The Ojja-Wojja: A Graphic Novel – A Middle Grade Supernatural Ghost Story About Friendship and Belonging

by Magdalene Visaggio, Jenn St-Onge (Illustrator)

The first in a new graphic novel series from indie comic stars Magdalene Visaggio and Jenn St-Onge is a coming-of-age story about the transformative power of friendship. And an immortal demon with the power to take over the world. But mostly the friendship thing.

Welcome to Bolingbroke. It's a small town just like any other . . . or so eighth graders Val and Lanie think. They’re the best of best friends—they love the same comics, they watch the same shows, and they’re always there for each other. Which is important when you’re queer, like Lanie, or on the spectrum, like Val, and just don’t seem to fit in anywhere.

When a school project about their hometown’s supernatural history leads to a for-real ghost sighting, Val and Lanie realize Bolingbroke might not be as boring as they’d always thought. But after a run-in with the resident middle school queen bee (who also happens to be Lanie’s former friend), they decide to take things to the next level . . . and accidentally summon the Ojja-Wojja, a demonic presence connected to a slew of mysterious tragedies throughout Bolingbroke’s sordid history.

Now all heck has broken loose. With the whole town acting weird and nowhere left to turn, it’s going to be up to Val, Lanie, and their small group of friends to return things to normal—if “normal” is even something they want to return to.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Horror, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Comics, LGBT, Queer

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2023

About the author

Magdalene Visaggio is a comics writer and essayist. She's the writer and creator of the GLAAD and Eisner-nominated series Kim & Kim, as well as Eternity Girl at DC Comics. She currently resides in Manhattan.

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems a rite of passage in childhood friendships to try and find a ghost or summon a demon. As a kid there were many variations on what you could repeat in a mirror to make a ghost appear—though also the rumor was that it would murder you so who knows why we tried—which was always good sleepover fun. But what if it worked and you did summon a demon? These poltergeist possibilities bring about a spooky and zany good time in Ojja-Wojja from author/illustrator team Magdalene Visaggio and Jenn St-Onge, a ‘horror-mystery, or whatever’ as the cover reads. Middle-school best friends Valentine and Lanie are big fans of the occult and spend their days obsessing over their fandoms while trying to dodge school bully Andrea. Valentine having autism and Lanie being a trans girl mark them out as targets for Andrea’s scorn but the girls have each other and their small group of misfits that help keep their town fun and weird. Though when they unleash a demon that turns their regular bully into a supernatural creature hellbent on destruction, it’s going to take a lot of bravery and friendship to save the town. This quirky and witty graphic novel is a roaring good time spiced with changing narrative styles, fourth-wall breaking and flashback, and the eye-catching art and wonderfully inclusive cast make this an adorably endearing read.

Watch out for demons!
My 7th grader proclaimed this as one of their new favorite books and I can totally see why. This has all the great hallmarks of a middle grade read that feels like an after-school halloween Special while still managing to be just as charming to read in adulthood. This book just has so much personality and feels more like hanging out with a bubbly friend than reading a book. Valentine (Val) is just a joy, breaking into different narrative styles to better capture how she processes events by mimicking things like magical anime, detective shows or space-operas. It’s just cute and fun and totally how your mind works as a fun, creative kid:

The story does an excellent job of looking at autism, with Val frequently trying to explain how she sees the world and tries to navigate events where she recognizes she can’t read people or situations the way others might. It also is a very sensitive depiction of trans teenagers, with Val being endlessly supportive of Lanie who is still trying to figure out her sexuality and be allowed to embrace who they are. This is a wonderfully inclusive graphic novel, with the artist depicting a good variety of body types and skin colors, and skillfully folding scoliosis and autism into the narrative in believable ways. The art is wonderful in general, able to switch gears to meet the needs of the narrative, and bolsters the humor quite well. For a horror story, this is quite funny.

The story is great too, and I love how much it hones in on an urban legend where nobody quite remembers enough of the details so it's wildly different depending on who you ask. It also deals with the legacy of small town bigotry, with the demon supposedly having been summoned in the past to ward off witches and anyone that didn’t fit their “perfect” white, christian (but not Catholics!) community. It ties this well to the present where bully Andrea is possessed and builds an army of bullies to eradicate the misfits. This story does a good job of playing into the demon using insecurities for power, and in a way this feels a lot like what Blackwater tried to do, except, you know…done successfully. Also shoutout to libraries being important as a place of research and guidance!

The Ojja-Wojja is such a cute, creepy graphic novel that really scared its way into my heart. It is a bit over-the-top and silly, with the bully story being a bit much at times but it does fit the sort of middle-school aimed narrative it is geared for and reminds me of 90s sitcoms aimed for the same age range. This whole thing is just rather endearing and heartfelt while managing to be a fun level of creepy as well. This is certainly aimed at the younger end of the YA spectrum but the mystery is fun, the friendship is super cute, the art is wonderful and it was a lovely little read.
4/5

[akacya ❦ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

2024 reads: 138/250

compared to the rest of their eighth-grade class, val and lanie are outsiders. this must be what makes them such great friends. a school project rocks the boat, though, when a long-forgotten ghost starts terrorizing the town.

i mostly enjoyed the book. the art was lovely, the plot was interesting, and i found myself relating to val, who’s autistic. however, it rubbed me the wrong way that the bully/villain was a disabled girl who used to be bullied herself. this trope is annoying at best, harmful to real-life communities at worst. this did resolve in the end, though, which i was grateful for.

[Eva B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Kismet Books for the arc, even though I ultimately ended up reading a finished copy! If you're a book lover in Wisconsin, pop down to Verona and give them a visit!

I really wanted to love this--after all, I'm always looking for more autism rep in stories, as well as trans girl leads. But outside of Val and Lanie, every character seemed like a stock archetype--Andrea was every over-the-top bully and the three other unaffacted kids really don't have much to differentiate themselves from each other either, to the point where they felt superfluous. I liked the art (although I think this is definitely upper MG or lower YA--some of the Ojja-Wojja scenes are super freaky even as an adult) and the little cutaway fourth wall breaks, as well as the overarching themes of being yourself, but I wish the side characters had been more strongly developed and that the pacing hadn't been so awful.

[C.J. Daley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ojja-Wojja by Magdalene Visaggio and illustrated by Jenn St-Onge. Got approved for this one by NetGalley and decided to give it a go on my off day.

This is a cool middle grade horror/mystery graphic novel with great illustrations. It stars an autistic teen and her trans best friend. They have always had trouble making friends, but together, they just click. I thought this was done pretty well and wasn’t heavy handed. And their being different ends up being the crux of the story.

They are investigating local ghosts and rumors for a class paper when they accidentally unleash the Ojja-Wojja, a spirit that eats children and grants wishes.

The climax is filled with these super deep red panels that looked so good on my iPad. Because of the color it felt very Stranger Things and the middle grade content felt like it was mixed in with Goosebumps or something similar. This was a win for me overall.

Personally a 4/5*

[Nathan Bartos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had some mixed feelings on this one, hence the 3-star rating I suppose. I think it's great that our two main characters are trans and autistic respectively, and I thought the focus on friendship was great, especially in a middle-grade graphic novel. I also thought the art style was enjoyable and detailed. On the other hand, the story felt a bit all over the place, and I thought the side characters were a bit irrelevant and even seemed to just sort of show up halfway through. As of writing this review, it's only been about two weeks since I read this, and I already had to read the synopsis to jog my memory of the plot, which isn't a great sign of its memorability.

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this! Autism spectrum rep, trans rep, friendship galore! These are 2 of my favorite comic creators and having them make something together is a dream come true. Don't wait to check this out. It's so nerdy and fun!

[Sana · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Maybe we can go back to reality?'
'Geez, fine.'

The art is amazing especially the constant change-ups? Creative as hell. The story kinda went away from me in the middle but the ending brought it back.

Kinda weird seeing the high school mean girl turning into a full blown villain (not out of her own choice, though) especially when she used to be bullied herself and is also disabled? I did appreciate the autism rep in Val and trans rep in Lanie and while their characters were clearly the most developed, the rest of the cast certainly suffered by being a little too surface level and trope-y.

So yeah, while the art gets 10/10, the rest of it not so much.

---------------------

THIS SOUNDS SO GOOD, PLEASE BE GOOD.

Also, 2021? I CAN'T EVEN. I DON'T EVEN HAVE A 2021 SHELF FOR IT

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art was beautiful, but the story didn't really come together for me. It's a little too frantic and jumbled. I also wish the format were different--the changing margins are cool, but when it's not in use it just looks like a weirdly thick border that cheapens the look of the page. Maybe a bigger form factor would have helped? I'm not sure.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ojja Wojja offers strong representation with its two likable protagonists—one on the autism spectrum and the other exploring their gender identity. The story flips expectations by making the classic beautiful, blonde, popular cheerleader the villain, which was a “Mean Girl” type twist.

One of my favorite elements was how Val’s history teacher assigned her an independent study project to accommodate her learning style—that was a great touch. The book also hints at a deeper, more unsettling lore about the town’s puritanical past and its dark tradition of sacrificing children to keep an evil spirit in check. Surprisingly, though, that aspect isn’t explored much. Instead, the book focuses on a chaotic, action-packed chase sequence that drags out the demon’s exorcism—but in a surprisingly charming way.

The artwork is well done, and the use of red to signal impending doom was a clever visual cue. The book overall was very ambitious and obviously a labor of love. But I felt the pacing was all over the place, making it a bit of a patience-tester. Some YA readers might see this as the next Harry Potter crew, but for me, I was just relieved when the chaos finally settled down.

[Vanna Book-Mage · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the art style and the story was alright. I expected something different but that’s on me.

[Rachel Holtzclaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

okayyyy this was kind of a slay!!!

[Jos · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was a little rushed as they tried to fit everything in. I like the 4th wall breaking moments or the silly interludes, but felt like the story needed to have been altered to keep up the pacing around that.

That being said, the art was amazing. To go from cute characters to creepy was quite skilled and a little shocking.

While creepy, there was not a lot of gore. This is something you could probably give a young teen into the horror genre.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art was gorgeous and genuinely creepy with some awesome monster/ body horror panels, but it also made me cry by the end. I really related to the characters and how they struggled to express themselves outside of books and media. Definitely glad I bought it

[pineapple tofu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Witchcraft. Demons. And things that go bump in the night. It's a new sort of Bolingbroke town after best friends Val and Lanie accidentally set loose a demon in the woods. It's known as the Ojja Wojja, a monstrous creature that wreaks havoc upon the small town. It's up to them and their small group of outcasts to save their hometown from the Ojja Wojja before it's too late.
Another fabulous horror-themed graphic novel set in a mysterious town where cliques are everything. With perfectly fleshed-out characters and one misunderstood demon, I loved The Ojja Wojja by Magdalene Visaggio. Blood reds and bright oranges paint the scenes after the demon is set loose, and I enjoy every minute of it. From the real-life fandoms that spoke to my heart to the endearing friendship of Lanie and Val, this graphic novel knows what I love. I can't wait for the next book!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent paranormal mystery, starring an autistic main character and her best friend, who is trans. This is the type of “diverse” book we have going forward, where a character just happens to have autism or just happens to be trans, and those elements are definitely part of their experience but we don’t have to linger on self acceptance because it’s already a given. And then there’s a fun paranormal story! Only thing missing was tying up the bit about the old folks who seemed like they probably weren’t trying to kill the kids. Would highly recommend this to kids who like magic and scary stuff a la Stranger Things.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARCQuest: Book 42

I don't know, Greg. This might surprise you, but I've never actually had to lead a ragtag team of misfit kids in a terrifying horror movie scenario, so excuse me if I'm winging it a little.

This was fun, but I really needed more. There was some really nice autism and trans rep here, and the art was really strong. Like, genuinely freaky at points. The ARC only had the first 30 pages in color, so I can only imagine how unsettling things are in full color. The recommended age is 10+, but I think you’d need a pretty sturdy fifth grader to get through this one. At one point, literal guns are fired on the thirteen year old protagonists, and the horror elements are overall high. The fourth wall breaks were an interesting way of showing how Val “translates” the world through all of the media that she has studied.

But the pacing was a little all over the map, and I think things would have been more impactful with a lot more development. Val and Lanie were compelling and fairly fleshed out, but most of the other characters were pretty uniformly flat. I think that this was simply because there was not enough time spent filling them out. I personally believe that this needed to be a good chunk longer to really dig into the story and the characters without giving the reader plot whiplash. (Also, this was a very small thing, but I did not love how a lot of the characters spoke to each other. Granted, they’re eighth graders, and tone doesn’t always translate well, but something about the dialogue rubbed me the wrong way more often than not. Your mileage may vary.)

But the ending is such a light-but-kinda-maybe-terrifying-if-you-think-about-it way to wrap things up that I’m itching to see what happens next. This is apparently the first of two books featuring Val and Lanie, so I would like to see them maybe in high school so the story can really go further, the way I think it wanted to.

It’s been a few years since The Ojja-Wojja was released (literally, hehe), so I really hope that Visaggio and St-Onge are still working on the follow up. There’s so much potential here — if they just give the story a few more pages to truly breathe.

[Dr. T Loves Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

What it’s about: 9th graders Val and Lanie have been best friends for years. Val is autistic, and Lanie is trans, and they both are into "weird" stuff. This, and their differences from the norm, have made them the targets of bullying. But for the most part, the two are happy to spend time with each other, their interests, and their small group of friends.

When their history teacher offers Val the opportunity to do a project on her interest in parapsychology - aliens, ghosts, and the supernatural - the two start digging into local legends. What they didn't expect was to find out that the supernatural is real - and there's a demon that has been part of their town's history for centuries.

When the evil rises once again, it turns the girls' bully into an all-consuming center of power.

It's up to Val, Lanie, and their friends to prevent the demon from destroying the world - starting with their town.

Not to worry - Val and Lanie have been "researching" quests and world-saving adventures their whole lives. They should be able to figure it out!

...Probably.

What I thought: I had multiple reasons for really enjoying this book. First, it's a fun story. It is fast-paced, a little wild, and is filled with asides that are pretty funny.

Second, this is a story aimed squarely at the middle grades/YA reading population, and one main character is autistic, and the other is trans, and it really doesn't matter at all to the story, except that they are made to feel like "losers" by the "cool kids". Lainie being trans is just something that happens - the biggest mentions of it are when the bullies point to it to make fun of it. And the depiction of Val's autism is very interesting - she mostly comes across as being like any other kid, but there are some passages where she explains how she sometimes has difficulty dealing with social situations, and her coping mechanisms. And there is a wonderful moment where Val does what she thinks a non-autistic kid would to comfort her friend that is very sweet.

This story also goes pretty dark, without actually getting too graphic or gory. When the supernatural power takes over the people of their town, the townsfolk become monstrous and/or zombie-ish in some fairly disturbing-without-being-gory ways. I can see this being a fun shiver-inducer for MG and YA readers! (It gave ME the shivers!)

At the same time, there is a lightness and a humor throughout the story, due almost entirely to Val.

Why I chose those shelves: trigger, bullying: Lainie is trans and gets bullied by the mean girls at school, and Val and her friends are often called losers by the mean girls; action-adventure: The story follows some high schoolers trying to first call forth then banish an evil spirit that ends up turning their entire town against them; anxiety: The main characters have some anxiety about how they should behave, and how to fit in, and there are also some side characters that exhibit anxiety as things get dark; Chinese: Lainie is Chinese; coming of age: Val, Lainie, and their friends must be the mature ones who take action to help their town, even though they don't really want to, and they even end up helping their main bully, despite their feelings about her; dark, horror: The people of the town are possessed by a supernatural power that changes their physical appearance in some pretty hideous ways; diverse, neurodiverse, lgbt, Chinese, Black: There is a diversity of ethnicity, neurology, and gender affiliation and preference in the main and secondary characters; fantasy, supernatural, magic, urban fantasy: The MCs research the town's haunted history and discover there was - and is - a supernatural presence in the town; female: The lead characters are girls; friendship: The strong bond between the main and secondary characters is pivotal to the story; humor: Despite the darkness, Val often has fun asides, and the story specifically recognizes and undercuts some tropes of the horror genre; school: Significant events in the story relate to and take place at school;

Why I rated it like I did: 4.5 - This story is enjoyable, it has an interesting plot with an unusual ending, it has chills and humor - it's a great book! Highly recommend!

[Alexx (obscure.pages) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, let's start with that I liked 😆

- The art is gorgeous
- Love the autistic and trans girl rep
- Love the focus on humanity

What I didn't like 🥲

- there are weird time jumps?? I wish they were labeled properly or put into different chapters instead.
- Storytelling lacks a bit for me?
- Feels like the characterization is off sometimes? Like the characters' logic is weird/inconsistent (Lanie suggests sacrificing their bully, Val was against it. And then Val suggests killing their bully? Like what)
- I liked the ending enough, but there are some plot holes and unanswered questions for me 😅

Overall it was good and entertaining. But there were some plot holes and subplots I just couldn't get out of my mind 😅 Like what's the point of adding them if there's no resolution or they won't get mentioned ever again.

It feels like a weak 3-stars for me. A shame because I really liked the art and the premise.

Read for Trans Rights Readathon 2025! 🏳️‍⚧️

[ Marking this book as part of my reading challenge: Read Queerly 2025.

Find me elsewhere: Instagram | Storygraph | Fable | Blog ]

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun graphic novel that really begs the question, should you really try out magic when you don't know what the consequences will be? Two best friends uncover the Ojja Wojja and a secret cult that their town has covered up when doing research for a special project for their history teacher. With the help of the town librarian, they gain access to a special book that has a summoning spell. Even though they are warned against seeking out this book (albeit the two creepiest grown up encounters ever..), they decide to see what happens when they summon the creature themselves.

Of course, something goes wrong, involving the girl who has been bullying them their whole lives turning their town into a possible living nightmare.

I really enjoyed the illustrations, I'm not sure the story was as awesome as I wanted it to be and there were a lot of interruptions that felt a bit off - the characters interrupting the story and doing sort of wonky things to put their two cents into the story, sort of summing up what already happened so far.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the biggest issue with this is the pacing. The transition between scenes is non-existent, and the events happening go by at such a break-neck speed there's no time to really get to know the other characters in Val's circle of friends or even have a better understanding of the bully and the villains. There are snippets of these kind of side character development here and there, and those are nice where they happen, but I wish they had gone deeper than that.

Other than that, it was a fun read. I love the art style (what made me want to read it initially, I'm a big fan of Jenn St-Onge's work) and I like how Val's process of making sense of the world and the chaos happening is depicted through her dipping into a fantasy fueled by her favorite shows and movies. I also liked the lore behind the Ojja-Wojja. Again, this had everything I really enjoy in a middle grade graphic novel, it just moved way to fast to give me a chance to really enjoy it.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know when you just click with a book right away? That was this book for me. Weirdos unite!! Infodumping and special interests save the day!
I love that there’s an (also disabled!) teacher who is actually good and cares. I love the art (I’ve never not liked something St-Onge has drawn).
This is kind of high middle grade/low YA, but I think it works super well for either. It’s just scary enough without being too terrifying, kind of Stranger Things-esque, but a little softer.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ojja-Wojja is a delightful middle grade horror mystery comic! The protagonists (excellent autistic and trans rep) are relatable and sympathetic characters who go down a unique path of dark adventure. It isn't perfect, but it's a lot of fun with some solid twists and turns, and a great foundational friendship at its core. The art is great too. Recommended!

[Corinna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, but rounding up to 4 as I did enjoy reading this graphic novel. I think some of the themes could have been ironed out a bit more. But overall, this was enjoyable eventhough it took me awhile to get into. The art style is really good though!

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good recommendation for middle grade readers that want something darker and scarier.

[CraftyChara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strong start that sadly scuttles out in the third act.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun and spooky story. Loved it

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

in between a 3 and 3.5....i might have to think on it

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was this a life-changing reading experience? No. Was it a super cute, sweet, and funny read? Absolutely!

This is a pretty short graphic novel, so I don't have a ton to say about it, but at the end of the day, I did have a lot of fun reading it. The characters are definitely extremely endearing, and I loved the "fourth wall breaks" that are spread throughout the book. The representation was really nice and the friendship between Val and Lanie was so incredibly comforting.

I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed the horror elements in this. I thought it was going to be a lot more of a mystery/thriller, but there were a lot of horror/fantasy included within the story, especially at the end. I probably wouldn't categorize it as "scary" per se, but the monster designs were actually really cool and there are some panels that were a bit off-putting (in the most fun way of course).

I don't know if this is going to be a particularly memorable book to me in the long run, but I would absolutely recommend it if it sounds like something you'd be interested in.

[Geertje · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely, fun, at times really quite scary graphic novel with beautiful artwork. I definitely hope to see more of this!

[Eliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ojja-Wojja
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ .5 (3.5/5) or 7.42/10 overall

Characters - 7

Atmosphere - 8

Writing - 8

Plot - 7

Intrigue - 8

Logic - 7

Enjoyment - 7