Puddles and Potions by Kara Lareau and Ariane Moreira - ADVISABLE

Puddles and Potions (Witchycakes #3) by Kara Lareau and Ariane Moreira. 65 pages. CHAPTER BOOK. Random House, 2026. $16

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SOME

It is almost the Spring Festival.  Blue is helping her mother run their cafe and prepare for the festival.  Blue and her mother are able to use magic.  Blue sees a potion bottle that is labeled Perfect Potion.  Could this potion help her save the day?

Puddles & Potions is the third book in the Witchcakes series.  It would appeal to readers that have recently started reading chapter books.  The story is sweet with eye-catching illustrations.  There are illustrations on every page.

Blue is in the 3rd or 4th grade.; Blue and her mother are presumably white.

Tracie, Elementary School Librarian

The Witch Who Stormed the Palace by Ryan Graudin - ADVISABLE

The Witch Who Stormed the Palace (Girl Who Kept the Castle #2) by Ryan Graudin, 335 pages. Quill Tree (Harper), 2025. $20

Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (mild danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL

12yo Faye has defeated the Shadow Queen’s attempt to destroy Castle Celurdur and free herself, but she is not guaranteed to become the new Witch of the West. Summoned to Retnec, the capital city where the four quadrants meet, Faye must undergo three challenges to prove her worth.  And she must undertake the challenges at the same time as three other candidates put forth by the other Wizards.  Adding to the melee - the Shadow Queen has a new plan to free herself and a willing confederate to help her plan.

I loved Faye’s first adventure and Graudin manages to keep up the interest with book #2. Old friends and new friends await. I did find it odd that one of the castles is called Ghibli, but none of the other names mean anything.

The characters cue white.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

The Ever Storms by Amanda Foody - ADVISABLE

The Ever Storms (Wilderlore #3) by Amanda Foody, 368 pages. Margaret McElderry (Simon), 2023. $

Content: G (some danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: OPTIONAL

13yo Barclay and the other apprentices are headed into the Desert Realm for their Symposium - a series of classes and training to sharpen their magical powers and get them ready to take their licensing exams. They will meet different apprentices of different magical specialties from all over the realms. Besides the classes, there is also a secret prank competition that Barclay is not interested in, but it may involve him despite his protests. But danger also lurks - Keyes is still out there lurking and magical storms are endangering everyone in the realm.

I want to love these books, but I always feel like I am only getting half of the information I need to really understand them. Am I reading too quickly? No, because other fantasy books cruise along and feel complete. Foody keeps trying to do too many things all at once. The action and adventure are the only things holding everything together. Plus Barclay is pretty endearing as a main character.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS

S'more Magic by Sophie Escabasse - ESSENTIAL

S'more Magic (Witches of Brooklyn) by Sophie Escabasse, 211 pages. RH Graphic (Penguin Random House), 2022. $21.

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: MS - HIGH

Young Effie, the witch-in-training, is not pleased that her aunts are sending her off to a sleep-away witches camp for the summer. They insist she'll learn a lot and have a great experience but they don't mention glowing green hands, mean fellow campers, swimming and the plethora of other good and not-so-good things in store. Effie finds camp to be definitely strange--but what does one expect surrounded by witches?

I absolutely love this graphic novel series and this third book has been my favorite of the bunch. Its part classic "summer camp" story mixed with the fun witch-y magic I've come to expect from Ms. Escabasse's books. Great characters, wonderful illustrations, a fun story arc--this one ticks all the boxes. This was one graphic novel I wished would go on for another 100 pages of adventure!

Reviewer: TC

The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow by Emma Steinkellner - ADVISABLE

The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow (The Okay Witch #2) by Emma Steinkellner, 255 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Aladdin (Simon & Schuster), 2021. $21.

Language: PG (4 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Moth has had it hard as an 8th grader – it doesn’t help that she accidentally twinned outfits with the dorkiest teacher in school. As she navigates the real world and the hidden realm with her magical family members, Moth wonders if magic can fix all her problems. Sometimes it can. And sometimes magic comes with a price.

Trying to be comfortable with ourselves and not worry about popularity and bullies is one of the most difficult parts of growing up. This message of being okay with being ourselves never gets old because we need the constant reminder: being you is better than being someone else. Steinkellner’s story is simple but powerful, and her expressive illustrations bring it to life.

Moth and her family are depicted as Black. Moth describes her community as primarily white, but there are various skin tones depicted in the illustrations. The violence rating is for bullying.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The Accidental Apprentice by Amanda Foody - ADVISABLE

 The Accidental Apprentice (Wilderlore #1) by Amanda Foody, 283 pages. McElderry (Simon), 2021. $18 

Content: G (mild danger) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Barclay is content with his life as the mushroom farmer’s apprentice, mostly because it keeps him in Dullshire village where his parents both died. Then comes the day when he runs into the Woods to save the other apprentice and they encounter a dreaded Lore Keeper, who entangles Barclay with a Beast. In order to rid himself of the Beast, Barclay follows Viola, the Lore Keeper, to Sycomore, the Lore Keeper town deep in the Woods. There, Barclay will have to undergo challenges and danger in order to rid himself of his Beast and the Mark. Eye-catching cover, with a fun adventure inside. Seems to be the beginning of a series. It will be interesting to watch Barclay grow into his power. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS https://amzn.to/3e2EzdC