Many folx were disappointed when, earlier this year, they found themselves having to pack their trunks and leave the wizarding world they treasured due to certain… unsupportable opinions held by the creator of said. While that world can never be replaced, the search has been on for alternatives. And whereas many of the grown folx I know have pledged allegiance to one of the Nine Houses from Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Tomb Trilogy, that particular demesne probably isn’t quite right for the kiddos or for family outings. (I mean, look what it did to Harrow.)

There are the perennially popular Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter from the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series, of course, but you have to be a demigod or magical creature to get in. There’s UA High, but it’s more fun there if you have a quirk. We’re looking toward the more magical end of things…

Hmmm… how about a Witch Atelier?

Allow me to explain.

In the Eisner-winning world of Kamome Shirahama’s manga Witch Hat Atelier, certain adult witches have their own combined home/school/workshops to which they bring select students to study and learn the ways of spellcraft and magic.

This is, however, a closely guarded secret for, in the past, magic was used for forbidden and evil purposes. To stop such a thing from happening again, they allowed a rumor to spread – a rumor that only those born with a special gift could use magic.

Coco has always longed to do magic but wasn’t born a witch. When Master Quifrey visits her town, however, and she discovers that magic can be done by writing sigils rather than by using an inherited talent, she remembers a book given to her by a stranger years earlier and uses it to cast spells of her own. One goes awry, as they do, and Coco turns her mother to stone.

When Master Quifrey discovers what happened, he offers Coco the opportunity to save her mother and realize her dream of becoming a witch by training at his Atelier. The journey won’t be safe nor will it be easy; the dark forces are rising, enemies are gathering, and rival students are determined to see Coco fail. Will determination and love be enough?

Volumes #1-6 of Witch Hat Atelier (Kodansha Comics) are out now. I’ve only read the first one, but the girl child has gobbled all of them up and absolutely adores them; she carries them around in a stack because “I don’t know which one of them I’m going to need or how many.” And… I can’t argue with that because I always have at least two books with me at any given time (not counting the Kindle app on my phone).

And I certainly agree there’s a lot to love about this series.

I love the idea of everyone being able to do magic. Though Coco is, to some extent, a chosen one (we don’t yet know why), she’s chosen for her dedication. intelligence, and heart rather than for her bloodline or birthright. She is far from the only character with special abilities, and, in fact, several of her classmates are better at spellcasting than she is, either by virtue of having studied longer or innate talent.

That the protagonist of the series is a girl – and that most of the characters around her are also girls and women – is a refreshing take on the narrative and, indeed, comics in general. My daughter certainly connected with Coco with a ferocity and speed usually reserved for Katara and Toph.

And even though Coco goes to an Atelier run by a male instructor, neither the teacher nor the place are traditionally masculine. In the first book, at least, all witches wear the same style of clothing regardless of gender, and the home/school looks like an alchemy lab and dorm – neither of which suggest anything other than “work here” and “sleep here.”

I’m also a huge fan of the fact that what ultimately gets Coco out of dangerous scenarios is her ability to reason and plan. She uses magic, certainly, but she uses it as a tool – not a solution. It’s a part of her arsenal but not her sole weapon. So often, when stories revolve around kids and magic, they’re trained in its use to the exclusion of all else and are then thrust back into the human world, where they’re entirely unable to function. They are trapped, stripped of their choice and sometimes of their joy. Coco isn’t going to have that problem, and it’s a fantastic example for readers – a reminder of how important it is, and how joyful it can be, to be more than one thing.

I’d definitely recommend Witch Hat Atelier for kids, tweens, teens, and adults looking for that magic school experience without the pall of authorial grossness hanging over it. Book 7 is scheduled for release in December.