The Witch Boy: A Graphic Novel (The Witch Boy Trilogy #1)
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4.7 • 9 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
From the illustrator of the web comic Strong Female Protagonist comes a debut middle-grade graphic novel about family, identity, courage -- and magic.In thirteen-year-old Aster's family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn't shifted . . . and he's still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it might be.When a mysterious danger threatens the other boys, Aster knows he can help -- as a witch. It will take the encouragement of a new friend, the non-magical and non-conforming Charlie, to convince Aster to try practicing his skills. And it will require even more courage to save his family . . . and be truly himself.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Magic fans will welcome Ostertag's graphic novel about a modern-day forest settlement where girls become witches and boys learn how to be shapeshifters. Aster's a boy who should be focusing on transforming into an animal; instead, to his family's dismay and embarrassment, he finds ways to hang around when girls are learning witchcraft. Technical spell-casting details abound: "The containment rune would work for a while, but with the name of its subject, it will be much more powerful." With the help of new friend Charlie, a human girl with beaded braids and a serious leg injury, Aster is able to deploy witch knowledge to save two of the settlement's boys and uncover the truth behind his family's darkest secret. Ostertag is in full control of plotting, dialogue, and visual techniques to advance the story with her sturdy panel artwork, and her family-centered narrative is warm and wholesome. Only the predictability of Aster's dilemma a template from other gender-difference stories dropped into a new setting disappoints, though his family's eventual acceptance is still satisfying when it arrives. Ages 8 12.
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