PARANORTHERN

A young witch learns the truth of her powers when she accidentally opens a portal to a realm full of chaos bunnies that threaten to take over her world.

Abby is a witch in training who spends her days helping out her mom by caring for her younger sister, Ella, and working in the family’s magical cafe. When Abby isn’t helping her family, she is hanging out with her group of supernatural friends, Gita (a wolf-girl), Silas (a pumpkinhead), and Hannah (a ghost). When Abby accidentally opens up a portal, unleashing chaos bunnies into their dimension, her friends help her as she learns to understand her powers and close the portal. The cartoon-style artwork and cozy fall colors set the tone for a fun and heartfelt adventure. The illustrations effectively use facial expressions, motion, and variety in panel layout to emphasize the action, emotion, and humor. While the story is sweet, it unfortunately takes on a more complex plotline than it can comfortably handle in a single volume. Abby and her family read as Black with no indication of Native heritage; her use of sage for cleansing can read as appropriative. Brown-skinned hijabi Hannah’s ethnicity is not specified, and, confusingly, her grandmother uses a pet name for her that is normally used by fathers in Arabic-speaking cultures.

An enjoyable story about magic, friendship, and being true to yourself.