The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner

 

On Saturday, I finished reading The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner. This fantasy graphic novel is about a thirteen-year-old girl, Moth Hush, who loves everything to do with witches. On Halloween, she accidentally uses magic when a couple of bullies tease her about her costume. She is very freaked by what she did to the two boys, so she goes straight home where her mom, Calendula, tells her that she comes from a family of witches and that their hometown of Founder's Bluff, Massachusetts, has a complicated history of persecuting witches. Additionally, Moth befriends a new boy at school, Charlie, who auditions for the role of Judge Kramer in the Founder's Bluff History Pageant. Things continue to become crazier when Moth meets a talking cat, Mr. Laszlo, and reads an enchanted diary to learn more about her mom's secrets. Calendula doesn't want Moth to get involved with witches or visit the hidden witch world Moth's grandma, Sarah, created for safety from the human world, but Moth can't be normal and ignore her growing powers.

This graphic novel was fantastic and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I especially loved Moth's friendship with Charlie and Mr. Laszlo. The development of her relationships with her mom and grandma was also very interesting because they made such different decisions to protect those they love, including Moth. Seeing Moth discover her powers was definitely a lot of fun, but there was quite a bit of suspense because the same family who persecuted witches in the 1600s had been leading Founder's Bluff ever since. I was wondering if Mayor Bruce Kramer would be just like his ancestor Judge Nathaniel Kramer. It was such a plot twist when Charlie turned out to be Mayor Kramer's son from his first marriage, but he proved to be a loyal friend. I also thought that the hidden witch world, Hecate, was particularly beautiful even though Moth's mom had decided to not stay there when she was a girl. The Okay Witch is both funny and touching, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves magic and adventure.