Magic Trixie (review)

In this graphic novel (the first in a series), young witch Magic Trixie needs something extra special for show-and-tell at her “Monstersorri” school. She considers riding her teenage sister Tansy’s broom, casting a spell using the big family spellbook, or demonstrating potion-making with her mother’s cauldron, but she’s always told she’s “too little.” Then Trixie hits on the perfect solution to her problem: using the “disappearing object spell” on baby sister Abby Cadabra will allow Trixie to wow her classmates while also ridding her of the attention-grabbing infant. Things don’t go quite as planned, however, and her classmates, charmed by Abby, manage to give Trixie a new perspective about being a big sister. Young readers will find Trixie a sympathetic character as she struggles to find her place in both her family and her school (annoying classmate Loupie Garou is always trying to one-up her), while also being amused by the quirky, magical world Trixie inhabits. Thompson effectively and entertainingly balances the bizarre with the ordinary here; sure, Trixie may have color-changing hair, wear a pointed hat, and have a mummy and twin vampires for friends, but she also has a familiar gap-toothed smile and a friendly pet cat (who can talk). The illustrations are compositionally disorganized, but they’re action-packed, and Trixie’s wild orange and/or pink curls provide helpful focal point against the darker colors of the background and the other characters. Stout-hearted readers will particularly enjoy the humorous spooky details, such as the vampire twins’ glowing red eyes or the way the limbs of Trixie’s Frankensteinian friend keep falling off. Kids looking for a quick read will find this bewitching.