The Witch Boy discussion

The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag is a graphic novel about a boy named Aster. Throughout the book Aster defies his communities gender roles by trying to do magic. In Aster’s community the only magic boys are allowed to do is shapeshifting. Aster wants to learn a different type of magic like the girls, he feels more of a connection with what they are learning and is constantly getting trouble for spying on their lessons. The book does a great job of showing how males and females are able to do things that they may not be expected to do. It gives an interesting take on how a person does not have to let their family or community define who they are or what they will be. The only person Aster can confide in is a friend he makes outside of his community. His friend also has a knack for defying gender stereotypes.
Overall I think the story is enjoyable. The book is easy to follow and there are some twists and turns that are not expected toward the end of the book. I appreciated how the author chose to address gender roles in a way that is supernatural but still easy to relate to. In this story Aster is tested in a battle of good vs evil and the choices he makes could either end up impressing his family or it could cause them to cast him out forever. Finding out how he handles the situation was not entirely surprising but it was still entertaining to read.