Witches of Brooklyn
Witches of Brooklyn bk #1
by Sophie Escabasse
Fantasy
Graphic Novel
Supernatural
* * * * Stars (Great!)
Effie arrives at her elderly aunt’s house in Brooklyn in the middle of the night accompanied by a man from child/social services. Although Effie’s aunt Selimene is her only surviving relative, Selimene has received no prior notice of the situation and is not prepared to take her niece in. After a lot of yelling, everyone settles down, and in the following days, Effie decides that living with her aunts (Carlota also lives there) is not so bad. She starts school and makes a couple of friends right away. Still, she’s not quite sure what it is her aunts do – they *say* they are herbalists and acupuncture and try to help people. A very famous singer – Tily Shoo – ends up in their care when her whole face is stained red by a mysterious moisturizing cream. Effie is so stoked that she gets to meet Tily, but is disappointed when the star seems to be petty, vain, and completely self-absorbed. Then Effie’s fingertips start glowing… She freaks out and her aunts come running to investigate. But their reaction is not what Effie expects. They’re weirdly overjoyed. And that’s when she discovers she’s a witch. In fact, they’re all witches, and they’re going to use their knowledge and magic to help Tily. A magically fun read with some realistic situations, and excellent problem-solving skills thrown into the mix. For grades 4-8 (older teens and adults may also enjoy).
Reviewed by YA Librarian
