The Weirn Books, Vol. 1 by Svetlana Chmakova is an adorable middle grade fantasy comic book full of magic students attending magic school in a magic town. This is in the line of the Italian Disney comic book W.I.T.C.H. for 10 to 13 year old girls wanting a bit more marvelous and supernatural in their lives. The drawings are adorable with bright colours and a plethora of courageous and feisty girls doing what all pre teens do, living through what they live, but with the added bonus of having their own demon magic creature with them all the times. Which is a big perk for anyone! I'm sure this will be a beloved book for that age group even if it does lack a little originality and relies too much on tropes for the older audience to be much interested. The characters are likable, there is an arching plot that takes place within the volume (no big cliffhanger there even if there is the suggestion of the next volume) and the pace keeps things going quickly for the younger crowd.

An exciting and fun fantasy romp. The author is clearly good at what she does as the characters are well realized, the mythology is honest and true while still being easily graspable yet isn't pedantic. Well paced, well plotted. loved this book

I received this book from NetGalley as an eARC in exchange for a review.

That art in this book is fantastic and worth the read alone. The story was very enjoyable and paired very well the art. I wish we had gotten a bit more character development but since its the first in a series I could see that happening in later volumes.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher!

The Weirn books Vol 1 tells the story of cousins Ailis and Na'ya. They are weirns, a kind of witch, that go to a Night School for night children: witches, werewolves, vampires, etc. Their grandma always tell them to stay away from the haunted house but one day they go there and something happens...

I liked this story from the beginning, the drawings are really cute and I really liked Ailis and how much she likes food. Weirn people have a shadow demon which is like a magical pet that stays next to them for life. I find those creatures fascinating, I wish I had one.

Na'ya has a little brother, D'esh, they are also weirns and go the same school, except for D'esh who goes to the children night school. I also liked Na'ya, she's fearless, funny and looks like she doesn´t like romance (I hope she's aroace like me).

Together they study, get in trouble and go on adventures with their friends.

It's a really good middle grade story for children and also young adults. I love paranormal books like this one.

In the Night Realm, vampires, shifters, weirns, and other night things passing for human prowl the streets... but they still have to go to school! Ailis and Na'ya are pretty average students (NOT losers), but when a shadow starts looming and a classmate gets all weird, they are the first to notice. It gets personal, though, when Na'ya's little brother D'esh disappears-It's time to confront the secrets of the forbidden mansion in the Silent Woods!
Join the acclaimed author of Awkward, Svetlana Chmakova, for an outing into her favorite fantastical world full of magic and adventure!

A delightful and fun journey with magical creatures and facing evil. I absolutely adored Nightschool: The Weirn Books ( think high school version) and when I found out about this middle grade story set in the same world I was so so excited to read it! The story has all the elements of a great graphic novel! Adventure, friendship, and magic!

*Thanks Netgalley and Yen Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

After many times of trying, I finally was able to read with Digital Editions.
This book is very different with Chmakova other books. It's a world with magic. Children go to school for weirn.
A brilliant book to start a new series. Looking forward to reading no.2., no. 3

I really enjoyed this title. Chmakova has created another beautiful and playful world with depth and humor. While some aspects, like crushes, aren't a new idea and seem a bit of a trope they are still fun and very relatable.

Cousins Ailis and Na'ya are weirns - witches born with a demon guardian spirit bound to them for life. They go to school and basically live their lives at night. The take a shortcut to school through the Silent Woods, a forest that is creepily quiet with a creepy old mansion to match. Ailis and Na'ya's grandmother attended school at the mansion, but one day the headmistress took all the children, including their grandmother's twin brother, and disappeared. Their grandmother only avoided the same fate by staying home sick. When Na'ya's younger brother is kidnapped and their werewolf friend Russ tracks him to the old mansion, things get weird.

I'll be honest, I didn't know too much about the mythology of weirns. I feel like after reading this novel, I learned more about the lore. I found it fascinating. The illustrations were done beautifully. The astrals were unique, yet connected to each other as well as to their witch. The colors varied between vibrant and dark tones which mirrored the storyline well.

Characters: Admittedly, The teacher in me wasn't too thrilled with the headmistress, but I can see how she makes a pretty creepy villain. She's a perfect villain for middle schoolers. I love that were more supernatural characters mixed into the night school other than weirns. D'esh was my favorite character; he was always helpful, sweet and just fun. When they swung him over puddles, it transported me to times I have done that with kiddos I know.

Themes: friendship conquers all, magic can be stripped away, looks aren't everything, studies and education are crucial to success, always listen to your grandma, avoid abandoned and forbidden houses in the middle of the woods

Recommended for: Scooby Doo fans, mystery fans, graphic novel lovers, lovers of mythology, magic fans, supernatural creatures fans

3 stars. Wasn't anything amazing. Feel like it has been done before. I would read something else from this author but this one wasn't for me.

Such a cute graphic novel! The Weirn Books, Vol. 1 hits some really great themes: magic school with magical kiddos, paranormal is "normal" and amazingly cute illustrations!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this review copy!
This was so cute! Loved it. This is a great middle grade graphic novel.

I ask for this graphic novel because I keep hearing about it, I however have had a hard time downloading it . I tried to download it on the Net galley app with no success. I also tried download it on my laptop no success. I will wait for the the Library to get a copy .

In the Night Realm shifters, vampires, weirns, and all things that pass for human still need to go to school. This is the story of disappearing children and a group of kids trying to figure out what happened.

The art is adorable. I love all the magic stuff and the grandma's shop. A few of the speech bubbles were cut off in the digital edition, but that is usually not an issue once the book is brought to print. I am super excited to see what my students think of this book because they love all of Chmakova's other stories. I think they will be excited to see how this connects to the other Night School books.

Creative Team:
by: Svetlana Chmakova
Colors by Effie Lealand, and Melissa McCommon
Inking: Young Kim, Effie Lealand
Letters: Ju Youn Lee
Published by Ye Press

The Weirn Books, Vol. 1: Be Wary of the Silent Woods is a fun blend of middle-school drama, eerie antics, magic shenanigans, and genuinely creepy vibes that all work really well together, culminating in a book that's perfect for the fall season! The illustrations are solid and pair with the overall spooky air of this graphic novel very nicely- this is a great choice to pickup heading into Autumn/Halloween.

A book about magic schools and magical people. Allis is a weirn—A witch with an astral. She lives in a town with many weirns and goes to a school for weirns. This is a speacial school. It looks like a normal building but magically transforms itself into the magic school in evenings. Things get scary when someone is kidnapped.

The part right before the ending, when the kids try to solve the mystery was kind of predictable and put me off. You could guess what was coming. However, I stilll liked the ending, and it makes me want to read the others in the series.

I love this book! The art is delightful, and the story is equal parts creepy, sad, exciting, and inspiring. The characters are fun and I am looking forward to future volumes. It's an exhilarating and fast read. Highly recommended for all collections.

What a cute little graphic novel! I love the idea of this world where all of these little paranormal kiddos come out to go to school and play and such at night. The dialogue is a little over the top, but in a good, realistic-depiction-of-hyperactive-children way, complete with silly expressions that I think young readers are going to find delightful. I wouldn't say this graphic novel was anything special for me, but I'm not the target audience here, and I think the actual target audience will love this.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!

Svetlana Chmakova’s Berrybrook Middle School graphic novel series (Awkward, Crush, and Brave) have been some of the most popular graphic novels in my school library. Her characters and the awkward situations they find themselves in at middle school are really relatable for kids. Svetlana’s latest book, Be Wary of the Silent Woods, is the first in her new series, The Weirn Books, and it’s scarily good.

Ailis and Na’ya live in a small, sleepy town called Laitham. It’s home to humans and human-passing night things – vampires, shapeshifters, mermaids and weirns. Ailis and Na’ya are weirns, witches born with a demon guardian spirit (called an astral) bound to them for life. The girls go to school at night and have classes on things like Astral Training and Alchemistry. Like any school there are bullies and detention, but also crystal caves and fireproof walls. While searching for a book in her grandma’s attic, Ailis uncovers a family secret. A shadow starts looming in the Silent Woods, a classmate starts acting weird and then Na’ya’s little brother D’esh disappears. Ailis and Na’ya realise they must face their fears and confront the secrets of the mansion in the Silent Woods.

Be Wary of the Silent Woods is an action-packed start to this awesome series that delivers frights and fun. It has the humour that I love from the Berrybrook series mixed with this cool supernatural world. Svetlana uses lots of onomatopoeia so there are some great panels that are taken over by sounds, like screaming or rain pouring down. She doesn’t let the panels limit the story either, with action and speech bubbles breaking out of their panels. Svetlana’s colour palette is muted but never dull.

One of my favourite aspects of Svetlana’s books is that her characters are so expressive and this book is no exception. Ailis and Na’ya’s go through lots of different emotions in the story but it’s always clear from their faces how they’re feeling.

Be Wary of the Silent Woods is out now and I’m already looking forward to book 2. Get this for fans of the Berrybrook Middle School trilogy or kids who like a spooky adventure story.

This book was fun and creepy. Kids that are a fan of the author's Berrybrook Middle School series will probably like this dip into fantasy. This story has the same kind of humor.