There was so much to love about this book and most of it was in the characters and the diversity within those characters. This one was different though because while I loved it so much, I felt that it was just the right length and everything was covered in the few pages it had. My only thing with them is sometimes they are too short and I’m left wanting more of the characters and their world. Thoughts and Themes: I’ve been reading a lot of graphic novels recently and have been enjoying them quite a bit.
Snap gets to know her and realizes that Jacks may in fact have real magic-and an unlikely connection to Snap’s family’s past. Snap needs a favor from this old woman, though, so she begins helping Jacks with her strange work. It’s creepy, sure, but Snap thinks it’s kind of cool, too. But in reality, Jacks is just a Crocs-wearing, internet-savvy old lady who sells roadkill skeletons online. This endearingly offbeat story emphasizes found community, the importance of love and friendship, and a fierce commitment to individuality-all powerful themes for middle-grade readers.At least, that’s how the rumor goes. Beyond the magic, creepy undertones, and captivating artwork, themes of acceptance, particularly regarding gender and sexuality, permeate the story and are handled in a refreshing, matter-of-fact manner.
Leyh’s dynamic artwork, full of active motion, shifting perspectives, and varying panel shapes and sizes, matches the complexity of the plot, and her figure designs, which show a wide variety of gender presentations, body shapes, skin tones, and hair types, nicely complement her characters’ personalities.
The slow reveal of those connections makes up the dense but heartening plot of Leyh’s graphic novel, which is bolstered by some affirming, character-revealing side-plots, such as Snap’s growing friendship with transgender, dark-skinned Lulu her fantastic relationship with her tough yet deeply compassionate Black mother and her impatience to become more powerful herself. Beyond their shared obsession with animals, though, Snap and Jacks have a much deeper connection based on family secrets, ghosts, and a touch of magic. There’s something creepy about Jacks, the odd, gangly, one-eyed old white woman living in Snapdragon’s town, but Snap’s not afraid, especially after Jacks shows her how to take care of a litter of orphaned possums and what she’s up to early in the morning with a wheelbarrow full of roadkill (it involves a very lucrative internet business for skeleton enthusiasts).
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