Emma Steinkellner

Nell hopes for an apprenticeship with a famous artist, but instead gets stuck with lorekeeping, which she thinks is boring (until she finds some old illustrated stories and begins making her own comics based on them). Meanwhile, their town is threatened by a pair of siblings claiming to be the lost prince and princess and wanting to turn Gumbling into Castleworld. Nell and her friends use their deep knowledge of their town to go on a treasure hunt to find the key to Gumbling.

More text-heavy show more than most graphic novels because it's told in part through Nell's journal entries, this is a delightful, low-key magical, incredibly diverse and charming tale.

Quotes

Of course, it's probably good to not always get what you want. Helps you grow and become a better person. But it's hard to actually feel yourself growing in real time. And it's very easy to feel the other part - being disappointed and wishing things were different. (36)

"...the first step to getting involved is caring. And it sounds to me like you care a whole lot what happens to our town and the people in it." (106)

"I just want to stop feeling jealous and bad." (108)

"Because I grew to recognize what was already here in Gumbling that made all of us very rich indeed. And that was enough. Sometimes we just need something illuminated for us to notice it's there." (King Lubberly/Herdburt Blithely, 183)

"They're not just fairy tales. It's our history....Gumbling is special because of everyone who's already here, everyone who loves it just the way it is." (194-5)

We're celebrating that we're already proud of where we come from. We're celebrating a community that takes care of one another and makes sure everyone has food and a place to live. It's not fancy or exciting. And maybe it's only magical and fairy tale-ish in a kind of dull way. But that works for us. (200) show less

Another delightful book by the author of the Okay Witch. If anything, I like it better.

There's no true evil, and everyone except the bad guys is trying to do the right thing, and the kids are neither orphans nor neglected, the 'mean girl' is clearly just self-absorbed and not actually mean, and the kids all cooperate to save the town. I would have absolutely *loved* this as a child.

"Dear Journal... it's the first day of my apprenticeship, and I need to at least start with a good attitude. show more I read what I wrote yesterday, and I sound so bratty. I don't want to be That Nell. I want to be the Nell my dads think I can be."

"... some people find the fun in the site, smell, or sound of what they're doing. Or the outlook on life it gives them. Some people like the funny, interesting surprises. Some people like the satisfaction of getting it all done." show less

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley.

The Okay Witch is more than okay. It's absolutely charming. I adored this book and everything about it--art, story, characters, EVERYTHING. Moth is thirteen and doesn't fit in at school--and when she suddenly discovers she has magical powers, that doesn't exactly help much. This is a story packed with genuine heart. The tone is light, but there are heady issues addressed with a delicate hand. Moth is a wonderful, relatable heroine, but the entire show more cast is fantastic--including a talking cat who threatens to steal the whole show. I loved, loved, loved how inclusive it is. A subplot involving the said talking cat and a beloved actually made me get teary-eyed at one point.

I mean, really. Start reading because it's about magic and a smart girl and because the art is fantastic, and keep reading because you find everything about this book is fantastic. This is not only a 5-star read for me, but I'm adding it to my nomination list for the Norton Award. show less

This is a really cute Middle Grade graphic novel about family and acceptance and discrimination. It's about what happens when a young witch (who has only just learned that she *is* a witch) makes friends with a boy whose father is the latest in a long line of witch hunters. There's some emotional depth to this story, but mostly it's just really cute.

There's a little bit of bigotry and bullying in this book, but not much and it doesn't go into much detail. I suspect that most middle school show more kids will have dealt with more of both in their actual school life than what's presented in the book, but including it does make the situation feel more real (without being too real). And who hasn't wanted magic like Moth discovers? Haven't we all needed a spell to calm nerves now and again? show less