June 17, 2025 by Andrews McMeel Publishing
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Pacheco lives with his father and grandfather, who are fisherman near San Chaparrón. Pacheco tries to help, but often gets distracted while delivering fish, and the business is struggling anyway. He is very interested in magic, and enthralled by the light displays the witches put on, but his father doesn't want him involved in magic. When he is approached by a magical bird, it takes him up to meet Doris, the witch of the mountain, who is trying to save magical creatures. Pacheco would love to be her apprentice, and even cleans up her house, but it is not allowed for boys to perform magic, and only people from certain family backgrounds are allowed. This doesn't stop him from doing some magic at the market in the mountains, and this brings both him and Doris to the attention of the very displeased witch council. Doris doesn't agree with their rules, and hates the fact that the other witches are draining the magic from magical creatures for their own uses. Pacheco gets some help from Chiqui, the granddaughter of Providencia, the Great Sorceress, and from Feliciano, another boy who does magic, and has enough self confidence that he wants to take the test to become an apprentice even though he is not allowed. Can the council see the error of their ways and usher in a new age of inclusive magic?
Strengths: The author of this book is from Venezuela, and it was interesting to see the giant stature of the Great Sorceress that looks a bit like the giant statue of the Virgin Mary in Trujillo. Doris' mountainside and the magical creatures also have a South American feel. Young readers will understand how Pacheco would rather learn magic, despite the odds, than stay with the family business, even though he wants to support his family. The cast of witches is nicely diverse, and the rules, while perhaps unfair, are clear. There is a happy ending, which always helps.
Weaknesses: This seems a bit too young for my students. Andrews McMeel has a good range of titles, but some are more appropriate for younger grades.
Strengths: The author of this book is from Venezuela, and it was interesting to see the giant stature of the Great Sorceress that looks a bit like the giant statue of the Virgin Mary in Trujillo. Doris' mountainside and the magical creatures also have a South American feel. Young readers will understand how Pacheco would rather learn magic, despite the odds, than stay with the family business, even though he wants to support his family. The cast of witches is nicely diverse, and the rules, while perhaps unfair, are clear. There is a happy ending, which always helps.
Weaknesses: This seems a bit too young for my students. Andrews McMeel has a good range of titles, but some are more appropriate for younger grades.
What I really think: This is a good choice for elementary readers who want magical graphic novels like Hatke's Mighty Jack, Hale's Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld, or Foxe's Adventure Kingdom books.
Gyro and the Argonauts! aka the BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN*:
*About a Kid Named After a Sandwich
June 17, 2025 by Andrews McMeel Publishing
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Gyro has no family, but works in an Ancient Greek vineyard under the tutelage of Pyro. He loves the stroies of the Greek heroes, even though, as the narrator points out, they are frequently violent jerks. The author has a nice note about how Greek mytholody has always been remixed and changed, and he then proceeds to put his own spin on traditional tales, making Heracles a woman and having Pegasus flinging "horse apples" on the unsuspecting.
June 17, 2025 by Andrews McMeel Publishing
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Gyro has no family, but works in an Ancient Greek vineyard under the tutelage of Pyro. He loves the stroies of the Greek heroes, even though, as the narrator points out, they are frequently violent jerks. The author has a nice note about how Greek mytholody has always been remixed and changed, and he then proceeds to put his own spin on traditional tales, making Heracles a woman and having Pegasus flinging "horse apples" on the unsuspecting.
I thought that this would be a graphic novel, but while it has page decorations, it's still rather words. If books like Northfield's Julius Zebra or Ford's Stickman Odyssey are popular with your students, this is an interesting title by Pruett, who is a Disney television writer. There are echoes of Whitehouse and Slavin's Bogbrush the Barbarian as well.
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