A young witch must learn to fly in this lovely middle-grade graphic novel featuring bouncy cartoon illustrations, lively magic, and an endearing girl finding her spark.
Jazzy is a young, brown-skinned witch with cute curls and a penchant for wearing purple. Her moms are the town broomstresses, carrying on a long tradition of handcrafting "besoms" (broomsticks). "When a witch starts flying, it's one of the most important days of their lives," Jazzy's moms tell her. But Jazzy doesn't feel like much of a witch: remembering spells doesn't come easy and her school flying lessons are disastrous. "It's like something is missing," she says, "but I don't know what." Then she discovers bicycle racing, and to her surprise, as she falls in love with riding, casting spells becomes easier and more natural. But she neglects her flying practice. When the school's flying parade arrives, Jazzy will either need to unlock her inner witch or admit to her moms that she still can't fly.
Jazzy the Witch in Broom Doom by Jessixa Bagley (Duel, with Aaron Bagley) is a delightfully wholesome and hijinks-filled story about discovering a passion. Bagley portrays through Jazzy's missteps and milestones how finding what she was "born to do" doesn't mean leaving behind friends, family, or legacy. Bagley's smoky digital art uses witchy hues (greens, purples, greys, yellows), bubble-lettered spells, and foggy backgrounds to create a lightheartedly spooky atmosphere. This is, luckily, just the first adventure for Jazzy and her utterly bewitching all-Black, all-female family. --Samantha Zaboski, freelance editor and reviewer