- Graphic Novels
- Ages 8–12
- Fantasy
Witches of Brooklyn: Curse and Reverse
Book 5 of 6 in Witches of BrooklynView the full series
A slightly more emotionally mature instalment, using teen emotions, undercover magic and a duel to push Effie's growth. Still funny and accessible, but more clearly about responsibility and friendship under pressure.
- Best for8–12
- FormatGraphic
- Length272 pp
- Read aloud~2 hr10 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Exciting
- Whimsical
- Suspenseful
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Effie is now twelve, and the series begins to lean a little more into the awkwardness of growing up. When a local witch starts interfering with teenagers' emotions, Effie and Garance go undercover as teenagers themselves, discovering that magic can disguise them but cannot make feelings simple. The plot brings in emotional manipulation, a magical duel and the question of whether Effie is ready for the consequences of wielding power. It remains a friendly middle-grade graphic novel rather than a dark fantasy, but it has more tension and interpersonal complexity than the earliest books. This makes it a good continuation for readers who have grown with Effie and are ready for school-age emotional stakes alongside the jokes, expressive artwork and magical action.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 8–11
- Independent · 8–12
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Works well for
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Magic
- Friendship
- Growing up
- Emotional stakes
- Witchy mystery
Avoid if
- Needs series from start
- Prefers gentlest magic
Particularly good for children who are…
- Making friends
- Low self esteem
- Anxiety and worry
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A warm, witchy graphic-novel series about friendship, family and finding your power — a reluctant-reader favourite.
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 Effie twelve and going undercover — a local witch interfering with teenage emotions, Effie and Garance disguising themselves as teenagers to investigate, a duel and consequences arriving. The Witches of Brooklyn entry where the series gets emotionally older.
- Magic powers
- Making a difference
- Surviving danger
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
The fifth Witches of Brooklyn — slightly more mature interpersonal tension, magical-duel stakes, the question of whether Effie is ready for the power she has. Continues the friendly middle-grade graphic-novel tone but with adolescent emotional complexity added.
- Shared humour
- Conversation starter
- Quick to read
- Cultural representation
In the series
Witches of Brooklyn.
6 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Sophie Escabasse.
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.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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