Author: Norm Harper
Illustrator: Louie Joyce
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA
Publisher: Lion Forge
Date: March 19, 2019
Length: 160 pages
Review copy from NetGalley
Ever-superstitious Alex Mills will do anything to avoid a jinx. Picking up pennies, knocking on wood, collecting rabbit's feet . . . you name it. That is until she steps on a crack and it actually does break her mother's back. To save her mom, Alex must follow Hubbub Caskside, a trusty leprechaun, on a journey through the end of a rainbow to Haphaven, the world where all of Earth's superstitions draw their power.
All she needs is a rabbit's foot to save her mom, but she soon discovers the lucky article won't be so easy to retrieve. Not only is the rabbit's foot guarded by Haphaven's most formidable creature, the Jinx, there's also a forest full of trees that knock back if you don't knock on wood, people named Penny who do not like to be picked up, and a particularly vindictive black cat who will not be crossed.
As Alex finds herself desperately searching for a way to save her mom, she learns of a mysterious connection between her family's fate and the rulers of Haphaven. With her mother's life on the line and her own fate at stake, Alex must find the strength within herself to unlock the mystery and take back control of the superstitions that have controlled her life, even if it means crossing the Black Cat once and for all.
Description from NetGalley
Haphaven's cover caught my eye and I immediately clicked on it. This confident girl striding through the world ready for trouble and being shadowed by a monster was someone I wanted to read about. Turns out that she wasn't confident at all in the beginning, and I had totally missed that she was walking through a four leaf clover farm and towering over leprechauns. The plot couldn't really keep up with the pace of the story, but I laughed out loud a few times and my 9 year old was really into it.
What I liked
It was funny: While the cover makes this look like a suspenseful or possibly scary book, but it's really a humorous story. The only time it gets deep and dark(ish) is when Alex is struggling with the requirements of curing her mother. I thought the humor helped Haphaven overcome some of its weaknesses.
Love and strength for family: Superstitions held back Alex and her father, an impairment they didn't recognize but hampered their ability to enjoy life and experience the world. In the end, they both learned that their fierce love for their family required more from them than lucky charms. They had take control of their lives and roll with the punches, not get crushed because luck had let them down.
Acceptance: This is a bit hard to talk about without spoilers, so I'm going to be very general. Several characters found peace or happiness by accepting their circumstances, their losses, their innocence or culpability, and their place in the world. Harper's characters struggled with change, grief, and the unpredictable future and that struggle had stalled their lives. There was no joy or growth, just a stagnation. By accepting their life, their responsibilities, they were able to take control of their lives and start living.
Acceptance: This is a bit hard to talk about without spoilers, so I'm going to be very general. Several characters found peace or happiness by accepting their circumstances, their losses, their innocence or culpability, and their place in the world. Harper's characters struggled with change, grief, and the unpredictable future and that struggle had stalled their lives. There was no joy or growth, just a stagnation. By accepting their life, their responsibilities, they were able to take control of their lives and start living.
What I'm on the fence about
Illustration style: This just isn't a style that I personally like, but my students would like it, and that's more important. Kid 1 saw me reading this and immediately walked over and started reading over my shoulder. So the art does work for the target audience. Joyce does create some great moody scenes and some stuff that had me laughing out loud. He was also made the cat mince and a rabbit look nervous, so he's able to convey quite a bit with his panels.What didn't work for me
Too short so action outpaced the story: Haphaven could have easily been turned into a multi volume story. Harper has created an interesting world and an engaging version of the Hero's Journey. This story had the legs to go the distance if he'd just given it enough road to run. (Wow, that's quite the analogy. I feel a bit awkward about leaving it in there, but it's the best way I can describe it.)
In it's current form, Alex's journey moves from plot point to plot point so quickly that I was unprepared for the shift. I think the commitment to a single book hurt the storytelling.
In it's current form, Alex's journey moves from plot point to plot point so quickly that I was unprepared for the shift. I think the commitment to a single book hurt the storytelling.
Rating: 4
For myself I'd give this a 3, but Haphaven is an attractive story for its target audience of 4th-7th graders. Do you know how hard it is to get a 9 year old to snuggle? My son curled up with me on the bed and we read this together - it was great! He was immediately attracted to Haphaven and enjoyed it. I would totally buy this book for my school library and would have no problems getting kids interested in it.
Are there stories out there that you enjoy despite their flaws? I have a coworker who loved the Twilight series when she was younger. She recognizes all of the problems with the book but it didn't detract from her enjoyment.
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