I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.com.

First line: Once upon a time in Ditmas Park, a calm neighborhood in Brooklyn...

Summary: Orphaned 11-year-old Effie is dropped off on her aunt's porch in the middle of the night. Her aunt is less than thrilled about being awoken in the middle of the night, but she comes around to the idea of having a young kid under foot. Even more so when Effie discovers that she shares her aunt's witch powers!

Thoughts: I LOVED this book! I hope it continues as a series. There is so many directions the series could develop. The characters were very lovable and well developed from the very start. It had such a feel good vibe. A young orphaned girl immediately welcomed in by her aunts. They have a problem to solve together. I don't give many books five stars, but this one definitely deserves a top rating!

FYI: It does contain what appears to be a same gender relationship between Effie's aunt and her partner. Although they don't share a bedroom?

Thank you Random House Children's and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title.

This was such a fun read! The illustrations were fantastic and I loved the theme of the story. It was funny, charming and had a lot of heart! Its beautiful and quirky and I enjoyed the diverse cast of characters.

Charming, sweet, and funny! I adored this story and the characters. Can’t wait to read further adventures of Effie and her family!

I really enjoyed this book, I loved the artwork! It’s beautiful, simple, a little quirky, and overall a treat for the eyes! It was nice to see such a diverse group of characters. I adored them all and really loved the humor in it, the older aunts were great. They had such a great cover story, of having a business as acupuncturists and herbalists. Effin is great, she has to deal with a lot of new changes and seems to be adjusting well to her new environment.
I love graphic novels and this one did not disappoint! So cute!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Effie shows up on her aunt's doorstep one night. Her mom has recently died and Selimene is her closest relative. They've never met, and Selimene is old enough to be her grandmother instead of her aunt. It takes some time to warm up to her and her partner Carlota. They work as herbalists and acupuncturists, until Effie learns what they really are when Effie's pop idol Tily Shoo arrives needing help. It turns out they are both witches! Does Effie have the same affinity for magic that they do?

I savored reading this book. Effie becomes friends with two kids in her class, one of which also lost his parents. Their friendship is a lovely part of the story, and I hope future books give more information about them. Effie is a strong character who when faced with something unsettling, confides in Selimene right away (I always appreciate when kids can trust adults with their problems). Sophie Escabasse does a great job of paneling middle grade excitement (Effie's word bubbles will go across other characters and what they're saying). The art is also really beautiful. I thought the floor diagrams of Selimene and Carlota's house was a nice touch. When the end of the book came I was disappointed because I wanted to spend more time in Effie's world.

I think readers who enjoy realistic graphic novels with a tiny twist of magic will love Witches of Brooklyn.

I really enjoyed this book, loved the art. It’s beautiful, simple, a little quirky, and overall a treat for the ole eyeballs, how no two characters look anywhere similar to each other, was nice to see such a diverse group of characters. Loved the humor in it, the older aunts were great. Selimene is strange and fascinating. Love their cover story, of having a business as acupunctures and herbalists. Effin is great, she has to deal with a lot of new changes and seems to be adjusting well to her new environment.

E ARC provided by Netgalley



Effie arrives in the middle of the night at the Brooklyn home of her aunts Selimene and Carlota. Her mother has died, and she has never know her father, so her mother's stepsister is the best fit for her. The aunts are herbalists and acupuncturists who have a large, comfortable home. After an initial difficult time, Effie settles in. She attends school, where she makes friends with Oliver (who has a Scottish manny) and Berrit). She notices that when she gets angry, unusual things happen, like a snake in a classroom picture coming to life and menacing someone who is mean to her. Effie discovers that not only does she have magical powers, but her aunts are witches who have a secret lair and an armored knight as a librarian! This gives Effie an interesting plan of learning for the future, but her aunts get an interesting case brought to them; Tilly Shoo, a pop singer who has a large fan base among Effie and her friends, arrives in the middle of the night to see about having a curse removed; someone has given her skin cream that turns her face red. While she and her considerable entourage stay with Effie's family, the aunts work on a cure. It is Effie who finds what they think might be the answer, but it is more complicated than most curses. Effie invites Oliver and Berrit to come to a private concert, and the cure is started. There is a second book mentioned at the end of this, so we should be able to follow Effie's magical learning.

Strengths: This had a lot of good things going for it: a generally likable main character, a different style of illustration, an appealing setting (the house is terrific!), quirky relatives who are also kind, a realistic introduction to magic, and an interesting plot (Tilly Shoo) on top of Effie's transitional story. The friendship with Oliver and Berrit is well developed, and there are some good details about the magic. A few fun side stories, like Tilly's assistant who wants to cook, add some additional depth.

Weaknesses: It seemed odd that Effie would be dropped off in the middle of the night by a very suspicious looking social worker in sunglasses, and I kept waiting for something more to come of this. Perhaps in the next book. Personally, it took me about half of the book to realize that Carlota's odd nose was actually a tiny pair of eye glasses; Selimene had very large glasses (and a lack of dentures? Her mouth was oddly pursed.) I find that I obsess about small things in character portrayals in graphic novels. Berrit's hair also bothered me.

What I really think: I liked this more than a lot of graphic novels, and it had a different illustration style and a fantasy story that I think will appeal to the readers at my school. Definitely purchasing, although I always try to wait to get prebound versions of graphic novels so that they last more than three months.

This is a great middle-grade graphic novel. When Effie is dropped off at her estranged Aunts' house in the middle of the night, everything is quite emotionally charged. Even the word bubbles are thoughtfully done and the aunts are quickly distinguished as unique characters. As the story develops, there are authentic discussions about feelings and the relationship between the three.

The plot is intriguing and unique enough to be worth reading on its own, but to be perfectly honest, I'm just excited to learn more about Effie's backstory and can't wait for a sequel!

*reviewed from uncorrected ARC via netgalley

diverse middle-grade graphic novel (magic/adventure, poss. LGBTQAI+ interest?, first in a series)

In the middle of the night 11-year-old Effie is unexpectedly dropped off at her aunts' house by Agent "Joe" from "adoption services." Effie's mom has died, but it's not talked about when she is brought to her aunts, so you don't really get the backstory at first. Effie's stepsister, Aunt Selimene is gruff at first, but her partner Carlota is welcoming and kind, and before long Effie becomes their witch apprentice.

Dynamic, likeable characters that tweens can relate to. A great addition to your middlegrade graphics collection.

Really charming kids graphic novel that has magic in it but is really more about modeling emotionally healthy behavior without being preachy. For a parent reading this review probably the most emotionally problematic moment is when an adult reacts badly to being told they are now the guardian of a preteen girl. However the adult apologizes the next morning specifically and sincerely for their bad behavior, thus modeling emotionally healthy behaviors....

I really enjoyed this. Another wonderful graphic novel aimed at the 8-12s. I love Effie and her aunts and the cast around her. The author does a great job of making the cast large but keeping each character individual and unique. The story is cute and was less predictable than I expected which was extra enjoyable. The art style was cute and clear. Over all, I really enjoyed! It's a definite buy (probably a couple copies) for my library and I'll be keeping my eye out for the rest of the series!

I was presently surprised by this graphic novel! I decided to read it on a whim because of the cover and I was hooked right away. I am hoping there is more background story of Effie and her aunts family in a sequel but other than that I was drawn Right into the story. I thought the art style was bright and lively like the characters and their witty personalities. I am excited to recommend this to readers and the possibility of an excellent series. I will be on the lookout for what Sophie Escabasse has in store for us in the future.

This is one of the cutest things I have read in ages!
Effie is forced to move in with her elderly aunt when her mom passes away suddenly. There she discovers that not only are her aunt and room mate witches, but so is Effie!
I really hope this is the beginning of a series, because I would love for there to be more adventures with this super cute trio!

The Witches of Brooklyn is a great middle grade graphic novel that has underlying themes of self discovery and being true to one's self. The cute and comical illustrations lend even more to the heart-wrenching story of Effie, a young girl who finds herself recently orphaned and living with her estranged family in Brooklyn. This was a moving and uplifting story about families and friendships, a story that I cannot wait to share with my 3rd-5th graders. I hope this will become a series!

This was an adorable and fun witchy middle grade graphic novel.

After Effie's mom dies, she moves in with her two aunts in Brooklyn. Pretty soon, weird things start to happen and she discovers that she is a witch, just like her aunts. The three have to help a popstar break a spell on her before her big concert. Effie was a very fun character to follow. The world is very fleshed out and leaves room for sequels. The colorful and cartoon like art style is also very appealing. This graphic novel also has a great message about friendship and being true to yourself. This is a very sweet story that can appeal to readers young and old. By the end, readers will be anxious to read the next installment.

I requested this title on a whim, as the cover made it seem pretty cute and until very recently I lived in Brooklyn. And am I ever glad I followed that whim! Effie’s mother has recently passed, and as she doesn’t know her father, she’s now been shuffled off to live with her only living relative - a much-older aunt she’s never met. While things at first seem pretty grim and neither Effie nor Aunt Selimene are particularly excited to find themselves paired up, they quickly decide to make the best of it - and soon discover that the best things happen when you have an open mind.

The story has a similar feel to Baba Yaga’s Assistant, which was one of my favorite graphic novels the year it came out; they both have a silly, magical quality while still tackling some difficult topics - both revolving around family, emotions, and how we perceive ourselves. However, it also has some Sabrina the Teenage Witch vibes (if Sabrina’s aunts were maybe a couple?), which I also LOVE.

I really enjoyed how Escabasse took on some heavy subject matter in various, small ways throughout the story: the children presenting on democracy in class; Effie struggling to reconcile her love of Tilly’s music with her hatred for Tilly’s behavior; even Effie learning to deal with strong emotions. All of these could spark some important conversations with readers and their families, or readers and other readers, and I’m excited to potentially share this graphic novel as a library book club read for just that reason!

All told, I think Witches of Brooklyn is going to be a big hit with the readers at my library, and I cannot wait for the rest of the series!

When Effie's mother unexpectedly dies, it is even more unexpected that child protective services drops her off on the doorstep of the aunt that Effie had never met before. Make that two aunts...

Effie's two elderly aunts--one of whom is her mother's much older step-sister--are strange and fascinating, with their acupuncture business and insane amount of plants. But when Effie starts having weird dreams, she wonders if there's more to it than that. When their house is ambushed in the middle of the night by a popstar with a massive problem--and a huge performance in jeopardy--Effie learns that her aunts have been keeping secrets, and soon she will as well because... she's a witch!

Perfect for fans of "Phoebe and Her Unicorn", "The Okay Witch", and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch", "Witches of Brooklyn" is the delightful first graphic novel in this series focusing on Effie, her aunts, and their Witchy lives and how that impacts their relationships with each other, their non-Witch friends, and the world. An amazing story about adoption and family, full of humor, heart, and lots of unforgettable characters, "Witches of Brooklyn" will certainly enchant readers of all ages!