line were detailed and wonderful--kept me reading and interested. Moth was realistic, with understandable feelings and reactions, and her mother and grandmother character had depth and emotion that grew, while not coming to a completely satisfying ending. I felt like there could have been an epilogue or something--bit too quick of an ending. Looking forward to seeing full-color in the final version, and will definitely look toward more from this author. Wonderful and magical!

This book was really fun to read! I loved the characters, I loved the plot, I loved how easy it was to read. My only problem with it was that it was easy to guess who everybody was in the story.

The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner is a middle grade to young adult graphic novel that is currently scheduled for release on September 3 2019. Thirteen-year-old Moth Hush loves all things witchy. But she’s about to discover that witches aren’t just the stuff of movies, books, and spooky stories. When some eighth-grade bullies try to ruin her Halloween, something really strange happens. It turns out that Founder’s Bluff, Massachusetts, has a centuries-old history of witch drama. And, surprise: Moth’s family is at the center of it all! When Moth’s new powers show up, things get totally out-of-control. She meets a talking cat, falls into an enchanted diary, and unlocks a hidden witch world. Secrets surface from generations past as Moth unravels the complicated legacy at the heart of her town, her family, and herself.

The Okay Witch is a a graphic novel that takes a classic trope- underappreciated and bullied kid turns out to have powers- but magic does not instantly make everything better. I liked the way Moth and her friend CHarlie are written. Neither are perfect but both are trying to be the best people they can, and trying to find themselves in relation to their parents and in spite of them. I liked the larger story- setting their family drama and inner struggles against the history or the town. I liked seeing how history directly affects the present- and the characters in the story. I think the attitudes of the other kids- and a good number of the adults- were spot on with what I have seen in the world. My only complaint with the story is that I wanted to keep going. I want to see Moth and Charlie continue to grow, I want to see more about their families and the possible changes that are made, I just want more. That is not to say that there was anything lacking in the ending- the conclusion wrapped things up nicely- but did leave some room for sequels. I cannot end this without saying how much I loved the art style, I really enjoyed every page visually. Facial expressions and movement were conveyed perfectly and the images just made me happy.

The Okay Witch was an amazing debut graphic novel from Steinkellner and I think it will appeal to middle grade and older audiences. I look forward to seeing more from them in the future!

The Okay Witch was a great graphic novel. It was fast paced with a great story line. The characters were easy to relate to and likable. I would recommend checking this one out!

This coming of age story about a young witch who is just learning to control her powers is an absolute delight. Moth, a teenager living with her amazing single mom is learning her family’s history and their connections to the Salem witch trials. But having amazing powers isn’t all it’s cracked up to be when her spells go awry. Helping Moth along the way is her new familiar, a snarky feline who is inhabited by the spirit of her mother’s former boss. Charlie, a new student who starts school on Halloween turns out to be an instant best friend. With Moth’s witchy help, he becomes the lead in the school play and believes himself to be one step closer to winning his father’s approval. But Moth is still getting the hang of her powers and things don’t go the way she intends.
Literally falling into her mother’s memories through her diary provide Moth with an intense look at her family’s history. When her grandmother pressures Moth to join the other witches in Hecate, Moth must decide if she can leave her old life, and everyone she loves, behind.
Beautiful artwork and great writing pair together to create a truly wonderful story of love, family, and friendship. I absolutely adore this story and I can’t wait to add it the Library’s collection.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions are my own.

The other kids bully Moth when she dresses up as a witch for Halloween prompting a reaction that can only be MAGIC! Her mom reluctantly reveals to Moth that her family of witches gets their powers around age 13. Even though Moth wants to learn more, her mom won't teach her. She's helped by a talking cat and her mom's magical diary yet it's not until she learns more about her grandmother and the family legacy that she understands her powers. Growing up is never easy -- but it's a lot trickier when you get magic that you can't control. A refreshing, magical coming of age gem.

The Okay Witch is a wonderful middle grade book about finding out where you belong, being true to yourself and accepting of others. Very charming characters, readers will empathize with Moth's awkwardness and Charlie's desire to please his father. The artwork is appealing, particularly the lively facial expressions on the diverse cast of characters. Overall an excellent choice for middle grade and up.

The Okay Witch will appeal to young, middle grade readers who enjoy a good fantastical, intergenerational story. The plot moves quickly, sometimes at the expense of the heroine's character development. So many pages were dedicated to exploring her mother's relationship with her grandmother that I didn't get a strong impression of Moth was (beyond her obvious excitement for magic). The story wrapped up a bit too conveniently. It reminded me a lot of the movie Practical Magic: eager young witch seeks out mentorship from older witch, is ostracized by villagers. Cute, but not all together memorable.

The Okay Witch is a new graphic novel by Emma Steinkellner debuting on September 3rd, 2019. (I received access to a digital ARC via Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.)

13-year old Moth has always felt like the odd one out in her small New England town, so finding out that she's actually a witch, descended from the hunted witches of the 1700s, is almost more of a relief than a worry. But unraveling the truth about her parentage and why her mother has been keeping her witch powers secret will take a little more digging.

Moth is an immediately engaging character to root for, and I love how the book wraps this story in the imagined history of a sleepy New England town and its connections to its darker history. There is a lot to be discovered here about how we understand our past, what lessons we choose to learn from it, and what divisions we continue to sow, as the angle of "witches" makes it easy for the reader to make connections to real-world racism, hatred, and discrimination.

Graphic novels continue to be among the hottest books in my classroom library, and I am sure this is another that I will likely never see on my shelf again, as it makes its way from reader to reader to reader!

A cute story about discovering yourself and where you belong...all from the perspective of a young girl who just discovered she's a witch. I enjoyed the world-building in this one - in fact, I would've loved to see even more of Hecate, the magical realm in which the witches live. I also really liked the graphics - I only saw a handful of pages in color, but it was still really good in black and white too. Perfect for fans of Roller Girl or The Witch Boy.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an earc copy.

I really like the art style and the colors in the beginning parts. The story was pretty good. I liked how family came together in the end. That doesn’t always happen. I liked learning about Moth’s family. I loved the cat in this, I usually always love cats though.