Another stellar example of inclusion and celebration of blackness and difference. In exploring what it means to be a young witch, Moth encounters some unfortunately common bullying at school and tries to address it in a way that takes things a little sideways. She is an empowered young woman, encouraged to trust her own judgement, and celebrated for her learning. I recommend this to all middle grade readers!

I was eager to read the next chapter in Moth’s story. I was impressed with how the story related bullying in the school setting. It was very relevant to what my own children are experiencing in middle school and how they have decided to speak up for themselves and others to stop the cycle. I love this series! Can’t wait to read another.

After the events of the first book, Moth is still coming into her own as a witch. With the help of her best friend Charlie, her mom, and her talking cat, she tries to not only come into her magic but also survive middle school. In this book she encounters the Hungry Shadow, a demon that offers her to become the person she wishes she was, but for a price.

This was a great next installment in this series. Moth is such a likable character and very relatable. It is fun to watch her face both middle school problems and supernatural ones as well. I also love that she has a great network of friends and family to help support her. There are so many witch themed middle grade books now, especially graphic novels, but this series is still my favorite.

Moth is back (and there is a thoughtful review of the first book as the prologue) and she gets into drama again. This time she takes on bullying and self acceptance in full force.

I would’ve LOVED a quirky brown girl witch as a kid and I love her now and am so happy this series exists to share with students and friends.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed getting to know more about Moth Hush in this sequel, The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow. In this installment, Moth is frustrated with always being bullied. It gets so bad that she wants to resort to using magic in order to get popular. Moth does possess a charm that helps her find some confidence and popularity. Little does she know that a demon is behind it. Moth is such a wonderful character that readers will connect with. She experiences a lot of typical middle school/teen problems and has feelings that others will relate to. Charlie, her best friend, is wonderful too. This book has a wonderful message. I can't wait to read more!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The Okay Witch. Originally read through my library, enjoyed it so much it's now part of my personal collection. Book 2 however, didn't hold quite the same spark.

The story picks up on what seems the natural progression of events we left off with Moth Hush, exploring her magic and with school.

Overall the focus of this story was very unclear at first. It seems like multiple topics of this story, while important, felt a strain to make them center stage. Given the title, I had some ideas, but by page 80 (1/3 of the book) I wasn't sure where the story was going or what it was really building towards. Quite the slow burn.

That said, the ending was SO SWEET and definitely worth the read. I simply felt book 2 wasn't quite the continuation I was looking for, but more of a strive to be a different story.

Is this story going to make you fall in love with magic? Probably not.
But it might help you fall in love with the Hush family and what they have to offer, if you haven't already.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book for review. Moth is a teen witch for a new generation. She is awkward and nerdy and her mom will not let her practice any big magic. She is dealing with self-acceptance, confidence, and advocating for herself. She reacts as only a teenage witch can. A good story with cute drawings. I will recommend.

Thank you #netgalley for sending me an advanced copy of this book. The second in the series, The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow was beautifully rendered with colorful illustrations and hilariously hyperbolic facial expressions. From page 1, I was literally sucked back into this world with its pictures, dialogue, and storytelling. This book is relatable and funny, while also commenting on important issues for all ages. It touches on race and gender topics, as well as staying true to who you are and finding your inner strength and self-worth. I love how Emma Steinkellner portrays the friendships and family relationships in this story; there is so much humor, love, earnestness in all the interactions. We get many of the same characters, but also meet some new gems (and meanies). Fingers crossed Steinkellner keeps the series going!

Another tender and humorous adventure (with central themes focusing on self-confidence and anti-bullying) from our favorite friendly half-witch, whole-teen, Moth Hush.

Sadly this book was not as enjoyable to me as the first one. Several things happened in the story that just seemed very cliche, or too convenient. The story wasn't very exciting, even though the overall message was an important one. The positives: the dorky teacher was cute and I liked his part in the story.

I genuinely love that “doing magic” isn’t the central focus of the Okay Witch, it’s “being a teen who also can do magic.” Moth’s struggles feels much more relatable because the magic acts as the “wrong solution” rather than the main conflict of the story. I especially loved the ending, which wasn’t a complete “everything I wanted thanks to magic” but an ending that feels completely attainable to any non-magic teen who reads it.
I received a digital ARC of this book and I can’t wait to read it in full-color.

trigger warning
<spoiler> bullying, being possessed </spoiler>

After finding out she's a witch from a witchy family and her grandma is the ruler in a hidden world of witches, Moth has to find her own path. One that includes both being a regular person and having the ability to fly.

I liked this on so many levels.
First, let's talk about the illustrations. The first part of this is in full-colour before it reverts to black and white, which I am just telling you without judging it. If it makes this graphic novel more affordable for the reader, I am here for it.

The diversity in characters is astonishing. Moth herself is a person of colour, as is her mom. Laszlo might be jewish, and he's gay, and he's dead. A ghost, possessing a cat, who is fine with it. He describes it as being roommates.
We have people of different heights, different body shapes, now I'd only wish for some disabled people in there.

What especially struck me is that this illustrator knows how to pose, it all looks so realistic and fresh and dynamic and real. The characters have tiny imperfections, which also helps making it look more real despite the fantasy elements.

The writing - guys, we have character developement the second installment in a row. This is no "aaarg we can't do it, we need a power up!", this is "let's solve this on our own" without deux-ex-machina.

I liked the references to Sabrina the Teenage Witch, I like the museum stuff, the visits in another dimension. If there is to come more, I'll read on for sure.

I read The Okay Witch #1 a couple months ago, and really loved meeting Moth (the main character), her mom, her best friend Charlie, and a very special cat. When I found out a sequel was coming, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy!

Moth doesn’t look like the other kids, and her family certainly isn’t anything like the other families. This title deals with being teased and left out; but more so, it acknowledges how hard it can be to find your way through all the muck, without losing yourself. Especially in Middle School.

With her family and friends by her side, and some new magic tricks to keep her busy, this (more than) okay witch will charm you.

Actual picture of me during this book:
(pictures here)
Just kidding. The talking black cat explains what happened in the first book so I don't feel like I am missing out too much. However, having read the second book first, I very much so want to go back and read the first graphic novel. I enjoyed this book and even though I was able to put the pieces together, I still want to see what I've missed.

The Book
Anyway, this book targets ages 8-12 which I can see, though I definitely enjoyed it...and I'm 25! It definitely had a lesson or two to be learned without feeling like an afterschool special. Think "Steven Universe" if you're into that sort of thing. The plot, while simple, was something that even the most hesitant of readers could get into. The drama begins quickly, our main character Moth goes through her own growth journey, and the story ends almost as quickly as it started. I appreciated the willingness of the author to deal with a few difficult subjects like being different in a way that was tasteful and easy to digest for young readers but definitely dealt with issues of racism and conformity. Emma Steinkellner herself went to school for Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and I was thrilled to see how subtly but powerfully her ideals were put into the story.

(pictures here illustrating point)

The Art
Since this was an ARC book, I wasn't able to see the completed colored version yet. However, what I was able to see was such a treat.

(picture)

I instantly fell in love with the expressions of Moth and her mom Calendula, as well as the dorkiest teacher ever.

(picture)

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys modern cartoons with a good story, anyone who likes small towns on the east coast, and anyone who likes feminism and witches.

I didn’t read book one but the recap was enough to get the gist. This is honestly a five star for me and that’s very rare. I loved the art style, I loved the main cast of characters, I loved Cal and the teacher falling in love, I love the squishy cat who is actually a dead man! I loved all the lessons effortlessly twirled into this story about witches. Honestly very 90s Sabrina the teenage witch but updated and diversified. Also is the cat gay? Here for it. I loved this so much I think I’ll be buying the physical books if I can! Also WILL be talking about this on my socials !!

Moth, of the Okay Witch, returns in this one which is heavy on bullying, and how it makes you feel.

Moth hates it so much she would rather use magic to gain the confidence to talk back to the bullies. She also uses this same magic to call out the paeople who just stand by and let the bullies say what they are saying.

Too bad there is a price to pay for using this sort of magic, in this case a demon that will take over your body.

Good story. And good examples of what to say to bullies. I also loved the talking cat liking a TV show that appeared to be a mix of Betwitched and Sabrina, the Teen Age witch, that is shown in the background throughout this novel.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. </em>

I thought this book was thematically successful but lagged a bit and definitely did not have same punch as it's predecessor.

Sweet and pleasant follow up story to The Okay Witch. Familiarity with the previous volume is not necessary as a summary of the previous book is provided in the initial story. This volume focuses on the common pre-teen/teen problem of fitting in only with a dash of magic (and, you know, all consuming demon). While I liked the first volume in the series this volume really hits the sweet spot -- I am looking forward to more from this author.