The Wheel of Fortune (The Queen’s Favorite Witch #1)

In this fantastical revisionist history of 1563, benevolent Dr. Dee—a long-bearded “heretic” in a green cowl—strategizes to protect Queen Elizabeth I after her Royal Witch succumbs to poison and “a dark coven,” a red-robed group casting spells around a pentagram, plot to usurp the throne. Freckled novice witch Daisy Sparrow, hawking potions with her mother in the London streets, notices a broadside advertising the Royal Witch job opening; her 14-year-old blond shepherd friend subsequently urges her to apply: “You’re twelve, Daisy. Your Mum can’t tell you what to do anymore.” At Hampton Court, a talking rat and a helpful maid likewise encourage “peasant” Daisy, a natural talent who must face a group of Elizabethan mean girls, a politician masterminding the assassination attempt, and the ghost of Elizabeth’s father, King Henry VIII. Smith (Quarantine Comix) implies Tudor period settings through generic costumes, cobblestones, and straw; secondary characters have darker skin tones, but round-eyed, animation-style white characters claim the spotlight. Historically inaccurate characterizations aside, Dickson (Santa Claus vs. the Nazis) introduces promising relationships to develop across the series’ comic game of thrones. Front matter includes a preface. Ages 7–12. (Oct.)