Hooky isn't your standard weekend read. At 368 pages, it’s a brick of a graphic novel that feels more like a binge-watch of a high-stakes anime than a quick comic. While the art style is undeniably cute—all round eyes and soft colors—the story in Volume 2 gets remarkably heavy. If you have a reader who grew up on The Owl House or Avatar: The Last Airbender, they’re going to recognize the specific flavor of "the adults in charge are actually the ones making things worse."
The "Scary Parent" Problem
Most middle-grade fantasy relies on a distant, abstract evil. Hooky makes it personal. Dani and Dorian aren't just fighting a dark lord; they’re dealing with the fact that their own parents are power-hungry and potentially murderous. This creates a specific kind of tension that hits harder than a standard monster battle.
The story moves past the "magic school" tropes of the first volume and lands squarely in a world of political instability and prejudice. It’s a lot to track, but it’s exactly why the series has maintained a 4.8 rating on Amazon. It respects the reader’s intelligence enough to let the characters be messy, conflicted, and occasionally wrong. If you want a deeper look at how the series handles these darker themes, check out our parent’s guide to Hooky Volume 2: Magic, Prophecies, and Actually Scary Parents.
Beyond the Webtoon
Because this started on WEBTOON, the pacing is different from a traditional novel. It’s episodic and fast, designed to keep you clicking "next." In print, that translates to a book that kids actually finish despite the high page count. It’s a great "bridge" book for kids who are moving away from simpler graphic novels but aren't quite ready to give up the visual element for a 500-page text-only doorstopper.
The "found family" dynamic is the real hook here. The group—the twins, Princess Monica, Mark, and Nico—functions like a real friend group. They bicker, they have overlapping crushes, and they keep secrets. It’s that social soap opera layered over a "King of Witches" prophecy that keeps middle schoolers obsessed.
If your kid liked X, think about this
If they’re still mourning the end of Amphibia or they’ve read every Amulet book twice, Hooky is the logical next step. It’s more emotionally complex than Amulet and has a more defined sense of consequence than your average superhero comic.
One thing to watch for: this isn't a "pick it up and figure it out" sequel. The plot is dense. If they haven’t read Volume 1, the appearance of the missing brother Damien or the search for Prince William will be total gibberish. Buy them as a set or don't bother. This is a story that demands you're all-in on the lore from page one.
