A review by rkiladitis
Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne

4.0

Beetle & Hollowbones is adorable! A homeschooled goblin-witch named Bettle befriends Blob Ghost, a blobby ghost that inhabits space at the local mall in the town of 'Allows. Blob Ghost - or, BG, as Beetle calls them - is relegated to the mall, so Beetle happily visits, and is sad when she has to leave. Beetle's old friend Kat shows up for a sorcery apprenticeship with her intimidating Aunt Hollowbone, and Beetle is fascinated: Kat's cool, she's social media famous, chic, and great at magic, to boot. The two start spending time together, to BG's disappointment, but when Aunt Hollowbone's awful plan to raze the mall becomes public news, Beetle realizes she has to save BG and find a way to release the mall's hold on them. 

A story about friendship, doing the right thing, and standing up for yourself, Beetle & The Hollowbone's illustrations are beautiful and vibrant, with adorably creepy creatures that I could easily envision in an animated series. This is the kind of story my library kids love: warmth, family, and friendship, with some magic to infuse the tale. 

Beetle and the Hollowbones has starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly, and Booklist. It is also a CYBILS 2020 Graphic Novels nominee.