¡¡Manu!! by Kelly Fernandez
Manu has grown up at a magical school for girls that is run by nuns and is excited to see all her classmates return every school year. She’s most excited to see her best friend, Josefina, return. However, Manu has always gotten into a lot of trouble. According to rumors, she’s a demon! When Manu’s latest prank goes over extremely badly, Josefina accidentally curses her to lose her magic! Now Manu is serious about tempting fate by performing a dangerous spell so she’ll stop having to use a smelly potion to keep her magic flowing. Unfortunately, it turns out that dangerous magic is dangerous for a reason, and Manu is struggling with the consequences!
This graphic novel following Manu and Josefina is absolutely adorable. While Manu is always causing trouble because she’d rather have fun than follow the rules, Josefina is always quick to forgive her best friend. However, Manu is about to go on a steep learning curve when her best friend accidentally curses her! I absolutely loved this story from start to finish and enjoyed how the author worked to bring parts of their culture and the stories they grew up with into the story and artwork.
One of the things I loved about this book is that we see the power of friendship as its own form of magic. No matter what they go through, Manu and Josefina are best friends and are willing to fight to save each other. We also see how Manu has always been treated differently by her peers as well as by the Sisters, so I really felt for her when she finally learns about her past. I also love that one of the lessons for young readers is to not judge a book by its cover, so to speak, and to come to your own conclusions rather than letting other people’s opinions become your opinion.
All in all, this is an absolutely wonderful book with beautiful artwork that really enhances the storytelling. I’m looking forward to seeing what the author comes out with in the future!
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