Scan barcode
A review by bluestjuice
Baba Yaga's Assistant by Marika McCoola
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.