Member Reviews
I am enjoying this trend of witches and witchcraft in juvenile fiction! Effie's life has taken a quick turn, her mother has passed away and she has nowhere to go except an aunt she's never met. Life quickly becomes a bit weirder and a lot more interesting as Effie makes new friends, learns more about herself, and discovers her family's magical abilities. This was such an adorable and fun romp! The characters are easy to fall in love with and Effie is a spunky main character. I look forward to more in the series!
This is a super cute graphic novel following Effie, who's just coming into her powers as a witch. After losing her mom, she's sent to live with two aunts that she's never met before and slowly they help her deal with her grief as well as her burgeoning powers. This book is very cute and I love how the aunts are with Effie. They give her her space but still help her deal with everything without smothering her. Overall, really great graphic novel.
A fun graphic novel about new beginnings and witches. The background on witch life and diagrams were a nice addition, plus a nice set up for future stories about Effie and her aunts.
Very cute story for middle grade readers, noteworthy for the diversity of girls’ and womens’ Identities.
Witches Selimene and Carlota are woken late one night by a surprise visit to their home and a new addition to their family! Selimene's niece, Effie, who they quickly realize is also a witch herself, must learn to control her powers, make friends in a new school, and acclimate to her new living situation. Awesome and gorgeously illustrated graphic novel! I love how spunky Effie and her Aunt Selimene are and the theme of following one's true path/being true to oneself is perfect for middle grade readers in this social media driven world!
Cute graphic novel. Effie is an orphan, and finds herself dropped off at the house of her old aunts, the cantankerous Selimene and Carlota. After a rough start, she finds her place in their home and even manages to make two new friends at school. When one of her favorite pop stars shows up at her aunt's house with a red face from a curse looking for a cure, Effie finds out that her aunts are witches, and that she has the powers of a witch too. With the help of her friends, Effie will help her aunts find a cure that will work.
Really a cute read and I look forward to reading more!
Very sweet story about family, friendship, and self discovery. Effie is a strong and relatable character that I think many young readers will gravitate towards.
Wonderful graphic novel that takes place in my backyard! Great art accompanies a beautiful story. Another winner from RH Graphic
This book was received as an ARC from Random House Children's - Random House Graphic in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
I knew there was something special about this graphic novel when I first opened the page. I knew from the get go that this was not going to be your typical graphic novel and my eyes were glued right to the page. I loved the concept from beginning to end and the illustrations were beautifully and brilliantly done. At first I did not know what to expect with the description but as I read and and viewed the pictures and dialogue, the story just got better and better.
We will consider adding this title to our JGraphic novel collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
Cute and fun graphic novel about an orphan, Effie, who is left with her quirky elderly aunts to raise. Her aunts are witches, and much comedy and mayhem ensues. While the storyline is light and funny, there is some depth to the characters and I can see the series having several heartfelt moments. The artwork is vibrant and the facial expressions are fabulous.
This graphic novel is a great treat! The art, story, and characters are all amazing and totally in the spirit of fall in September.
I thought this book was absolutely adorable. I did not like the story arc at the end though. It felt disjointed. However, I do want to see where the story goes in further volumes and still recommend this to young readers who love magic!
Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc for this book in exchange for an honest review.
In this middle grades graphic novel we meet Effie who has just lost her mom and her home. She is dropped off at the Brooklyn home of a previously unknown Aunt in the middle of the night. While her aunt seems curmudgeonly at first, she quickly warms to Effie, as does her house mate, though Effie notes some strange things about the house and its occupants. After enrolling at a new school Effie quickly makes friends and plans to invite them over. That's when things start to get really weird. Effie's favorite pop star shows up at the house with a bright red face seeking a miracle cure, Effie learns her aunt is actually a witch and so is Effie. The rest of the story finds the three searching for a miracle cure for the (thinly veiled Taylor Swift) pop star that results in a magical private concert for Effie and her friends.
The colors are great and the magic system is pretty cool. There is clearly room for more adventures, especially since feelings around the death of Effie's mom never really get talked about or resolved.
Wow. This is super cute. The illustrations are charming and pair nicely with the text. Good magical family tale. Everything about this was just utterly likeable.
For librarians: Buy it!
Very appealing for middle grade-middle schoolers. Memorable characters whose true natures don't always fit your first impression when you meet them. The setting of Brooklyn is wonderful and the school and family scenes are memorable. This is a positive book about finding your way after tragedy and coping with big changes..
I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Publishing through NetGalley.
Effie's mom passed away and she ends up with her aunt. It's a rocky beginning but she realizes her aunt Selimene and Carlota love her and want her to stay with them. She meets two new friends at school who help her settle in as well. She discovers she's also a witch after some strong emotions make her fingers and toes glow. Carlota and Selimene set about training her and helping her understand what they do. They emphasize the importance of who Effie wants to be and how she wants to use her talents.
The illustrations are highly detailed and bring out the storyline. Readers will connect with Effie's feelings and ways to cope. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Witches of Brooklyn has great illustrations and more than that it is a beautiful story. I am looking forward to reading more in this series!!
There have been many new graphic novel publications for kids that are themed around witchcraft. With the help of netgalley, I was able to read this title.
Our main character Effie has recently lost her mom and she has been sent to live with her aunts. It wasn't exactly a full welcoming for Effie as she was brought to their home in the middle of the night. This isn't exactly what Effie wants either. But this change was just what everyone needed. Not only do they all warm up to each other, but Effie soon learns that Selimener and her partner Carlota are both witches. More importantly....so is Effie. When her favorite pop star is brought to her aunts for help, she will learn more about witchcraft itself but we also learn how important it is to be true to oneself.
The illustrations are fun and playful and I enjoyed the story. For a moment I felt the ending seemed rushed, but I was still left wanting more stories about these witches.
A sweet story that focuses on the positive aspects of magic! Effie is a young girl who just moved in with her aunts after losing her mom. This topic isn't really touched on in the story heavily though it's clear Effie is upset at first it quickly moves past that narrative to center on Effie discovering her aunts are actually witches. When Effie finds out she's got magic too, she will need to learn to control it. The plot mainly focuses on the aunts using their magic to help a client out but I am hoping future books take more of a look at Effie's own magic and how she learns and grows with it!
In the middle of the night, Effie, who has just lost her mother, is brought to live with her elderly aunts she's never met. Both Effie and Selimene, her mother's considerably older sister, are hesitant to accept the new arrangement. But a loving nudge from Carlota, Effie's other aunt, convinces the two to become friends. Carlota and and Selimene run a holistic healing practice from their Brooklyn home, specializing in acupuncture, healing herbs, yoga, and more. This becomes a central plot point when Tilly Shoo, the mega pop-star and Effie's idol, arrives at their doorstep in the middle of the night seeking help for a bright-red face. Fortunately, Carlota and Selimene are more than just healers - they are witches and with the help of Effie and her own emerging witch-powers they are determined to use their magic to help Tilly.
This is exactly the light-hearted middle grade witch story you are probably hoping to read. It is certainly the light-hearted middle grade witch story I wanted to read, and it will pair nicely with Penelope Bagieu's new adaptation of "The Witches" or Emma Steinkellner's "The Okay Witch." This series opener is a perfect jumping-off point into a magical world filled with good witches, enchanted suits of armor, and small pink dogs named Lion. I look forward to more stories from this found-family graphic novel series with wide-appeal.