I appreciate the idea of this graphic novel, but BROOMS didn’t give me the entertainment, feels, or attachment I like to get from reading one. The representation was tremendous and included race, identity, and disability. And I love that it used magic to fight the patriarchy in 1930.

Despite these issues, I can’t help but appreciate the potential of BROOMS. The art style, though not my personal preference, was undeniably cute. The concept of the story, as described, was intriguing. However, the execution and pacing left much to be desired, and I found myself fully invested in the story only when it was almost over.

I thought the author’s note on why they wrote the book was a great addendum at the end. I always appreciate it when an author includes that.

I wish the book had been flushed out more and longer. But I didn’t mind reading it.

Thanks, Netgalley, for the arc!

5 Stars (I received an e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

Once again I wish I had read this soooo much earlier, I loved this book!!! At the core of the story is about fighting against colonization and trying to live as your true self, as much as one can in the 1930's. This needs to be put into schools immediately because it has all the representation for everyone. Different cultures, found families, LGBT characters, disabilities and residential school/concentration organizations. Broom racing is illegal but also lucrative for witches, when the jobs are drying up in the depression era. I don't want to say much more, as not to spoil the story but you should mount your brooms and wiz down to the nearest book store or library to check this out.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I really liked this. I did read it as an ebook copy on my phone so there's a lot of zooming and sometimes that can actually ruin a graphic novel for me but it didn't do that in this case. I was excited to go back and finish it and I really liked all of the characters. I do think that the younger girls didn't get as much fleshing out as the three older girls but as a whole definitely a win.

I actually think my favorite part of the whole book are the last 10 pages that's sort of a yearbook / scrapbook esque set up for all of our characters.

Black disabled queer MC, Asian Trans woman MC, fat disabled Black woman MC, deaf Black woman MC, Black Indigenous queer MC.

I’m a simple reader - I see witches, I click!

I highly recommend this book for those interested in YA! It grappled with a lot of important issues that are unfortunately realities for a lot of us, and I think it did so excellently. There was incredible and diverse representation within this book too which, again, is something that I feel is a must.

What an exciting and magical book this was! I don’t read many graphic novels but when I saw the premise of this one I knew I had to read it.
Brooms is the tale of a group of queer witches in an alternate 1930s Mississippi, where magic is banned for non white people and in sanctioned broom racing is outlawed. But they need the money and there’s a lot to be found in the illegal broom races, as well as the thrill of racing through the sky.
This book had incredible representation, from disabled and queer rep to Asian, black, indigenous and black indigenous rep. The author says at the end of the book that they were inspired by the underground communities of queer people of colour and how they uplifted and supported each other, and that really shone through here in the book.
The artwork is gorgeous, colourful and bright. I had so much fun reading this graphic novel, and I especially enjoyed the little epilogue that showed us where they all ended up years later. 4/5 stars.

Witches, check. Diversity, check. Fabulous telling set in the past that sheds light of current day societal issues including racism and targeted bullying. Those with powers must keep it secret. Using their powers is the only way to make money and avoid being taken and placed in a government boarding school. Walls does a fab job embedding inclusive representation throughout this welcoming graphic novel. VERDICT Must for teen and adult libraries where graphic novels are read.

This graphic novel was genuinely beautiful. There is women, native and black, transgender, and deaf representation. It was so amazing seeing the graphics incorporate American Sign Language while communicating with the deaf character and there was no issues of communicating because the ASL was normalized and inclusive. The book handles several major and important topics like references to the 60s sweep, racism, (magic) policing, and intertwines these with a unique and beautiful story about found family, witches, witches broom racing, and overcoming oppression.

The character dialogue was easy to follow and the graphics were so detailed, I truly loved every second of it and I plan to get a physical copy. I read this ARC on my Kindle and wish I got to see the full breadth of the graphics and art in color, but experiencing it nonetheless was so worth it.

This was fantastic! The historical aspect was lovely, and the art was so beautiful and interesting. Also a great story. Highly recommend this to everyone!

Broom racing is illegal and magic can be taken away from people of color without a fair trial. Four friends come together to race to get enough money to save younger sisters from the residential schools. If they can save enough money the sisters can be trained in magic by their ancestors. But racing is dangerous and the boys from the private schools are angry about losing to the girls.

This was a great mix of historical fantasy, full of people of color, queer, and folx who are disabled, sharing a wide perspective of inclusiveness in the fast-paced adventure.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this title

I. Love. This. Book.

This book was spectacular. I could read this book over and over again and fall in love with it over and over again. I don't have the words to express how fantastic I found this story.

Strong women. Magic. Broom racing. The magic of being young and exploring who you are.

I will 100% be purchasing this book for my library

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

The art and story will absolutely draw you in. Magic in the 1930s and African Americans with magic, this is a wonderful book for fans of Harry Potter that wanted to see more diversity in the films and books. I wish this would have been a series.

I loved this! This was such a great story and I loved the historical aspect mixed with magic. I loved the use of NASL in the graphic novel. I loved the relationships between everyone and I really connected with them.

I find graphic novels so hard to rate. I got this because it was a read now option on Netgalley. It was cute but nothing special for me. I usually love a graphic novel but for whatever reason I struggled through this one. I think it's a 3.5 overall for me. Interest to read more by these authors in the future though!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this. Brooms is one of my favorite graphic novels ever, and is definitely my favorite of this year. This was absolutely perfect. Not only does it have amazing characters and an engaging plot, but it was done so well. Jasmine Walls' backmatter discusses how she approached writing some of the characters that did not fit directly with her lived experiences. She did some research of her own, but also knew when to call in help from those that could better relate to the experiences of the characters. The fact is, that is still not an industry standard, and I do not understand why. A beautiful historical fantasy graphic novel that deals with race, class, queerness and disability flawlessly.

This magical tale takes a unique approach to civil rights. Billie Mae and the Night Storms race their brooms illegally. The money they can earn is worth the risk of getting caught- being the wrong color or the wrong type of people is what makes it truly dangerous for them to participate.

This is a relatively fast-paced story. I appreciate the way Walls handled issues of civil rights for both Black, Indigenous, and queer people. Though the story is set in the 1930s, many of the issues the characters are wrestling with are sadly the same ones they still navigate today.

A queer, witchy story set in 1930 Mississippi about BIPOC women / girls who team up to broom race.

This was a powerful read full of diversity! We see rep for bipoc, lgbtq+, trans, deaf, age, various body sizes as well as topics of race, marginalization, and other heavy topics handled with care. I loved the instances of friendship, sister hood, love, and the thrill of broom racing this graphic novel brought! Overall, this is a great read for the fall!

Rating: 5
Thank you Levine Querido for providing an e-copy through NetGalley.

Synopsis: It’s 1930 in Mississippi, and magic is illegal for certain people who don’t have the right papers. Most people of color are not permitted to use magic, especially Black and Native Americans, and casting spells could lead to jail, or, if caught by the wrong people, death. But that doesn’t stop the illegal use of magic, especially in unsanctioned broom racing tournaments. When society won’t provide the money (or the thrills) needed to live, broom racing is the only option. Luella was forced into residential school, where white teachers told her that she wasn’t good (read: white) enough, and they sealed her magic away for disagreeing. Now, she helps her two young cousins, Mattie and Emma, by teaching them magic and evading government officials who want to send them to the same type of awful schooling Luella had. In order to pay for official paperwork granting them freedom, Luella suggests the dangerous option of broom racing. If they win, they can pay for the documents. If they are caught, their lives will be over. But Luella has hope, for confident Billie Mae will teach the young witches how to fly. Billie is captain of the Night Storms, a racing team composed of Loretta and Cheng Kwan, both racers with something to prove. The team will teach Mattie and Emma to fly, and together, they will compete to win the money of the broom racing. But it’s a dangerous game, and they must work together to beat the cycle of oppression to let their magic survive.

What I Liked: Brooms is a witchy, historical, high-stakes YA graphic novel that follows a group of girls competing in dangerous races to earn the life they want. The story features a wide cast of characters that you don’t normally see in 1930s historical fiction and has good LQBTQA+ representation. Luella is Mexican and Choctaw, her cousins Mattie and Emma are Black and Choctaw, Billie Mae and Loretta are Black, and Cheng Kwan is Chinese American. Loretta has a physical disability (chronic joint pain), Cheng Kwan is trans, and Emma is deaf and uses sign language. In addition to their physical/ability diversity, all the characters are unique in personality, charm, and energy. Billie Mae is the headstrong fighter, Loretta is the calming voice of reason, Cheng Kwan is the careful and cautious one, Emma silent yet playful, Mattie loud and confident, and Luella is the hidden rebel. The research that went into making the graphic novel is tremendous, and the author should applaud themselves on depicting the accurate truth of a historically turbulent time and location. The authors also give us extensive notes and post-credit scenes, showing their love for the story and characters. The art is stylized realism: Everything, from faces to objects, is proportionally and realistically accurate, but it is drawn and colored with as little lines as possible and minimal shading. This gives the novel a flat (in a good way) yet detailed style that makes distinct colors and magically special effects really pop off the pages, while still steeped in the real history of it. Overall, Brooms is a wonderful historical graphic novel, a genre you don’t see too often in YA, that is both educational, engaging, and diverse.

What I Didn’t Like: Nothing!

Who Would I Recommend This To: Teens who like graphic novels featuring witches, historical fantasy, thrilling racing, and people of color being themselves in oppression.

Review Date: November 29, 2023

Brooms is one of my favorite reads of 2023.

The concept overall is very compelling, and all of the characters are interesting and likeable. I love that there was a lot of disability representation, and I thought it was illustrated very well. I know everything was wrapped up really well at the end, but I'd love to read more about broom racing in this universe.

This was a fun, magical, powerful, emotional (all the adjectives!) read—I'm so glad I waited to get my hands on the physical copy of the book because the illustrations really came to life on the page moreso than on the screen. Read this book if you want a little bit of history, magic, and found family. These characters have so much love for each other and strength in the face of deep-rooted racism.

My favorite part was actually the end pages, where we got to see what became of these beloved characters. It was so heartwarming to get a glimpse of their journeys beyond the story we'd just read.