New Middle-Grade Graphic Novel Has Witches, Ghosts, and Queerness Aplenty

Snap’s town has a witch. “She fed her eye to the devil. She eats roadkill and casts spells with the bones,” or so the rumor goes. But when Snap is forced to seek her help, she discovers there’s more to the witch, Jacks, than first appears, in a new queer-inclusive middle-grade graphic novel from one of the creators of the lauded Lumberjanes comics.

Snapdragon, by Kat Leyh, takes us through Snap’s growing friendship with Jacks, a Crocs-wearing, one-eyed old woman who cleans and sells the skeletons of roadkill online. That’s weird, yes, but Jacks also knows how to care for live animals, and helps Snap’s injured dog and a litter of abandoned opossum babies that Snap finds. Snap ends up assisting Jacks with her skeletons, finding stimulation in learning their anatomy and keeping busy while her single mother both works and takes classes towards a degree. Snap later realizes that Jacks’ magic may be real, and wants to learn to do it herself. She also discovers that Jacks, who exudes an old-school butch vibe, has a bittersweet connection to her own family.

Snap is bold, independent, and not particularly social, but she finds friendship with Lulu, another youth who lives in the same trailer park and shares a love of scary movies. Lulu’s gender transition (with Snap’s support and assistance) forms a secondary but clear storyline. Snap herself admits she’s not a “girly-girl,” but tells her mother, “I feel like a girl … I just don’t act right.” Her sexuality isn’t discussed, but her gender expression leans towards the masculine. One could easily imagine that she comes out as queer in the future. (And yes, there’s another queer relationship in the book, but I won’t say any more than that, for risk of spoilers.) Notably, although Snap and Lulu are harassed by bullies, Lulu’s parents and Snap’s mom are all supportive of them.

Snap and Jacks’ sometimes bumpy student-mentor relationship forms the heart of the tale, but we also see the fierce love between Snap and her mother, despite her mother’s busy schedule. And though Lulu is skeptical about Snap’s tales of Jacks’ magic, the two remain friends—Lulu doesn’t mind that Snap isn’t girly and Snap doesn’t mind that Lulu is. Snap, her family, and Lulu all appear Black; Snap’s mother’s ex-boyfriend and Jacks both appear White.

The aura of magic and spookiness would be enough to make this an exciting read—but the depth of the characters and their relationships with each other elevate it to something more. Leyh masterfully weaves in flashbacks and sub-stories to give us a rich, textured narrative that goes beyond a story about witches and ghosts to become a tale of finding strength, love, and human connection. While it’s aimed at middle-grade readers, it’s deep and engaging enough that it will likely capture the interest of teens and even some adults—because who doesn’t love a good queer witch story? Personally, I can’t wait for a sequel—or even a television series. That would be magic indeed.

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