- Graphic Novels
- Ages 8–12
- Fantasy
The Hidden Witch
Book 2 of 3 in The Witch Boy TrilogyView the full series
Part of the Molly Knox Ostertag universeOpen the collection
A strong second volume that widens the emotional focus from Aster's identity to friendship, loneliness, and hidden hurt. It keeps the series accessible while adding a little more magical threat and emotional complexity.
- Best for8–12
- FormatGraphic
- Length208 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr40 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
Tone
- Adventurous
- Heartwarming
- Suspenseful
- Thought provoking
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
After the events of The Witch Boy, Aster is still learning what it means to practise magic openly. But this time the story also follows Ariel, a girl carrying pain and anger that she does not fully understand. As dark magic begins to surface, Aster and his friends have to work out how to help someone who is frightening partly because she is frightened herself. Molly Knox Ostertag expands the world of the first book without losing its emotional clarity, using magic as a way to explore shame, isolation, friendship, and the need to ask for help. The result is still a very readable middle-grade fantasy graphic novel, but with a more layered emotional centre than a simple good-versus-evil adventure.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 8–12
- Independent · 8–12
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Works well for
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: scary imagery, mental health.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
2 / 5 · Mild
Best for
- Middle grade graphic fantasy
- Friendship and healing
- Magic with emotional depth
- Series continuation
- Reluctant reader pick
Avoid if
- Has not read book one
- Very sensitive to dark magic
- Wants gag comedy
Particularly good for children who are…
- Making friends
- Anxiety and worry
- Anger management
- Low self esteem
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A warm fantasy graphic-novel trilogy about being true to yourself — a reluctant-reader favourite that opens talk about identity and acceptance.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is the frightening girl — Ariel carrying anger she doesn't understand, dark magic surfacing around her, Aster and his friends working out that someone scary can be that way because they're scared themselves. The Witch Boy sequel that widens the lens from identity to hidden hurt.
- Magic powers
- Being understood finally
- Making a difference
- Friendship and belonging
- Surviving danger
Why parents love it
The Molly Knox Ostertag follow-up — same accessible art and emotional clarity, more layered antagonist, shame and isolation and asking-for-help as the core themes. Best after The Witch Boy. Strong middle-grade fantasy with proper emotional weight.
- Conversation starter
- Cultural representation
- Beautiful illustrations
- Great writing
In the series
The Witch Boy Trilogy.
3 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Molly Knox Ostertag.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
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