ParaNorthern: And the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse by Mari Costa, Stephanie Cooke
Published by Etch/Clarion Books on July 13, 2021
ISBN: 0358169003
Pages: 240
Genres: Fantasy, Humor
Format: Graphic Novel
Goodreads

“Paranorthern and the Chaos Bunny A-Hop-Calypse” is a middle grade graphic novel written by Stephanie Cooke and illustrated by Mari Costa. The main character is Abby, a witch who is learning how to use her powers while working at her mom’s coffee shop. She has three close friends: a wolf person, a ghost, and a boy with a pumpkin for a head.

Abby accidentally opens a portal to a chaos world and chaos bunnies start flowing in, destroying their magical town. Worried about getting in trouble, Abby asks her friends not to tell while she figures out how to close the portal.

The artwork is colorful and warm and really beautiful. The story is enjoyable, but feels like it should have been longer to really explain why Abby’s powers are acting strangely. Everything seems a bit rushed. The parts that focused on Abby’s friends were more interesting and helped flesh out this magical world.

Written for kids aged 8 to 12, “Paranorthern” will appeal to kids with its humor and fun artwork, but is not a must-buy for every collection. Recommended for collections where middle grade graphic novels are popular.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.