The Okay Witch

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY SEPT 2, 2019

The creator of the Quince comic makes her graphic novel debut in this time-traveling yarn about gangly 13-year-old Moth, who attends school as a witch on Halloween. "You have to dress for the job you want," she tells her mother, Calendula. Her wish inadvertently comes true after she renders two bullies temporarily speechless with her thoughts. At home, Calendula reveals that witchery is "genetic.... Mommy looks a lot younger than she actually is." Calendula was 16 during a 1692 witch hunt in their hometown of Founders Bluff, Mass. Back then, local leader Judge Kramer wanted "a town of sober, obedient, lily-white Pilgrims." Her remarks put readers on alert: Calendula, like Moth, has brown skin, and as the ghosts and witches of the past reawaken, the story questions the whitewashing of American history. Meanwhile, a subplot about Moth's animal familiar a talking black cat who specializes in borscht belt repartee provides levity in perilous moments. In Steinkeller's fluid drawing style, the characters' body language and motions are occasionally indistinct. But contrary to the uninspired title, Moth's magic proves better than "okay," and readers will hope for a sequel for the intriguing characters. Ages 8 12.