THE OJJA-WOJJA

Outsider teens battle a reawakened, hungry ancient spirit.

Small towns like Bolingbroke don’t take kindly to misfits. Fortunately, that helps unique souls like Valentine and Lanie find each other. Friends since sixth grade, Val, who is White and autistic, and Lanie, who is Vietnamese American and trans, team up for an independent project about local paranormal lore. It’s the perfect collaboration—Val loves the supernatural, and Lanie’s into witchcraft. After an eerie encounter with a horse-riding phantom on their first night of ghost-hunting, Val runs into the town “crazy lady,” who recites an unsettling rhyme about the Ojja-Wojja, a mysterious presence said to be haunting the woods around the town. The friends have research to do, all of which is complicated by Andrea, Lanie’s cruel swim teammate who becomes a nonconsenting host for the forest spirit. Meanwhile, Lanie grapples with the realization that she might like girls. Val’s neurodivergent tendency toward infodumping is conveyed through inspired expository scenes that draw from TV shows like Unsolved Mysteries and Sailor Moon. The illustrations and storytelling blend the fanciful beauty of Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Lisa Sterle’s teen wolf drama, Squad (2021), and the creeping dread of Emily Carroll’s Through the Woods (2014). The pieces of this character-driven, inclusive graphic novel come together perfectly, creating a satisfying read that honors teen friendship.

Spooky, queer, and magical—it’s no mystery why this book is a wonder.