Lily Halfmoon: The Witches’ Council (Book 2)
For ages 7+
Lily’s magical adventures continue with a new exciting mystery to solve and more gem magic to discover!
By Xavier Bonet (Allen & Unwin Children’s, 2024)
This was one of the most original and enjoyable graphic novel series to debut on UK bookshelves for younger readers in 2023. If you love anything witchy, magical, kawaii, and mysterious then this is for you (or your children).
The enthusiasm for self-reading can take a sharp dip in kids around the age of 7, so it’s really important to have highly visual fantasy, and friendship relational stories around so that children can feel the initial passion they had for books when they were at their picture book stage. Some kids are highly creative or struggle with Longford text without illustrations - and that’s just how their brain works… and graphic novels like these are just the tonic (or should I say, potion)!
In book 1 ‘Lily Halfmoon: The Magic Gems’, readers were introduced to Lily, a young girl who had a new start - a new school, making new friends, and finding out she was a witch for the first time! At the end of the first adventure, Lily discovered her magical gem powers are aligned with the all powerful moonstone and thus her spells are AMAZING, if not a bit out of control for now… Lily and her friends are excitedly preparing for Samhain celebrations (every few pages there are double spreads explaining authentic references IRL), and foreign students from all over the world. The children get to learn all about different cultures and magic types. Meanwhile, the Witches’ Council isn’t happy with Lily’s untamed power, but a serious threat from a past student almost causes devastation.
Living one’s true authentic self, unashamedly is the theme of this new story, whether it’s Lily revealing the truth about her powers to her parents, or whether it’s educating and communicating better with non-witch humans as a whole to avoid feeling different, lost or alone. With supportive friendships, and teachers, in this series, Lily, I’m sure will have to face many more dangers - but along the way she is learning valuable lessons about growing up and having empathy towards others.
I have no idea if there’s going to be a book 3… but I really hope there is!! Its’ really cute!!
Excerpts from the book
Words + Illustrations © Xavier Bonet
Words + Illustrations © Xavier Bonet
PRAISE
'Adorable and exciting!I loved this from the very first page!' Lian Tanner, award-winning author of Spellhound
'A gorgeously illustrated story about the power of friendship and letting your talents shine.' Jason Pamment, bestselling creator ofEmber and the Island of Lost Creatures
Ad - review copy provided by the publisher
