Pacheco and the Witch of the Mountain
A Graphic Novel
A boy looks to develop his magical abilities in Juan E. Zambrano’s charming graphic novel Pacheco and the Witch of the Mountain.
On the island of Asunción, Pacheco assists his father and grandfather with their fishing business, but fish are scarce and Pacheco is more interested in the magic of the mysterious witches. He meets a witch, Doris, and convinces her to let him work as an apprentice while learning magic, even though boys have never been accepted as magic-users in the past. Doris’s magic shows respect for living beings rather than using them the way the members of the witches’ council do. Through his persistence, Pacheco helps convince the council to adopt Doris’s ways, and he is given the chance to study magic on the mainland.
The book is full of wondrous creatures, including lightfrogs and dragonesque Dancing Fires. The birds the witches transform into include hummingbirds, parrots, and kingfishers. All are rendered in a cheery, colorful cartoon style. Pacheco is inspiring in his efforts to overcome doubts in himself and others, and there are instructional metaphors in lessons of class and gender blindness. One character turns into a cat instead of a bird and observes “everyone’s magic is different … and that’s okay.”
Pacheco and the Witch of the Mountain is an entertaining, uplifting graphic novel about a boy who overcomes obstacles to learn the practice of magic.
Reviewed by
Peter Dabbene
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
