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THE WITCH'S WINGS AND OTHER TERRIFYING TALES

From the Are You Afraid of the Dark? Graphic Novel series , Vol. 1

A quick, compelling, and creepy collection that’s sure to be a reader favorite.

Latine folklore takes center stage in this graphic-novel adaptation of a spooky kids show from the 1990s.

Like all members of the Midnight Society—a group of diverse kids who gather by a campfire in the woods to tell scary stories—newcomer Alicia must prove herself worthy of inclusion by giving them something better than the same old ghost stories they’ve heard lately. Alicia tells three tales; the first is about a boy who finds himself on the wrong side of the Lechuza, a vengeful owl-witch. In Alicia’s second story, a girl discovers herself aboard a haunted bus, and finally Alicia tells a hair-raising tale about an adopted stray dog with horrifying powers. Inspired by Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark?,this work maximizes the creep factor with disturbing imagery. The illustrators’ art varies in style (some are more free form, while others rely on sharp angles), but each artist’s work (or pair of artists, in the case of the Hernandezes) is well paired with the emotional depth and action level of their respective pieces. Mejia’s writing maintains a fast, cohesive flow through the different art styles, and Wu’s illustrations for the final tale are tied together with the frame story for a seamless and exciting ending. Alicia is brown-skinned; she and the characters in her stories are cued Latine.

A quick, compelling, and creepy collection that’s sure to be a reader favorite. (Graphic paranormal. 10-13)

Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023

ISBN: 9781419763564

Page Count: 192

Publisher: Amulet/Abrams

Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023

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SWIM TEAM

Problem-solving through perseverance and friendship is the real win in this deeply smart and inspiring story.

Leaving Brooklyn behind, Black math-whiz and puzzle lover Bree starts a new life in Florida, where she’ll be tossed into the deep end in more ways than one. Keeping her head above water may be the trickiest puzzle yet.

While her dad is busy working and training in IT, Bree struggles at first to settle into Enith Brigitha Middle School, largely due to the school’s preoccupation with swimming—from the accomplishments of its namesake, a Black Olympian from Curaçao, to its near victory at the state swimming championships. But Bree can’t swim. To illustrate her anxiety around this fact, the graphic novel’s bright colors give way to gray thought bubbles with thick, darkened outlines expressing Bree’s deepest fears and doubts. This poignant visual crowds some panels just as anxious feelings can crowd the thoughts of otherwise star students like Bree. Ultimately, learning to swim turns out to be easy enough with the help of a kind older neighbor—a Black woman with a competitive swimming past of her own as well as a rich and bittersweet understanding of Black Americans’ relationship with swimming—who explains to Bree how racist obstacles of the past can become collective anxiety in the present. To her surprise, Bree, with her newfound water skills, eventually finds herself on the school’s swim team, navigating competition, her anxiety, and new, meaningful relationships.

Problem-solving through perseverance and friendship is the real win in this deeply smart and inspiring story. (Graphic fiction. 10-13)

Pub Date: May 17, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-06-305677-0

Page Count: 256

Publisher: HarperAlley

Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022

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THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE

From the Lockwood & Co. series , Vol. 1

A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls.

Three young ghost trappers take on deadly wraiths and solve an old murder case in the bargain to kick off Stroud’s new post-Bartimaeus series.

Narrator Lucy Carlyle hopes to put her unusual sensitivity to supernatural sounds to good use by joining Lockwood & Co.—one of several firms that have risen to cope with the serious ghost Problem that has afflicted England in recent years. As its third member, she teams with glib, ambitious Anthony Lockwood and slovenly-but-capable scholar George Cubbins to entrap malign spirits for hire. The work is fraught with peril, not only because a ghost’s merest touch is generally fatal, but also, as it turns out, as none of the three is particularly good at careful planning and preparation. All are, however, resourceful and quick on their feet, which stands them in good stead when they inadvertently set fire to a house while discovering a murder victim’s desiccated corpse. It comes in handy again when they later rashly agree to clear Combe Carey Hall, renowned for centuries of sudden deaths and regarded as one of England’s most haunted manors. Despite being well-stocked with scream-worthy ghastlies, this lively opener makes a light alternative for readers who find the likes of Joseph Delaney’s Last Apprentice series too grim and creepy for comfort.

A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls. (Ghost adventure. 11-13)

Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4231-6491-3

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013

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