Paranorthern: And the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse – An Enchanting Middle Grade Graphic Novel About Witches for Kids

by Stephanie Cooke, Mari Costa (Artist)

A witch named Abby and her three friends—a wolf-girl, a ghost, and a pumpkinhead—band together to try and save their supernatural town from an invasion of rabid (but adorable!) chaos bunnies in this enchanting middle-grade graphic novel for fans of Making Friends, The Okay Witch, and Lumberjanes.

It’s fall break in the supernatural town of North Haven, and young witch Abby’s plans include pitching in at her mom’s magical coffee shop, practicing her potion making, and playing board games with her best friends—a pumpkinhead, a wolf-girl, and a ghost. But when Abby finds her younger sister being picked on by some speed demons, she lets out a burst of magic so strong, it opens a portal to a realm of chaos bunnies. And while these bunnies may look cute, they’re about to bring the a-hop-ocalypse (and get Abby in a cauldronful of trouble) unless she figures out a way to reverse the powerful magic she unwittingly released. What’s a witch to do?

In this deliciously humorous, cozy, and bewitching graphic novel, sometimes the most of powerful magic comes from our connections to family and friends (but kicking bunny butt is great, too).

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Comics, LGBT, Magic, Childrens

240 pages, Hardcover

First published July 13, 2021

About the author

Stephanie is a writer based out of Toronto, Canada. Some of her graphic novels include ParaNorthern, Oh My Gods, and The Racc Pack. She's additionally worked on titles such as My Little Pony, Cat Ninja, Archie Comics, and more. She’s an avid reader, gamer, movie watcher, and pun connoisseur. She can often be found curled up with her snuggly cat…that she happens to be very allergic to.

Her debut young adult graphic novel, Pillow Talk, is out now. Find out more about her at stephaniecooke.ca.

Reviews

[Stephanie Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you can’t love your own book, then who the heck can? 🤣💜

[Melki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this one, but it was pretty much a confusing, occasionally boring, convoluted mess. If cute, evil bunnies can't save your book, nothing can.

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing felt a little disjointed in parts, though this chaos-bunnies-arriving-through-portal-caused-by-glitch-in-developing-magical-powers story was mostly enjoyable.

[Eileen Winfrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much going on here; did I miss a first book? Four friends with various powers (or just various supernatural appearances) open a portal by accident and let in some “chaos bunnies” which wreak havoc until they can find a way to close the portal. They end up trying a seance, pseudo psycho therapy and general trial and error. And start dating. It’s a miss for me.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read, even the evil chaos bunnies were cute!

Abby has accidentally opened a portal into a realm populated by destructive chaos bunnies and now they're on the loose, causing mayhem. With the help of her three best friends; a pumpkin-head, a ghost and a wolf-girl, she works to find a way of fixing her mistake inbetween helping her mum run their coffee shop and being contacted by her super powerful, possibly dead ancestor.

I love how supportive Abby's friends are and how they help her work through her problems. This book has a really great message for kids and adults alike, on top of being vibrant and beautifully drawn. I hope there's a second installment of their adventures!

Thank you Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review

[Cass Moskowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely sweet graphic novel about a girl with fledgling magic powers that seem stronger than they should be. Includes evil bunnies, precious wolf girl, forgetful ghost, and a pumpkin head looking for some basic rights for pumpkins! This was charming and fun and had a lot of heart and I was just smiling the whole time I read this book. Love it!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great early-middle grade witchy graphic novel…perfect for Halloween! I loved the overlap of psychology in this one.

[Gabs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally don’t think I pie seen a cuter monster

Meet Abby, she’s the oldest and in charge of helping her mothers life AND her cafe the witches brew run smoothly. She has a lot on her plate. Abby is a witch and her power is growing everyday, she learns that she had an incredibly powerful relative and that same kind of power flows through her now.
When it accidental flares up and creates a portal that allows for chaos bunnies to ravage her neighborhood, she’ll need to look within herself for the solution.

[Vanna Book-Mage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this.

[Shan Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matcha recipie at the end 💚

[Andrea Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute witchy story about believing in yourself. Totally fall book but not a scary Halloween 🎃 story.

[disco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally the cutest.

[Dax · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was magical, fun, diverse, queer, and just plain adorable. Seeing the normal woes of a preteen who has to help take care of her sister, work at her mothers business, navigate school, and you know those pesky times one opens a portal to chaos bunnies. Truly a treat that delivers tricks along the way!

[Evelina | AvalinahsBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

How I read this: Free ebook copy received from a publicist

ParaNorthern was a treat from the very first pages:
✔️ diverse characters
✔️ witchy MC
✔️ gorgeous fall colors
✔️ cozy and wholesome friendship
✔️ CHAOS BUNNIES

What else could you want in a #middlegrade graphic novel? Read the full review here:
https://avalinahsbooks.space/paranort...



I thank the publicist and author for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

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[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel was amazing. I loved the characters, the story, the magic.

After accidentally opening a portal in their town, letting in hundreds of evil bunnies, Abby and her friends must try to close the portal and get rid of the threat to their town. But it isn't as simple as it seems. Abby must conquer her fears and gather her confidence in her own abilities to close the portal and banish the bunnies. Abby learns to lean on her friends when she needs help, and that the love she has for her friends and family will help her in her journey.

This was really cute. Great message, great artwork. I loved the magical vibes and diverse group of characters. The world-building was great as well. I would love to go to a coffee shop and be able to add a shot of good luck to my drink! Super cute graphic novel, would highly recommend to anyone looking to add a little more magic and a few laughs to their day!

*Review copy provided by NetGalley*

[Stephanie Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute graphic novel and very easy to read. It is about a witch named Abby who when she sees her little sister sitting next to the trash bins after being bullied by speed demons, she tries to comfort her and ends up accidently opening a portal to a chaos bunny dimension but she doesn’t realize until the next day that anything happened and now they need to figure out how to close the portal before the chaos bunnies wreck the town. I really liked the art style of the graphic novel and while I normally don’t read graphic novels this was easy to navigate and how they all worked together to finally figure out why abbys power was so spotty and that she had to choose to use it for good and don’t let selfish wants taint her magic. Just a really fun read.

Thanks to HMH Childrens book Group and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was initially interested in ParaNorthern because I love Halloween and the graphic novel had major Halloweentown vibes. The setting and characters really delivered, they were all very magical. The plot was cute and I could see it appealing to young readers. There was some great jokes (the pumpkin spice latte joke started the book off strong). Visually, I think the art was really great, I especially loved the Morrigan Domain scenes, where everything was fluid and in purple tones. It was really beautiful.

I will say that, at points, I found the plot at bit rushed. This was mainly towards the end when the main character resolved their issues. My only real complaint, though, is that there was no context provided for the magical world they were inhabiting. Later in the story there were more details and back story given, but they only made me more curious about the world.

ARC provided on Edelweiss by HMH books.

[Marla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-arc to review.
Full disclosure: subject matter and style are not my typical cup of tea! However, this is a super cute, excting story about a young witch named Abby and her three best friends Gita, Hannah, and Silas. When Abby accidentally opens a portal to a chaos dimension, well, chaos is unleashed in her hometown! She must learn how to trust herself - and her friends - in order to bring order back to their lives.

There were a couple parts that weren't fleshed out enough for me - the possible bullying of Abby's little sister Ella, for example, seemed like a plot point but was never addressed.

It sounds like Ms Cooke has given herself an opportunity for a second in the series, looking forward to that!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book.


ParaNorthern was a fun graphic novel to read. This might be only the second graphic novel I've read and it's a fun style. I enjoyed the fast-moving plot and less of the fluff YA tends to have. It did fall into the YA trope of not telling an adult the big problem you're trying solve all on your own, but she handles it!

I liked our main character, Abby, with her loyalty and determination to do things right. She has more power than she realizes, flowing through her from her ancestors, and she accidentally opens a chaotic portal. Then she gathers her strength, her wit, and her friends to solve this problem and return the town to normal. 

I really enjoyed the group of friends, who always had her back and worked alongside her to solve the magical dilemma. I also liked the world of creatures and their stories: a spirit from another dimension (no she's not dead), Wolf-girl who is somewhat a love interest, and pumpkin head who tries to get people to stop drinking pumpkin spice. Fun characters with personalities conveyed in bubbles. 

Overall a fun read and great illustrations with a fall/Halloween setting which is always a win for me. 

[Sonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this.
An adorable story with wonderful characters. Also, I'm always into books with recipes in them.

Abby is a young witch with powers she can't always control, and things get out of hand when she accidentally opens a portal that allows chaos bunnies to come wreck havoc in her idyllic paranormal town. Her and her friends must work together to stop this adorable "a-hop-calypse."

This is a perfect middle-grade book hopping on the trending witch theme. I loved the diverse characters, also a ghost named Swayze... I see you. I hope there are more books, preferably more about Silas <3.

[Ainsley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the idea and the art but it felt like a sequel. Too much going on that felt like it was supposed to be connected to another volume, and some seemingly important details were left untouched after they initially showed up.

And I know this is coming from the perspective of an adult reading a book aimed towards kids (and the point is to trust in yourself) but once the wayward nature of your magic results in people being attacked and property being destroyed, maybe just ask for help from an adult instead of pushing a dumpster in front of the problem and trying to figure it out alone.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mayhem ensues when young witch Abby unlocks a portal and unleashes a horde of chaos bunnies on the town of North Haven. They might look cute, but these bunnies have got real bite!
With the help of her friends and family (past and present), Abby must work out how to use her new powers to save North Haven from the bunny ahopocalypse.
Loved this magical story, Abby and her friends fun to spend time with - especially liked Silas' crusade against the PSL. The artwork is gorgeous, so vibrant, everything pops.
Perfect Halloween read.
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ebook review copy.

[Tate Brombal · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the sweetest, most pure-hearted and smile-inducing graphic novels I’ve ever had the chance to read. Cooke and Costa navigate a treasure trove of themes and topics beautifully, and always with a sensitive touch. I highly recommend this for everyone, including those above the MG level. You’ll fall in love with the characters and their friendships, and you’ll definitely be cheering for gourd rights alongside the best pumpkin headed boy, Silas!

[Brian Paquin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! I read an ARC so I didn't get to experience this graphic novel with color illustrations. It follows young witch Abby and her best friends--Gita (a wolf girl), Hannah (a ghost who immigrated from another dimension to live in this one), and Silas (a pumpkinhead--as they try to help Abby who accidentally opened a portal with her newly discovered stronger magic spell abilities that allowed the chaos bunnies to wreak chaos and havoc in Abby's world. This was a very cute and fun quick read--only took about less than two hours to read. Great characters that really worked together and supported each other. Great for readers who want something scary for fall/Halloween, but nothing too scary. Very charming!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for something lighthearted and a little spoopy then this is the graphic novel for you! The art is adorable, and I loved the character with a pumpkin head who had it out for PSLs. Nothing revolutionary but sometimes you just want good Halloween fun :)

ps. The views expressed in this review are my own and do not reflect the views of Indigo Books & Music Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. #IndigoEmployee

[raccoon reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best, but not the worst. The bunnies are hilarious and I really wish at least one of them could have been kept and "tamed" or at least um...kept...somehow. Would have been a good addition! I think my biggest drawback about the book is that it is probably better for kids older than 8, which is how old my son is. We read most of it together, but some of it apart. I'd probably easily recommend it for a child a bit older, 10 maybe? I don't know how one decides what book is "good" for what age. It probably depends a lot on the child's understanding and experience with the world.

[P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, sweet and spooky story about learning to trust your powers/talents and finding support in friends and family. I'd like to know more about this paranormal dimension the book is set in (I assume that's what ParaNorthern is?), but it's not necessary to enjoy the story. I'm particularly fond of the pumpkinhead character.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute! While some of the panels seemed a bit disjointed, it was overall entertaining with some nice conversation about family and believing in yourself. It'd go over well for fans of Beetle and the Hollowbones, although it's much lower energy, despite the bunny apocalypse.

Too bad it doesn't appear to be a series.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars. This was cute and lighthearted, but I feel like there were some loose ends I would have liked to be wrapped up.

[Simone Hagemann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3,5.