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Blog Tour: The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow by Emma Steinkellner (Review)

Jul6

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Blog Tour: The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow by Emma Steinkellner (Review)The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow by Emma Steinkellner
Series: The Okay Witch
Published by Aladdin on July 6, 2021
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

In this hilarious and heartwarming sequel to the bestselling and critically acclaimed graphic novel, The Okay Witch, half-witch Moth Hush uses magic to boost her confidence with disastrous results—perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Molly Ostertag!

Moth Hush is starting to settle into her newfound witch heritage and powers, but life at school continues to be rough. Even her best friend, Charlie, doesn’t entirely understand what it’s like for her to always be the one who gets mocked, and things only get worse when Moth’s mom starts dating one of the dorkiest teachers in the school! Then Moth gets hold of a mysterious charm that can unleash another version of herself—one who is confident, cool, and extremely popular. What could possibly go wrong?

PRAISE FOR THE OKAY WITCH:

“Lighthearted and cheeky.” – The New York Times

“Steinkellner’s debut graphic novel is a tour de force of middle grade storytelling.” – School Library Journal, starred review

“The Okay Witch is the perfect read for kids who love Hocus Pocus.” – A.V. Club

 
 
Hey everyone! I’m incredibly excited to be a part of the blog tour for The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow (July 6, 2021 – Aladdin)! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED the first book in this series, The Okay Witch, so you can imagine how excited I was when the email for this blog tour hit my inbox!! And I absolutely loved the sequel just as much as the first book! So without further adieu, here’s my review!

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I absolutely adored The Okay Witch, and the sequel was just as amazing. First of all, I loved the quick recap of book one. I have such a bad memory, so it was nice to have that.

I love these characters so much. Moth is fun, smart, and strong. She makes mistakes, but she always learns from them. I also love Mr. Laszlo, more than words can describe. Mr. Gorski-Garcia was a great addition. Sometimes, you just need a teacher you can talk to and trust, but who won’t make things worse with the kids tormenting you. Mr. Gorski-Garcia felt like that kind of teacher. I also love how his story ended, though I can’t go into details without spoilers. But it was perfect, and I really hope we get a sequel so we can see what happens next with him. I really loved the storyline with Professor Folks and Mr. Laszlo. It both made me so sad and so happy, all at once. I loved where their story ended in this book and – just like with Mr. Gorski-Garcia – I really hope we get another book so we can see what happens next with them!

The overall message and plot of this book was incredible and amazing and definitely something kids in middle school need to hear. Underneath all the magic and witch talk, this book is so relatable. It’s about being different when you just want to fit in, and struggling to not lose yourself in the chaos of middle school and peer pressure. It encourages you to be proud of who you are, to embrace what makes you you. This book also tackled racism and bullying.

Overall, I definitely loved this book and highly recommend it for anyone who loves graphic novels, witches, and awesome coming-of-age novels/movies.etc.

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Emma Steinkellner is an illustrator, writer, and cartoonist living in Los Angeles, California. She is a graduate of Stanford University and the illustrator of the Eisner-nominated comic Quince. She is the author and illustrator of The Okay Witch graphic novel series.
 
 

Website | Twitter

Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 
 

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Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE OKAY WITCH AND THE HUNGRY SHADOW, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Blog Tour Schedule – Week Two:

7/5/2021 – brittreadsalattebooks – Review
7/5/2021 – Lady Hawkeye – Excerpt
7/6/2021 – Fictitiouswonderland – Review
7/6/2021 – Pandora’s Books – Review
7/7/2021 – hauntedbybooks – Review
7/7/2021 – Curlygrannylovestoread – IG Spotlight
7/8/2021 – Confessions of a YA Reader – Review
7/8/2021 – Nerdophiles – Review
7/9/2021 – Eli to the nth – Review
7/9/2021 – Simply Daniel Radcliffe – Review

Full Schedule Here.

five-stars

Review: The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner (Blog Tour)

Sep4

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner (Blog Tour)The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner
Published by Aladdin on September 3, 2019
Pages: 272
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Roller Girl in this hilarious, one-of-a-kind graphic novel about a half-witch who has just discovered the truth about herself, her family, and her town and is doing her best to survive middle school now that she knows everything!

Magic is harder than it looks.

Thirteen-year-old Moth Hush loves all things witchy. But she’s about to discover that witches aren’t just the stuff of movies, books, and spooky stories. When some eighth-grade bullies try to ruin her Halloween, something really strange happens. It turns out that Founder’s Bluff, Massachusetts, has a centuries-old history of witch drama. And, surprise: Moth’s family is at the center of it all! When Moth’s new powers show up, things get totally out-of-control. She meets a talking cat, falls into an enchanted diary, and unlocks a hidden witch world. Secrets surface from generations past as Moth unravels the complicated legacy at the heart of her town, her family, and herself.

In this spellbinding graphic novel debut, Emma Steinkellner spins a story packed with humor and heart about the weird and wonderful adventures of a witch-in-progress.

Hey, everyone! I’m SO excited to be on the blog tour for The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner (September 3, 2019 – Aladdin)! Without further adieu, here’s my review!

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As a kids bookseller, I’m a HUGE proponent of graphic novels, and love explaining to parents all the benefits of letting their kids read them. Yet, personally, I actually haven’t read that many. I always shrugged it off and said they just “weren’t for me.” But then the email for The Okay Witch slid into my inbox and the description had me hooked! And boy, am I glad I gave this one a shot! It was absolutely incredible! I read it in one sitting, could barely put it down, and now desperately want the sequel!

Moth was adorable and super relatable. I loved going on this journey with her. Mr. Laszlo, the talking Jewish cat, was definitely one of my favorite characters. He was hilarious and snarky and I love him! Move over, Salem, you’ve been replaced – Mr. Laszlo knocked you out of the number one spot in my “Favorite Talking Cats” list, hehe :) I also adored Charlie. He had a great character arc! I didn’t trust him for awhile in the middle, but I like how his story ended. I can’t say much more about him without spoilers, though.

The town name “Founder’s Bluff” reminded me of Mystic Falls for some reason, so I got some Vampire Diaries vibes thanks to that. I had some Hocus Pocus vibes, mostly because witches, I think. I also had MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR Halloweentown vibes!! Moth reminded me so much of Marnie – the part human/part witch whose mother hid her magic from her, and who is now eager to learn about magic and her powers.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED the illustrations in this. Since it was an ARC, only the first few chapters were in color and then the rest of it was black and white, so it goes without saying that I’m super anxious to get my hands on a finished copy and re-read it in all it’s colorful glory.

Overall, I REALLY adored this book – if you couldn’t tell from my excited, ramble-filled review. I can officially see why people love graphic novels, and why they sometimes use graphic novels to break reading slumps. It was so nice finishing this in one sitting and enjoying it as much as I did. That hasn’t happened in a LONG time. I also feel more confident about recommending graphic novels at work, now that I’ve read one! And I definitely plan on reading more in the future!

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves graphic novels, witches, and awesome coming-of-age novels/movies.etc. Sabrina fans will definitely enjoy this, as well!

five-stars