Very good graphic novel/ perfect for young adults. Loved everything about this novel. From the beginning to end. My 10 year old is going to read next & also leave a review. I’ve been in such a witchy phase. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read the ARC.

Love the trans and lesbian and disabled representation in this book. Nothing like a book with diverse witches and warlocks fighting racism and oppression. I loved this book and will definitely read more by this author.

This was a well-drawn graphic novel with lovable characters and a setting that mixes the historical realities of discriminatory laws in the American South in the 1930s with magic being a well-known part of reality.

I quite liked it, but I felt it didn't go in enough depth in the characters and the setting. As a result, the story felt surface level at times, and some things that I didn't understand/didn't make sense to me. For instance, the protagonists participate in illegal broom races to raise money, because they aren't allowed to participate to the legal races because of their ethnicities. However, their recurring rival/antagonists are a group of rich white boys from the local magic academy, who should have access to the legal races. They are apparently trying to make a name for themselves, but why run the risk of participating to the illegal races?

Overall, though, this was very good and a pleasant way to spend an hour or so, and I do recommend it!

✨¡Gracias a NetGalley por la copia avanzada de esta novela gráfica a cambio de una crítica honesta!
✨ ”Brooms” -que se publica en octubre de 2023- es una novela gráfica que se autodescribe como un Fast and Furious de brujas y queer.
✨ Es una novela en la que se presentan muchas realidades, desde personas birraciales - tanto negras y Choctaw (uno de los pueblos originarios en América del Norte, en los estados de Luisiana, Mississippi y Oklahoma), como mexicanas y Choctaw, o sino-americanas- a personas con enfermedades, algunas de ellas crónicas. Además hace referencia a las escuelas residenciales, una práctica traumática a la que muches niñes de los pueblos originarios de América del Norte se vieron sometides entre 1883 y 1996.
✨ Si duda es una novela gráfica que a través de metáforas sobre el uso de la magia acerca temas realmente complicados a públicos que no están familiarizados con ellos. También creo que puede ser una herramienta para empezar a tratar el tema con niñes, ya que las ilustraciones lo hacen más fácil de entender
~Marta🌺

Brooms was an amazing story and the art was beautiful. A wonderfully fresh blend of magic and history with disability, LGBTQIA, and BIPOC representation. The Characters are wonderfully diverse and the villains very realistic to the time period.

The book wraps up well, and can definitely be a good standalone, but the story and world building are so interesting that it would make a great continuing series. While it is a happy ending, the story does have points where real life traumatic events in history(Residential Schools, discrimination/violence towards BIPOC/LGBTQIA a people), are present with some sight adjustments to accommodate the magic/fantasy elements of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc.

This was truly a book that was well worth the read, a great mixture of historical and fantastical content that you don’t necessarily always see. For me, some of the details took a little bit longer to process, but were well worth the time spent. The worldbuilding within a historical setting was really fascinating for me, as well as the development of the characters, especially with the different cultures of magic and flying. The history of residential schools interwoven with magic is definitely difficult to read, but definitely interesting to see in this and worth reading about regardless. Each character felt nuanced and as if they had their own storyline while still being interwoven with the others. Also admittedly it did make me cry at the ending, which I thought was an honestly really strong wrap up and then look into the future of the characters. Overall, I thought it was a pretty well-written and captivating story with an art style that felt unique and also easy to digest. I would definitely recommend picking it up!

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc!

I loved this. Magic, historical context, queerness, and wonderful artistic work combined to make a great graphic novel.

This book is well structured which each chapter focusing on a different aspect of theme such as diversity, lgbt and friendship.

While "Brooms" is undoubtedly an engaging and educational read, there are a few instances where the information can feel slightly repetitive. Some sections could benefit from more concise editing to maintain a consistently engaging pace.

This graphic novel was hilarious and well-drawn, definitely worth the money and the hype, and I hope will be successful!

It’s 1930s Mississippi. Magic is permitted only in certain circumstances, and by certain people. Unsanctioned broom racing is banned. But for those who need the money, or the thrills...it's there to be found.

Really well-written and well-drawn. Highly recommend it!

Based on the description, I expected Brooms to be good, but it was better than I could have predicted. The book depicts a beautifully interwoven tapestry of marginalized people all fiercely supporting one another and doing what they can to make the world a better place, not just for themselves, but for everyone deemed "other" by society. The story was heartfelt and moving, the characters delightfully unique, and the art beautiful and descriptive. I wasn't initially sure about the art style, but the more time I spent with it, the more I liked it. The full-page scenes of races and magic were gorgeous, and the style really brought the setting to life in a way I ended up loving. I would love to see more stories in this setting, maybe following the characters from Brooms or maybe new ones altogether. I'll definitely be putting this on library displays.

LOVED this YA historical fantasy graphic novel and broom racing. It has classic witchy elements like riding brooms combined with incredible world-building and social commentary. Whether you can practice magic depends on your race and there are constant raids and threats by the magical police against this amazing group of witches. The action sequences for the wooded nighttime races are exhilarating. They reminded me a little of mid-century movies with exciting drag races, and then I read the creators' notes that said the illegal backwoods races were influenced by underground queer communities of color at the time. There is so much hope and power in these characters' stories, but be sure to check out content notes for discrimination, racism, and residential school abuses in deciding whether this might be a good read for you at the moment. Otherwise, highly recommend this one and hope to see more books from this incredibly talented team!! Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read early.

This is a fantastically diverse story, set in the 1930s with a magical twist. In the deep South, magic use is heavily restricted and broom racing for these groups is banned. The story focuses on the members of an unsanctioned broom racing team, each with their own goals and struggles. The team itself is very diverse, with Black, Indian, Asian members who cover the spectrum of LGBTQ identities and disabilities. The amount of casual representation in this book was really good, and it was very nice to see so much varied representation throughout (with a special shoutout to the afterward where the author explains her diversity choices for the characters). The story itself is straightforward, all the characters are racing for a reason. There's plenty of relationship and character development, as most of the story is character focused. The magic was fun and drawn really well, it made the racing scenes much more dramatic. This was a great story full of nuance, magic, and fun.

Thank you Levine Querido, Arthur A. Levine, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this wonderful book. This well-written, fast-paced read is full of magic, great characters, beautiful art, and historical events not often talked about. I really enjoyed this historical fantasy and would like to read more in this genre.

I was gifted this arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't usually read graphic novels but I'm so happy I read this one. It was such a quick, fun read, but it also touched on important themes of Native and Afro-American history, big topics that impacted queer BIPOC communities. The storyline, illustrations and colours were fascinating and I loved the incorporation of magic with real history all along this graphic novel.

Brooms is a fascinating graphic novel that explores themes of disability, queerness, and indigenous identity. The diverse representation of characters is a refreshing take and adds rich depth to the story and the art style is aesthetically pleasing. However, the dialogue can be overwhelming at times, and the story can be hard to follow. The ending seems a bit rushed, but overall, Brooms is worth reading for those interested in representation in graphic novels and would be a perfect read for the spooky season in October.

This book had me tearing up! The author and the illustrator did a fantastic job of creating an inspiring but heart-wrenching story. Luella endured so much and still gave everything she could for her family. The girls showed such strength and love when dealing with such horrible people and laws. That ending was so hopeful and beautiful. I highly recommend this!

The plot of BROOMS is pretty straightforward, but it tackles some big topics that have impacted queer BIPOC communities both historically and in the present day. The story is ostensibly talking about magic, but even the language around the magical arts make it clear that this story is really about social power and restoring a sense of community within and among marginalized groups.

While the story handles that heavy lifting well, where it really shines are the characters. There are six main characters, four of which really stood out for me. The two children didn't feel as fully developed as their older counterparts, but that may just be a result of the fact that they're somewhat sheltered from the bigger issues at play. All of the romances are sweet and subtle. While the systemic issues that all of the characters face are front and center, the characters are more than allegories for the issues they face... and the magic is awesome. Visually, there are a couple of truly stunning spreads, and I was reading it on an itty-bitty screen due to the limitations of the program I had to work with, so I can only imagine how beautiful it will be in print.

I was able to read this comic as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and I highly recommend this one. It's definitely going on my running list of books that include nuanced, respectful depictions of trans characters.

Brooms makes a painstaking effort to approach each character thoughtfully and respectfully. There is wide representation of people in the margins who are too often erased. I loved that actual history was woven in with the magical elements to ground this story in a real time and place, even if much of it was fantastical. Coming from a generation that grew up with images of witches and magical academies looking a certain way, it was refreshing to see other versions of magic and passing that down to other generations.

By the end of the book, I felt like I had a solid view of each character, but it took time to get there. I wish I could have felt more connected to the characters sooner than I did. Once I did have that sense that I could see the characters for who they are, I was hooked. This is a beautiful and complex story and I can't wait for my students to have a chance to read it too!