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whatsmacksaid's review against another edition
4.0
Sweet and amusing with great art. I loved it all.
autumnk3lly's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
3.5/5 ⭐️
cute story about major life changes while still grieving the loss of someone close
cute story about major life changes while still grieving the loss of someone close
booklover160's review against another edition
3.0
Cute story about a young woman who goes in search of Baba Yaga in order to be her assistant. Masha doesn't feel like she fits into her family, especially now that her father is remarrying. She misses her grandmother and runs away to have her own adventure. Baba Yaga tasks Masha with various tests during which she finds her own creative solutions and in the end... Masha goes off with Baba Yaga.
The end felt kinda weird and off... like her dad was just chill leaving her behind? I got he was a bad father, but that was kinda... brutual. Anyway, the art is nice but I didn't care for the ending.
The end felt kinda weird and off... like her dad was just chill leaving her behind? I got he was a bad father, but that was kinda... brutual. Anyway, the art is nice but I didn't care for the ending.
bluestjuice's review against another edition
4.0
There is a lovely circularness to this - I recommended this to Nell after reading about it on some list of highly-rated children's graphic novels, then she liked it well enough to recommend it back to me to read.
Graphic novels are like short stories - a quick read, but the best of them are carefully sculpted gemstones that touch on deep questions concisely. Baba Yaga's Assistant is like this, spinning out a tale of an emotionally-neglected teen and her difficult relationship with her family alongside a magical-realism story in which she uses her knowledge of folklore and old stories to impress the witch and ultimately earn her trust. Masha is an enjoyable character: smart, wry, but also very human and clearly injured by her experiences. I flew through this on a comfortable Sunday morning, and enjoyed it immensely.
Graphic novels are like short stories - a quick read, but the best of them are carefully sculpted gemstones that touch on deep questions concisely. Baba Yaga's Assistant is like this, spinning out a tale of an emotionally-neglected teen and her difficult relationship with her family alongside a magical-realism story in which she uses her knowledge of folklore and old stories to impress the witch and ultimately earn her trust. Masha is an enjoyable character: smart, wry, but also very human and clearly injured by her experiences. I flew through this on a comfortable Sunday morning, and enjoyed it immensely.
apousson's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
boggremlin's review against another edition
4.0
I love that Baba Yaga has all of her teeth in this--she's as ambiguous as I remember her being in old stories, and her audition process for her new assistant is hugely enjoyable. (I especially love Mina's technique for appealing to the house on chicken legs.) The beginning is mostly there to get us to the middle of the graphic novel, but it serves its purpose. McCoola's art captures movement and mood, and the story as a whole is very satisfying.
jwinchell's review against another edition
4.0
I loved Emily Carroll's _Into the Woods_ and her art here does not disappoint. Baba Yaga is freeeaky and the environments were extremely rich and Masha's experiences are expertly and subtly drawn. I learned a lot about Baba Yaga folklore and am proud to have this in our Julian graphic lit collection.
melinda1962's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 If you write a story about Baba Yaga, I’ll read it. It’s that simple. I loved the artwork in this one. And the matryoshka dolls were a fun addition the story.
kelleemoye's review against another edition
4.0
Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=8186
I first learned about Baba Yaga when I was in middle school, and I learned about Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition suites based on paintings by Viktor Hartmann. Suite 9, “The Hut on Fowl’s Legs” was based off of his painting of a clock in the form of Baba Yaga’s hut. Because I liked the music so much when I first heard it, I wanted to learn more about it, and one of the things I distinctly remember researching was Baba Yaga who I found fascinating! I then was reintroduced to Baba Yaga when I was reading the Fables series by Bill Willingham, and once again I went and read all about her folklore. Which meant when I saw that there was an upcoming graphic novel, my favorite!, about her, I had to get it.
Marika McCoola’s retelling of the Baba Yaga folktales does them justice. With a mix of classic stories of Baba Yaga and McCoola’s story of Masha, the book does a wonderful job of introducing the readers to who Baba Yaga is at the core, a conflicted witch, and also puts a twist on it all. Masha’s story is more than just an addition to Baba Yaga’s story though. She is the star. Her story is a sad one, and Baba Yaga may just be what she needs. This text will really start some discussions around Masha’s family status and why Baba Yaga and her may just be perfect for each other.
I first learned about Baba Yaga when I was in middle school, and I learned about Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition suites based on paintings by Viktor Hartmann. Suite 9, “The Hut on Fowl’s Legs” was based off of his painting of a clock in the form of Baba Yaga’s hut. Because I liked the music so much when I first heard it, I wanted to learn more about it, and one of the things I distinctly remember researching was Baba Yaga who I found fascinating! I then was reintroduced to Baba Yaga when I was reading the Fables series by Bill Willingham, and once again I went and read all about her folklore. Which meant when I saw that there was an upcoming graphic novel, my favorite!, about her, I had to get it.
Marika McCoola’s retelling of the Baba Yaga folktales does them justice. With a mix of classic stories of Baba Yaga and McCoola’s story of Masha, the book does a wonderful job of introducing the readers to who Baba Yaga is at the core, a conflicted witch, and also puts a twist on it all. Masha’s story is more than just an addition to Baba Yaga’s story though. She is the star. Her story is a sad one, and Baba Yaga may just be what she needs. This text will really start some discussions around Masha’s family status and why Baba Yaga and her may just be perfect for each other.