“You are almost at the end of your journey.”

From Emma Steinkellner’s The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow.

Since learning that she is a witch from a powerful legacy of witches, thirteen-year-old Moth Hush has tried to find a balance between her magical training and her ordinary life in Founder’s Bluff. While her mother Cal–and her talking cat, Mr. Laszlo–encourages Moth to enjoy the rest of her childhood with her best friend Charlie, Moth just wants to find a way to make school more bearable. After an unfortunate matching incident with the nerdy teacher, Mr. Gorski-Garcia, Moth finds herself the center of attention for Pike, the school’s lead bully… which is only heightened when Cal starts dating Mr. Gorski-Garcia. When Moth and Cal travel to the magical realm of Hecate to visit Moth’s grandmother, Sarah, Moth finds a magically-charmed Nyklum which legend says will grant popularity and charm to the wearer. Bringing the Nyklum back to Flounder’s Bluff with the hopes of being popular, maybe even popular enough to win the upcoming Founderella competition, and things go well at first. However, when young witch Peter arrives from Hecate to warn that the Nyklum houses a dangerous and hungry demon, Charlie and Peter are left struggling to save Moth. Things quickly spiral out of control and Moth must find a way to stop the demon and save the school without losing her own soul as well.

The animation in this graphic novel is bright and fun, but the story’s driving force is the spunky, slightly awkward main character. Steinkellner creates an interesting world that flows together well with the characters and magical happenings. Highlighting the struggles of fitting in and being true to oneself, The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow is a solid addition to the series that will be a big hit with readers of all ages.