I was very excited to read this because I am a huge fan of Svetlana Chmakova and her Berrybrook Middle School graphic novel series. This is full of her signature art style (reminiscent of anime), pastel color palette, crushes, rivalries, and friendship. The magic and fantasy world elements combined with Chmakova's illustrations make this perfect for those who love Howl's Moving Castle.

I am trilled that Svetlana Chmakova has returned to the Weirn world - even if it is not a direct sequel to the Nightschool seires. Her characters have heart, worries, and a lot to learn about themselves, which makes them easy to idenitfy with. I had no trouble suspending my disbelief in this marvelously magical world because of how rich and well developed her environs are. Her magic system makes sense. . . and I want a weirn of my very own.

Ms. Chmakova is brilliant in both art and writing. Middle Grades are not the easiest to write for, but all of her books for that age range have been inspiring and thoughtful. I cannot wait to read the next installment in this series!

Recommended for fans of Svetlana Chmakova's other works, as well as Diana Duane, Diana Wynne Jones, and Raina Telgemeier.

This was a great read.
It reminded me a bit of harry potter, all the kids getting in trouble and going on an adventure.
The characters were simple and easy to follow. The story is exciting and the kids get to have an adventure.
The 'bad guy' is very creepy and acts like noting is weird.

Be Wary of the Silent Woods is the first volume in The Weirn Books series of graphic novels by Svetlana Chmakova. In the Night Realm, shifters, vampires, weirns, and other night things passing for human may prowl the streets, but school is still in session-and you still have to do your homework!

Be Wary of the Silent Woods is a middle grade graphic novel that has a nice blend of 'normal' middle school angst with magic and wonder. Ailis is a weirn (witch born with a guardian spirit, going to Night School with other paranormal children dealing with friendships, crushes, families, and all of the typical concerns of the age group. Her family and group of friends were a nice mix of personalities- and the background and important aspects of them were delivered at a near perfect pace. I liked Ailis and her cousins together, and how the small circle of friends were a team and balanced each other nicely, even if they would not want to admit it. The magic and mystery components were very nicely done, and I liked the creativity of the story along side the elements that most every reader can relate to on some level. I also really enjoyed the art style, and the amount of movement and detail that the art added to every page. I look forward to seeing more of this series, and will be taking a closer look at Chmakova's other work, which looks very interesting as well.

Be Wary of the Silent Woods is a fun start to a new series. I think the series will capture the imagination of middle grade and middle school readers.

Ailis and her family are weirns: witches that have guardian spirits--astrals--bound to them for life. They live in a small town with vampires and werewolves, and a few secrets. One secret involves Ailis' grandmother and her grandmother's twin brother. Experiencing typical tween issues like crushes and mean girls and school, the characters work together to fight an evil being. Chmakova does not disappoint! As usual in her graphic novels, text and illustrations combine to create an adventure middle school students will enjoy! Looking forward to the next volume.

One of my favorite authors does it again. A great new adventure in the world of the Weirn. I love the new characters and the new mystery/evil forces they need to fight against. Still waiting for her to continue the other night school books though. Hope to get to see some of those characters soon.

I've been a fan of Chmakova's since high school, so it was really nice to read another books of hers.

Be Wary of the Silent Woods was a great read. I really liked the way that the school changed at night and I really liked the way that the astrals each had a personality of their own.

It was just the right amount of creepy and spooky and I am really excited for the next volume.

A gorgeously drawn graphic novel with an interesting narrative, plot, and concepts. Definitely recommended for fans of this genre.

Another great graphic novel by Svetlana Chmakova! Set in the magical world of her Night School series, The Weirn Books, Volume 1: Beware of the Silent Woods, follows Ailis and her cousin, Na’ya as they navigate their supernatural school. Dubbed “The Loser Cousins” by mean girl, Patricia, they are trying to prove themselves in the upcoming astral race, but their priorities change when the learn about the creepy mansion deep in The Silent Woods, and its dark history. Soon, they find themselves fighting an ancient power for their lives, and the lives of their friends and family.

The illustration style, engaging story line that is both magical and relatable to young teens, and the cliffhanger ending are sure to keep kids clamoring for this book and all of the next volumes! A great addition to any middle school or high school classroom library.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this one but it was so good!! I loved all the magical aspects of it as well as the spooky story of the Headmistress. The two main characters, Ailis (Leesh) and Na'Ya and so cute together and I love their friendship throughout the book. I also really loved the town that they live in - it gave me really strong Halloween Town vibes from back in the day on Disney Channel. I would highly, highly recommend this to anyone but especially kids that are interested in books that have magic in them. I absolutely LOVED this book!!

I was not expecting a lot when I picked up this book but maybe that's why i enjoyed it so much! I loved the creepy/scary atmosphere throughout the book. I felt the children were genuinely in danger but that they would manage to find a way out of it. I would recommend this to my middle grade graphic novel lovers. I hope to read more of this story.

Great start of a new series by Chmakova. Her talents never cease to amaze me-excellent artwork and excellent plotting. Interesting characters. I can't wait to see where this goes.

Funny, creepy, and filled with magic, this tale of weirn children, their families, mysterious stranger, and an old house is sure to delight readers. The art style is spot on.

This was such a fun read. I love the author's middle grade realistic series that includes the book Awkward, and I love that she is once again leaning toward magic and things that go bump in the night. Until this book I didn’t know there was a Night school series so I will be looking for that. This book takes the read back to that world (or introduces them to it for the first time) where students have magic, and live at night, while normal kids sleep during the day. There is an old spooky house on the way to school and things are just not quite right about it. I find the story to be This book is great for middle schoolers, but I think adults will love it was well. In part it reminds this reader of The Golden Compass with a bit of Narnia thrown in. The illustrations are fun, the story entertaining, and a great read.
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I wanted to read this one because I love this author. Awkward, Brave, and Crush are three of the best books I have ever read and this one is right there with them. I love the plot. The characters. It was exciting and had a great message. I can not wait for book 2.

This paranormal graphic novel has lovely art and the kind of characters that kids love. The main characters are two cousins with a strong bond. The cast is rounded out with a school bully, a little brother, a crush, and another friend. The story is simple enough to appeal to the target audience, and the plot is straightforward enough for those readers to follow and enjoy. The story has some mystery, some danger for the characters, and a resolution that children will be happy with. This is a title I would stock in my classroom reading bins.

Ailis and her cousin Na’ya are Weirns, a particular type of witch who has an Astral paired with them at birth. The girls attend school at night to learn all sorts of magical abilities, and can compete in Astral races with their partners. The girls often take a shortcut through the Silent Woods and past a house their grandmother has forbade them to go near. Of course, something bad happens with the scary house. This fun adventure comes complete with bullies and crushes, annoying little brothers, and lots of magic!

This book is very cute and the girls are a great team. I love the idea of an astral as a protector and sort of another arm of the character, complete with its own personality. Some of them are noble and keep their Weirns safe, others are troublemakers, and others are shy. Chmakova’s illustrations are cartoony but beautifully colored, conveying the magic of the world. The characters are all animated and have great facial expressions when they are shocked or acting sneaky. Even the astrals get some facial features!

This title is part of Yen Press' JY Imprint, a line of middle grade graphic novels. JY's age rating wasn't available, but this fun title is definitely something middle grade audiences would enjoy. There is no cussing, no drug use, and only a bit of scariness at the very end to of which warn some of the more timid readers.

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 4-10

This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel will be on sale TODAY! June 16, 2020.

Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.

I was SUPER excited Netgalley allowed me to review Chmakova’s latest book. I absolutely love everything she does, though my favorite was her Nightschool series. Be Wary of the Silent Woods (The Weirn Books, Volume 1), is set in the same world as Nightschool with astrals, witches, werewolves, and every kind of night creature you may or may not have heard of living their lives at a different time of day. It’s fantastic. This book is focused on a set of middle-schoolers dealing with family, school drama, and learning magic. While it starts off hilarious, it quickly turns into a mystery and a group of 5 kids learning to solve a life-threatening problem on their own. You know, as they do in such stories.

My favorite parts of the book are the personal touches to the characters. For example, Grandma’s no-nonsense personality shows through on the sign her magic café’s door. The sign reads “NO we don’t sell stamps”. It feels like someone asked this question one time and she thought it was such a stupid question, she had to put a sign up. In that same panel, she says “You will bring your own mug and you will like it”, referring to how people take their coffee. That tells the reader that Grandma doesn’t play. It’s beautiful. The book gets even better when there is an actual RED BUTTON scenario just few pages later. There was the perfect opportunity to cast a spell and wreak havoc. I don’t know one middle-schooler, heck, one student who wouldn’t have done the same.

I was pulled into the Weirn Series world within the first few pages because the characters and situations are incredibly relatable and hilarious. Diversity even takes on a whole different meaning in these books and I love it. That the graphic novel gets even better the more you read just proves that anything Chmakova writes and illustrates is amazing. I can’t wait for more! It may read for middle-schoolers, but fans of Nightschool- which is more for high schoolers- like me will love it all the same.

Svetlana Chmakova has done it again with yet another refreshing set of characters. They all go on a journey and each one comes out a little stronger than how they started. I am eagerly awaiting Vol. 2. I cannot for more from these characters and awesome storylines.

I think this is based on earlier works from the graphic novelist best known lately for the Awkward/Brave/Crush trilogy. She also has a lot of manga and comics including a series called Nightschool, which I have not read, but it seems inspired this new series that I read through NetGalley. Weirns are witches and they wake up at sunset to get to their Nightschool, which transforms from the school that humans use during the day. It is very much like other school stories with cliques and bullying except the students are witches, shifters and vampires. Allis and her friends stumble upon an old house with a mysterious past on their way to school and can't resist taking a peak. Predictably, this sparks some action that sheds light on what really is happening in the house and also on Allis's family's past. It's entertaining, there are some witty characters and have fans of Svetlana Chmakova's earlier series will likely enjoy this one.