The Witch of Artemis: Volume 1    by Yui Hara Order:  USA  Can TOKYOPOP, 2010 (2010) Paperback     Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto Yui Hara's The Witch of Artemis is a cute fantasy that, despite its T (teen) rating for aggression, will also appeal to preteen readers. Hara's open and breezy art enhances the innocent feel to this adorable manga. Kazuki's father always told him stories about a world parallel to Earth called Artemis. Now that their dad is gone, Kazuki's older brother tells the young boy that he needs to stop believing in such fairy tales. However, Kazuki's father's tale prove true when two strange girls are spotted wearing bizarre outfits. Kazuki knows that they are from Artemis. On top of finding out that his father's stories were correct, Kazuki gets his ultimate wish: to visit Artemis. However, once there, he realizes that it is not such an idyllic world after all and that something strange is going on between the two Artemis girls who came to Earth. Kazuki is a cute, likeable, innocent boy with whom readers will fall in love. His optimism is contagious and helps him through tough times – including discovering that returning to Earth is going to be much more challenging than visiting Artemis. Marie, the Grand Witch of Artemis, is a complex character with motives of her own, and the other mysterious girl adds that touch of the unknown that is essential to good fantasy. Young readers will delight in this adorable fantasy. And there is enough mystery to keep older readers engaged as well. Yui Hara's The Witch of Artemis is everything you would expect a fantasy manga aimed at preteen readers to be. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews