Graphic Novel Review: Nothing Special Volume One: Through the Elder Woods by Katie Cook

Posted on March 12, 2024 at 6:39 am by Gene Ambaum

Nothing Special Volume One: Through the Elder Woods by Katie Cook. Ten Speed Graphic, 2024. 9781984862839. 416pp. including a look inside Radish’s notebook at the end.

Callie’s dad is a daemon, and he runs an antique store. He never talks about her mother, and he seems overly protective of Callie.

She goes to a high school in the human world, and it’s there she runs into Declan, who can also see sprites. (These are little spirits, mostly of plants, that follow Callie everywhere.) It’s a nice meet-cute even though they’ve been in class together since Kindergarten. She helps him learn to communicate with the large sprite outside his house that’s freaking him out. He’s there when she finds her house trashed and her father missing. Then they set out together to find him, through the door to her father’s shop which opens into a magical market.

The magical forest where they go next is a bit intimidating, but in Cook’s hands it’s delightful, a bright place full of humor, cuteness, and pop culture references. Soon Radish joins the quest — he’s the bossiest sprite around, and more than a little protective of Callie (though that may just be jealousy). And soon Decklan has a rival for Callie’s affections, too, though it’s clear Declan has nothing to worry about. They figure out why Declan can see sprites and discover who Callie’s mom is, too, in the process of rescuing her dad (who really needs help).

Great book. Put it in your YA section where middle school kids can find it, too.

If you’re trying to decide if this is right for your library, youo can still read Nothing Special in its original format on Webtoons.