Though the real shining star of this book is the non-binary Blog Ghost. There is a really moving message that everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, and Beetle discovers her own set of unique powers and how she too can be valid and valued. She is full of energy and inspiration, though struggles with self-doubt and feeling inadequate. What is most heartwarming is the normalization of LGBTQ characters in this story and the casual queer romance that slowly builds along the way. Pop culture and internet life permeate the novel, making it feel very lived in and familiar to young readers who have grown up completely immersed in the digital age.

In such a short space, Layne constructs a fully-fleshed out Halloween-like world of ghosts and goblins with their own culture. The world building in this graphic novel is incredible. This is such a charming tale that uses tender care on topics like feelings of inadequacy and processing how friendships change over time. Her best friend is a Blog Ghost (she calls them BG) who is cursed to remain only in the local mall and her former best friend, Kat, has just returned to town as a rising star in the magic community. The story follows Beetle, a homeschooled goblin under the apprenticeship of her charming grandmother. Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne is such a brightly colored and energetic graphic novel for young readers that will also resonate with teens and adults. This book is such an adorable and endearing success. And hopefully ride a broom without crashing. Now, Beetle has less than a week to rescue her best ghost, encourage Kat to stand up for herself, and confront the magic she’s been avoiding for far too long. If Blob Ghost doesn’t escape the mall soon, their afterlife might be coming to a very sticky end. Beetle’s quickly being left in the dust.īut Kat’s mentor has set her own vile scheme in motion. Kat is everything Beetle wants to be: beautiful, cool, great at magic, and kind of famous online. And now Beetle’s old best friend, Kat, is back in town for a sorcery apprenticeship with her Aunt Hollowbone. is cursed to haunt it, tethered there by some unseen force. She’d rather skip being homeschooled completely and spend time with her best friend, Blob Ghost.

Then there’s twelve-year-old goblin-witch Beetle, who’s caught in between. In the eerie town of ‘Allows, some people get to be magical sorceresses, while other people have their spirits trapped in the mall for all ghastly eternity. An enchanting, riotous, and playfully illustrated debut graphic novel following a young goblin trying to save her best friend from the haunted mall-perfect for fans of Steven Universe and Adventure Time.