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FIRE UP YOUR BROOMSTICK AND TAKE A TOUR OF 3 BOOKS WITH MAGICAL TOWNS

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‘Tis the season to read books with magical towns. Let’s be honest, I love a book with magic in general. But I’m especially drawn to tales of magical places. Magical families are perhaps more common in books that blend magic into “real” life. They can certainly be great, and there are numerous magical families among the books with magical towns I’ve chosen to highlight. But I have quibbles. Implications that magic is passed genetically aren’t always doing the best job at challenging the status quo, where power, wealth, and privilege are designed to flow along those same lines. If an author isn’t taking care to really push back against those ideas, they can reinforce the idea that it’s good to hoard power.

Magical towns, on the other hand, crop up in unexpected places. They inject wonder into the humdrum world. They can give a broader range of people access to magic, and that’s what I like to see. Magical towns aren’t necessarily all quaint, though. Sometimes a town’s magic is keeping worse things at bay, or maybe the magic isn’t always benevolent. There’s a multitude of stories to tell about what’s hidden — or in plain sight — in these magical towns, so let’s take a look at a few.

cover of Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

ELATSOE BY DARCIE LITTLE BADGER

Willowbee, Texas, is trying to hold onto its perfect façade. But Elatsoe, who’s there following the death of her cousin, wants some answers about what the town is hiding. She can also raise the ghosts of deceased animals, a skill that’s part of her Lipan Apache heritage. Ellie even has a pet ghost dog. With a story that uses the magical town to create an allegory about colonialism and white supremacy, this book is both touching and a rollicking magical ride.

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore Cover

WILD BEAUTY BY ANNA-MARIE MCLEMORE

La Pradera isn’t exactly a magical town, but hear me out. It’s a magical estate garden that enchants people. It seems to have cursed the Nomeolvides women into staying in their beautiful garden home, and possibly also curse their lovers to mysterious death. A strange boy who appears in the gardens may be the key to understanding the secrets of La Pradera. If you’ve read any books by Anna-Marie McLemore, you know how lush and haunting they are.



cover of cattywampus

CATTYWAMPUS BY ASH VAN OTTERLOO

Howler’s Hollow is something like an anti-magical town, because magic is now off limits in the Appalachian village. Too dangerous! But Delpha hates rules and found her family’s book of spells, so you know where this is headed. Katybird, from a rival witching family, wants that book too. They fight, accidentally unleash a hex, and whoops, resurrect a whole graveyard full of ancestors. Naturally, they’ll have to team up to solve it. This book is also remarkable for featuring an intersex character whose story is deftly woven into the plot.


~ Enjoy!

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