Lily Halfmoon: The witches' council by Xavier Bonet

This short graphic novel series translated from Spanish with full-colour illustrations will delight young fantasy lovers as there isn't much else in this genre and format for this age group. The second in the series, The Witches Council follows on directly from book number one, Lily Halfmoon: The magic gems and readers will benefit from reading that one first. This installment does have an introduction to Lily and her world for those who haven't read it, but similar to Harry Potter there is a fair bit going on in this witchy world that needs some prerequisite knowledge for full understanding of the story. The story doesn't have chapters but includes interval pages where information about Lily's world is presented (lunar calendar, magical creatures etc.). 

Lily is a secret witch and attends a magical school, but her parents don't know yet, despite her little sister Zoe almost spilling the beans on numerous occasions. It is Halloween in the non-witch world but Samhain in the witch world; it's an old tradition where witches gather from all around the world to celebrate and pay respect to ancestors. There is a parade, magic demos and visitors from magic schools all around the world. There is also a mysterious stranger trying to steal her precious moonstone in order to corrupt it and use it for her own benefit. Her and her witch friends are eight and nine years old, so this will appeal to those who love the idea of entering a magical world like Nevermoor or Hogwarts but aren't quite ready to read about them independently.

Themes: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Magical Stories, Witches and Wizards.

Nicole Nelson