Candy Bunny Reader

    Why'd it take me so long to get around to this? It was great! Taproot by Keezy Young follows a young gardener named Hamal, who can see ghosts. Every around him that he works with thinks he's weird. But Hamal is just happy to have so many friendly ghosts to keep him company. He usually talks to this one ghost named Blue. The two have gotten really close recently.  There is a reaper who lives in the forest nearby, and they've found out about Hamal practicing necromancy without a license. They threaten Blue about it whenever he visits the forest. Blue and Hamal come up with a plan to ease the reaper and for Hamal to get his license to talk to and work with ghosts. And for the two of them to be together! This was such a simple but very heartwarming story! I liked Blue and Hamal's dynamic, and I loved the message about the cycles and balance of natural life.  I did give it 4 stars though, but that was mostly due to pacing issues. I also thought the second half of th...

  I picked up this graphic novel on a whim, and it was perfect timing! Seance Tea Party by Remina Yee is about Lora, a girl in middle school who is social outcast and doesn't have a large circle of friends. One day she does a séance in her house and she summons a ghost--who happens to be her old imaginary friend named Alexa. She spends a lot of time having magical adventures with Alexa. Everything seems fine--except Alexa seems to be hiding some secrets from Lora. At the same time, Lora is afraid to grow up.  This book totally stole my heart--it had a wonderful story, wonderful messages, and the artwork is gorgeous! It reminded me of The Tea Dragon Society  books by Kay O'Neill. If you are a fan of those books, check this out!  But I did give it 4.5 stars , but that was just because of Alexa's backstory. I can't tell you what it is because of spoilers, but it might trigger some people. Either way, great book!

  In the mood for a cute, chill, and funny graphic novel with witches in it? Check this out! Unfamiliar by Haley Newsome is a slice-of-life, high fantasy graphic novel following a group of friends who are witches: Planchette (on the cover) is a friendly kitchen witch, Pinyon, a witch who calls herself the "worst witch" in town, Babs, a shy witch who is part siren (type of mermaid), and Sun, a witch with a curse who also works multiple jobs and is frequently grumpy. Most of their adventures usually involve Planchette's new house, which is haunted with ghosts who will only leave if they finally have the one thing they always wanted while they were still alive.  I loved the interactions between the characters, and I loved all the magic, too! I think my favorite thing about this book were the illustrations.  So it is a 5 star book from me. I can't wait to find and read the next volume!

  I've been seeing this graphic novel floating around the bookish internet and I finally got to read it a few days ago.  Sheets by Brenna Thummler is about 13 year old Marjorie Glatt who, outside of school hours, is almost always running her late mother's laundromat and has to deal with all sorts of people, including a shady businessman who wants to replace the laundromat with a giant spa. At school, Marjorie is very unpopular and gets picked on a lot.  One day, a ghost from the spirit world named Wendell accidentally ends up in Marjorie's house/laundromat, and make a mess of things that end up driving away a ton of customers. Marjorie finds out about him and she gets mad. But after scaring off the shady businessman guy, Marjorie grows to appreciate Wendell.  I got to be honest, even though this book sounded like something up my alley, I was actually quite disappointed in it. For one, I thought the majority of the story was so sad! Almost every page is som...

TW: Brief mentioning of death This is book 2 of the Lady Janies series by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. My Plain Jane is a historical fantasy retelling of Jane Eyr e by Charlotte Bronte. It follows the perspective of three characters: Charlotte Bronte (yes, she's a character in this book), Jane Eyre, and a new character named Alexander Blackwood.  The story begins at Lowood School where the headmaster, Mr. Brocklehurst, has been murdered. No one knows who did it, but all the students and even some teachers are rather happy that Mr. Brocklehurst is no longer around tormenting them. At the same time, Charlotte, a student at the school, wants to be a writer, and is trying to write a fictional account of her friend Jane, a student who likes to paint. Jane also has the ability to see ghosts, which she at first tells no one about, and is constantly talking to the ghost of her dead friend, Helen Burns. One day after sneaking out to a pub near the school, Jane sees a ghost...