Magic Trixie

Magic Trixie, by Jill Thompson (Harper Trophy)

Sarah says: Magic Trixie is really, super, awesomely cute and funny and has a good story. Magic Trixie is this little witch that doesn’t really like her baby sister. She goes to a school that has a ghost teacher and her friends are Loupe Garou, the werewolf girl, Stitch Patch, the Frankenstein’s monster, the vampire twins, and Nefi, the mummy girl. Nefi writes notes to Magic Trixie on her bandages and Stitch Patch eats batteries for lunch! Magic Trixie has normal kid problems and magic problems, so it’s a good balance of both and it’s a good story mixing them in together. Mimi is Magic Trixie’s grandma and she’s my favorite character because she’s all fancied up with a peacock feather broom and lots of jewelry and crazy clothes. She really needs some fashion advice. Jill wrote the story well and added a lot of tiny little details in the art, like Magic Trixie’s bed looks like a haunted house and she has a Dia de los Muertos skeleton doll and her backpack is a fly. I like her cat, Scratches, which is a really good cat name. Every single panel is really pretty because it has so many different colors and little things to look at. I think Magic Trixie is kind of like a magical Junie B. Jones. Everybody would really like Magic Trixie because it’s funny and everyone will get it and the story is simple and easy to understand, and the art is bold, colorful, and very detailed.

Shelby says: This is probably the most colorful book I have ever seen in the world! The art...where do I start? All the art is watercolor and that is a really hard medium to use because you can’t fix anything if you mess up, but Jill is a master. Everything is so three-dimensional because there’s shading in everything, even the blacks and whites. Everything looks so realistic, yet it’s still cartoony and adorable beyond words. Magic Trixie is kinda like Sarah because she won’t stop talking and she’s really hyper, but she’s kinda like me because when I was about her age I was jealous of my little sister, too. I like how Magic Trixie doesn’t have any front teeth and whenever she’s talking you can see this big gap in between her teeth, like every other kid at that age. I like the vampire twins and Nefi the mummy girl because they’re very cute instead of scary. My friends will pretend it’s dumb because it’s cute, but I think everyone will like it, even if they won’t admit it.

Tracy says: From the candy-colored watercolors (which make me want to lick the pages) to the adorable characters (who are just begging to be made into plushies for bedtime snuggles) to the sweet and witty story (with an “Aaaawwww” ending), Magic Trixie is a delight all around. Trixie’s friends are cute, cuddly takes on classic monsters with personalities that could easily belong to real, live children, and the adults feel so real that I wonder if Thompson modeled them on her own friends and family. Magic Trixie herself is a very bright, mischievous bundle of energy with a knack for getting in trouble – she reminds me of a certain curly-haired 9-year-old I know who shall remain nameless. I can’t recommend Magic Trixie highly enough – it’s jumped straight into my top ten all-ages comics of all time.

Meet the whole gang over at Magic Trixie’s blog. We can’t wait for Magic Trixie Sleeps Over!