- Graphic Novels
- Ages 8–12
- Fantasy
Witches of Brooklyn
Book 1 of 6 in Witches of BrooklynView the full series
A warm, funny, full-colour graphic novel for readers who like magic, friendship and family mystery without anything too dark. A strong gateway from realistic school comics into softer supernatural fantasy.
- Best for8–12
- FormatGraphic
- Length240 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr55 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Warm
- Whimsical
- Heartwarming
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Twelve-year-old Effie is sent to live with her eccentric aunts in a huge Brooklyn house after the death of her mother, and at first everything feels strange, unfair and unsettling. Then Effie begins to realise that the weirdness around her is not just adult oddness: her aunts are witches, magic is real, and Effie may have powers of her own. The story blends new-school nerves, friendship, family secrets and a cursed pop star into an accessible middle-grade graphic novel with expressive artwork and a gently comic tone. It is especially useful for children who enjoy contemporary friendship stories but are ready for a more magical world, with enough emotional grounding to make Effie's discovery of witchcraft feel like part of finding a new home.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 7–11
- 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: death of parent, grief.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Magic
- Friendship
- Family secrets
- Soft supernatural
- Graphic novel gateway
Avoid if
- Recent parent death is too sensitive
- Prefers non magic realism
Particularly good for children who are…
- Moving house
- Making friends
- Bereavement
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 the loss before the magic — Effie sent to live with two aunts she's never met after her mum dies, the strangeness of the Brooklyn house turning out to be witchcraft, a cursed pop star adding the plot the new-home story needed. The Escabasse series opener for a kid who wants school-friendship comics with magic added.
- Magic powers
- Secret world
- Friendship and belonging
- Being special or chosen
Why parents love it
The Sophie Escabasse Witches of Brooklyn opener — grief handled honestly beneath the magic plot, full-colour expressive cartooning, found-family warmth. Strong gateway from realistic school comics into softer supernatural fantasy.
- 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.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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