The Montague Twins:  The Witch’s Hand is a graphic novel set in 1969 with a throwback feel to the Hardy Boys in its stylistic, retro graphics and mystery premise.  But this isn’t your mother’s Hardy Boys.  The Montague Twins are a little more edgy, one of the antagonists is a whole lot more otherworldly, and did I mention that these brothers have magical powers?  So Hardy Boys?  Yes–and no.

Absolutely no skimping was done on the illustrations and with full color images, the result is beyond gratifying, complementing the narrative and alternatively carrying the narrative at the appropriate places.  The dialogue was frankly, exceptional, particularly between the brothers and at times quite clever and droll.  The cherry on top was a climax that kept on giving beyond expectation.  (And why the cat is wearing glasses I do not know, but I like it.)

Modern young adult readers will enjoy and perhaps even a few nostalgic older readers will find themselves charmed also.

Review of a Digital Advance Review Copy

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  8 religious exclamations; 30 mild obscenities; 1 religious profanity; 5 derogatory names; 14 scatological words; 6 anatomical terms; 1 offensive hand gesture; 1 F-word derivative.

Violence/Gore:  Verbal threats, some at gunpoint; character falls and is scratched on the face; character sustains injury to the head; a few creepy paranormal/witchcraft scenes; report of disappearance of parents (no explanation or clarification, assumption death); vision(s) of past violence including woman having hands cut off and being killed; reference to hands being cut off and put in a box; severed hand comes to life in extended scene, a little creepy (no blood) and slightly humorous in depiction; character hits/punches another somewhat playfully; extended confrontation with magic involving damaging property and someone being shot (not fatally); character injures shoulder in escape; rumors around a death are listed; a character told another character that one of her parents was murdered by the other; magic used to raise hands from graves and restrain/hurt a character; kidnapping; crash scene involve implied death and injury.

Sex/Nudity:  Female character kisses a male character on the cheek; characters of opposite sex appear to like each other; character teases another about kissing; reference to girlie magazines; reference on the radio to gay-rights activist and Stonewall riots; character tells another that he is gay and brief, general discussion; some illustrations of a supernatural entity include lightly sketched images of women that appear to be unclothed, non-sexual and non-detailed in depiction.

Mature Subject Matter:

Witchcraft, ghosts/paranormal, underage drinking, coming out (homosexuality), murder.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Frequent images of adult characters smoking cigarettes and drinking; teenage girls drink and smoke cigarettes; character asks another character if his is high (half-joking); character makes a joke about getting stoned (pun).