Clicking on the cover will take you to the Goodreads page of the book.
Synopsis:
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.
- Pages: 224
- Genre: Fantasy, Middle grade, LGBT
- Publication date: November 1, 2017 by Scholastic, Inc.
- Format: Paperback, Kindle, Hardcover
PURCHASE LINKS:
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
THE REVIEW:
Ah, I’m on a spree of good graphic novels and I love it!
Right, the Witch Boy, this book has been sitting on my TBR since it first came out in 2017, so yeah, reading it is wayyyy overdue. Thanks to my library, I finally managed to cross that one out (only 3k+ left to mark off)!
The story is charming and follows a family of witches and shapeshifters however, magic is only for girls, whereas shapeshifting is only for boys, and it has been like this forever. But of course, we are in for a rebel in the face of Aster, who is about to change everything and embrace his true self with the help of his family and friend Charlie.
This is a very fast-paced graphic novel, but it sure knows how to touch all the right buttons of your heart! The art is also great, I love everything about it the colour palette the drawing style.
Our characters are depicted well and are given that touch of individuality. I really like the grandma!
In reality, the message here is clear and loud, one should follow their heart and do the things they want, regardless of what everyone else believes and says. It is about family, friends, self-discovery and acceptance, but also about facing our demons and fighting them off.
I truly enjoy when a book or a graphic novel manages to do that and makes you really feel for the characters and relate to them.
Overall, had the tempo of the story been a tad slower and more expanded so we had more of a background on Mikasi, it would have been a solid 5-star read for me.
Definitely recommend it if you have not picked it yet!
Lin's Perspective 
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