The Ojja-Wojja
The Ojja-Wojja
Ratings4
Average rating3.3
The Ojja-Wojja by Magdalene Visaggio and illustrated by Jenn St-Onge. Got approved for this one by NetGalley and decided to give it a go on my off day.
This is a cool middle grade horror/mystery graphic novel with great illustrations. It stars an autistic teen and her trans best friend. They have always had trouble making friends, but together, they just click. I thought this was done pretty well and wasn't heavy handed. And their being different ends up being the crux of the story.
They are investigating local ghosts and rumors for a class paper when they accidentally unleash the Ojja-Wojja, a spirit that eats children and grants wishes.
The climax is filled with these super deep red panels that looked so good on my iPad. Because of the color it felt very Stranger Things and the middle grade content felt like it was mixed in with Goosebumps or something similar. This was a win for me overall.
Personally a 4/5*
A graphic novel horror that is a great read, it's a one shot that can be finished quickly. It also has some great artwork that makes it a real treat! They don't shy away from making things a darker tone and I think the monster does look quite scary! This is comfortably a J novel for mature readers - YA would enjoy as well. It's a one shot, but I thought the pacing was a little off. It has a great start and tries to flesh out the characters best it can in a short amount of time, but does kind a drop out a bit in the end for me.
I've been reading some complaints about the bully, but I actually liked her bit of story/background. And I like the kindness that was extended to her at the end too. All the characters will be a bit troupe-y and it works!
I love the 2 bff main characters - they work so well together. I love a graphic novel staring a Trans character and a openly Autistic characters.
I thought the Autistic character was great - i'd like to hear someone from the community's thoughts on her. If i'm picking up what the author is trying to portray is the monster being a concept of Autism - or a “demonized” version. I thought this was a really powerful portrayal. Again, it was our main character that also has autism to help guide this creature and befriending it. I hear a lot of how helpful it is to have a mentor and friendship and this story really does this well.