The Okay Witch

Thirteen-year-old Moth loves everything witchy. She spends much of her time watching shows and reading books about witches, but she soon discovers that witches are not the stuff of spooky stories, movies, and fantasy. 

After a run-in with some eighth-grade bullies, something strange happens. Moth soon discovers she is a witch and her town, Founder’s Bluff, has a centuries-long drama with witches. If that’s not surprising enough, her family is at the center of it all. When Moth’s powers show up, things get strange. She finds a magic diary, meets a talking cat, and discovers a hidden witch world. Through these, Moth unravels more secrets from generations past, learning more about the town, her family’s history, and herself. 

The graphic novel The Okay Witch focuses on Moth, allowing the readers insight into Founder’s Bluff, the history of the witches, and how Moth acclimates to being a witch. Readers will relate to the seemingly fast and strange changes in Moth’s life. Moth is excitable, passionate, and stubborn. She butts heads with her mother occasionally. Moth’s mother doesn’t want her to get involved with “witch-stuff” because Moth’s mother thinks that “witch-stuff” is dangerous. However, by listening to her mother and her grandmother, Moth realizes her mother was trying to make her more aware of the attention her powers will bring and the weight of the responsibility in learning the history of the witches.

The drawings in this graphic novel are colorful and do an excellent job of portraying the characters’ emotions through their facial expressions. Reluctant readers may like that most pages do not have words but instead tell the story through drawings. Readers will love the switches from soft pastels to saturated colors, which not only makes the characters pop off the page but also makes it easier to tell the difference between the diary entries and the real world. 

Moth learns about her family history, her grandmother’s cohort of witches, and how Moth herself fits into it. Her grandmother and mother have figured out where they feel they belong in terms of being with or without their kind; now Moth gets to find the answer for herself. When Moth’s grandmother tells her about finding solidarity with the witches, Moth decides to watch and think about what she wants to do with her magic. Through this interaction between Moth and her grandmother, The Okay Witch shows the importance of family and legacy as well as the personal choice each person must make in order to make life fulfilling. 

Though many readers will enjoy reading the graphic novel The Okay Witch, the plot is not unique and there is too much focus on Moth’s understanding of the past and not enough focus on the present consequences of being a modern-day witch. While not unique, The Okay Witch is a good story for readers who like stories about the everyday lives of fictional witches. Readers who enjoy graphic novels about friendship should also read Stargazing by Jen Wang. Ravenous by MarcyKate Connolly tells a unique story involving a witch, and readers who want to know more about historical witches should read What Were the Salem Witch Trials by Joan Holub.

Sexual Content 

• None

Violence 

• Mayor Kramer kidnapped Moth’s mother. Moth goes to the Kramer residence to get her mother back. However, she badmouths Mayor Kramer’s family’s ancestors and ends up angering the ghosts living in the paintings. The ghosts are depicted grabbing Moth and holding her up against a pillar. 
• To help her daughter, Moth’s mother distracts the ghosts and is seen whacking them with several objects, including a potted plant and a sword, to no avail. Moth and her mother use magic to eradicate the ghosts. The ghosts are seen disintegrating into tiny, green pieces that eventually disappear. This scene occurs over seven pages.
• To attempt to defeat Moth and her mother, the ghosts try to possess Moth’s friend but fail. However, they succeed in possessing the mayor. The possessed mayor lifts Moth’s mother up to a broken window to throw her out of it, but Moth, in desperation, uses magic to get rid of the ghosts. The ghosts are seen going up in green smoke. This scene lasts for two pages. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

• None

Language   

• Two students call Moth “Mothball.” 
• A bully calls Moth and her friend “mutants.”
• A girl says “OMG.”
• Judge Nathaniel Kramer, one of the mayor’s ancestors, calls the witches “she-devils.”

Supernatural 

• Moth Hush is a witch, like her mother and grandmother. She spends a lot of time around her mother, who doesn’t want her to practice magic. However, Moth learns a lot of spells when her mother isn’t looking. Throughout the course of the story, she uses a lot of charms and spells. In short, she involves herself with magic whenever she can. As such, not all instances of magic will be listed here. 
• Witches cast magic spells in many ways. The magic can be done non-verbally with intent behind the spell, incantations, gestures, or a mix of the three. For example, Moth’s grandmother levitates a few photographs by lifting her hand. 
• There is a realm called Hecate where the witches from Moth’s grandmother’s cohort live. The witches offered a piece of themselves to Hecate, the goddess of magic, in order to seek refuge from the regular humans that were trying to hurt them. 
• When someone dies, “their spirit may still hang around if they have unfinished business. . . Some ghosts possess bodies and objects and buildings.” For example, Mr. Laszlo is a ghost because he wanted to help Moth be the best witch she can be. He possesses a black cat and shares the body of the cat.   

Spiritual Content 

• Moth’s grandmother tells a story about how the Sun became good. “Once the Moon was the only light in the world, and there was only night. Until the Moon was called away on business by our dear Hecate. So Moon said to her daughter Sun, ‘Keep watch over the world. Be a good girl and go around the whole thing. But forget not that you are precious, bright and fearful hot. If you get too close to the things below, you’ll burn them up in your fire.’”