So you like fantasy…and magic…and graphic novels? Do those all work together? Sure they do, and we’re here to prove it! Here’s a little magical light reading in a format that’s become all the rage for middle grade reading.
Our Five Books feature is a booklist of five books (occasionally with a few extras) on a specific topic, with a short synopsis so you can decide if it sounds like something you would like. Five Books–one old, one new, one popular with kids, one well-reviewed, and one staff favorite. (But you’ll have to guess which is which)! (Graphic novels are a newish genre, so our “old” title might be decades younger than our normal “old” book in our other lists. But still…our “old” title definitely has sticking power.)
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Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, illustrated by Asiah Fulmore
Amaya, princess of House Amethyst in Gemworld, is something of a troublemaker. She and her brother have great fun together until a magical prank goes much too far and her parents ground her…to Earth! They hope a whole week in the mundane world will teach her that magic is a privilege…and maybe washing dishes by hand will help her realize the palace servants should be respected. Three years later, Amy has settled into middle school and ordinary life. She doesn’t remember any other home. So when a prince of the realm brings her home and restores her magical destiny, how will she cope?
Aster and the Accidental Magic Story and Script by Thom Pico, Story and Art by Karensac
Quiet…birds…nature… That’s what Aster expects when her parents move their whole family to the middle of nowhere. It’s just her (status- super-bored), her mom and dad (status- busy with science), her brother (status- has other plans), and…magic? In her new home, Aster meets a mysterious old woman with a herd of dogs who gives her a canine companion of her own. But when she and her dog Buzz are adventuring in the forest, they run into a trickster spirit who gives Aster three wishes. After wishing for the ability to understand and talk to her dog, she becomes only able to talk in dog language…and the trouble she gets into is just starting. Maybe the middle of nowhere will be more interesting than Aster thought!
Beetle and the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne, coloring by Natalie Riess and Kristen Acampora
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 there by some unseen force. And now Beetle’s old best friend, Kat, is back in town for a sorcery apprenticeship with her Aunt Hollowbone. Kat is everything Beetle wants to be: beautiful, cool, great at magic, and kind of famous online. Beetle’s quickly being left in the dust. But Kat’s mentor has set her own vile scheme in motion. If Blob Ghost doesn’t escape the mall soon, their afterlife might be coming to a very sticky end. Now, Beetle has less than a week to rescue her best ghost, encourage Kat to stand up for herself, and confront the magic she’s been avoiding for far too long. And hopefully ride a broom without crashing.
The City on the Other Side by Mairghread Scott and Robin Robinson
Sheltered within her high-society world, Isabel plays the part of a perfectly proper little girl–she’s quiet, well-behaved, and she keeps her dresses spotlessly clean. She’s certainly not the kind of girl who goes on adventures. But that all changes when Isabel breaches an invisible barrier and steps into another world. She discovers a city not unlike her own, but magical and dangerous. Here, war rages between the fairies of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Only Isabel, with the help of a magical necklace and a few new friends, stands a chance of ending the war before it destroys the fairy world, and her own. When Isabel stumbles into a pitched war between two fairy kingdoms, and the fate of San Francisco itself hangs in the balance!
Hooky by Miriam Bonastre Tur
When Dani and Dorian missed the bus to magic school, they never thought they’d wind up declared traitors to their own kind! Now, thanks to a series of mishaps, they are being chased by powerful magic families seeking the prophesied King of Witches and royals searching for missing princes. But they aren’t alone. With a local troublemaker, a princess, and a teacher who can see the future on their side, they might just be able to clear their names…but can they heal their torn kingdom? Two twins, one prophecy, and a whole lot of hijinks.
Little Witch Academia by Trigger/Yoh Yoshinari, Art by Keisuke Sato
“Reach out your hand, and your story will begin!” Those words changed young Atsuko “Akko” Kagari forever, sparking in her a lifelong dream of becoming a real witch. Now she’s been accepted to the same school as her childhood hero, Shiny Chariot-the prestigious Luna Nova Witchcraft Academy. As the only student to come from a non-magical family, Akko finds herself surrounded by prodigies from around the world, but giving up isn’t in her vocabulary. Whether it’s making friends, proving the doubters wrong, or just flying on a broom, Akko is going to make her fantasy a reality!
Maddy Kettle: The Adventure of the Thimblewitch by Eric Orchare
Maddy loved working in her parents’ bookstore… especially when joined by her pet flying toad Ralph. But that was before the mysterious Thimblewitch turned her mom & dad into kangaroo rats! Now Maddy’s on the adventure of a lifetime. To save her parents, she’ll need to sneak past an army of spider-goblins, scarecrow warriors, and much more… Fortunately, an assortment of new friends await, including the cloud cartographers Harry and Silvio, a bear and raccoon who explore the world in their moon-balloon. They’ll help her along the way, but in the end, the fate of everyone will depend on Maddy’s courage, compassion, and creativity.
Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker
Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town. One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any townhome. Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.
The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner
Magic is harder than it looks. 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. A story packed with humor and heart about the weird and wonderful adventures of a witch-in-progress.
The Misadventures of Salem Hyde: Spelling Trouble by Frank Cammuso
Salem Hyde just isn’t like other kids. For one thing, she’s stubborn, independent, and impulsive. For another, she’s a witch. Salem acts first and thinks later–which means most of her thinking involves coming up with excuses! Good thing she’s been assigned an animal companion, Lord Percival J. Whamsford III. This over-anxious cat doesn’t like Salem calling him “Whammy,” and Salem doesn’t like listening to his long-winded explanations as to why she shouldn’t do something . . . like enter the class spelling bee. Salem knows she can beat all her classmates at spells, no problem. Too late, she realizes the competition is about spelling words, not magic. And there’s nothing like a misspelled spell to cause all kinds of havoc!
Witches of Brooklyn by Sophie Escabasse
Effie lost her mom and her home. And now she has to live with two strange aunts who she’s never met before. Life in Brooklyn takes a strange twist for Effie as she learns more about her family and herself. Life in Brooklyn takes a strange turn when Effie discovers that real MAGIC runs in the family. When Tily Shoo, a pop megastar, comes to Effie and her aunts in need of a magical skincare remedy, it takes the charm and skill of all three witches to save the diva’s day. With new friends who will do whatever they can to be there for her and her new magically-inclined family — Effie’s life is about to get verrrrry interesting….
Zatanna and the House of Secrets by Matthew Cody and Yoshi Yoshitani
Welcome to the magical, mystical, topsy-turvy world of the House of Secrets, where Zatanna embarks on a journey of self-discovery and adventure … all with her pet rabbit, Pocus, at her side. Zatanna and her professional magician father live in a special house, the House of Secrets, which is full of magic, puzzles, mysterious doors, and storybook creatures–it’s the house everyone in the neighborhood talks about but avoids. Not that Zatanna cares, though, because she is perfectly content. But at school one day, Zatanna stands up to a bully and everything changes … including her friends. Suddenly, Zatanna isn’t so sure about her place in the world, and when she returns home to tell her father, he’s gone missing, lost within their own home. Can Zatanna open the right door and find her father?
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Spells and cats and witches and hats…life is interesting with a little magic flowing! Now most of these books feature magic that touches on the real world…but we have lots of magic books in fantasy lands as well! Another booklist..? Maybe!
As always, if you need help finding these or any other books, ask one of our librarians. We love to match books and readers! And if you have any suggestions for graphic novels about magic we may have missed, let me know. Suggestions from readers are always welcome.
Happy Reading!
::Kelly::
BellaOnBooks's Blog 