Garlic & the witch /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Bree Paulsen's brave little protagonist, Garlic, is back in this charmingly illustrated standalone companion to Garlic and the Vampire, serving up another tale of friendship, magic, and self-discovery. Give both books to readers who fell in love with Tidesong or Witch Boy!

Garlic loves spending time with Witch Agnes, Carrot, and her new friend, the Count, who has proven to be a delightful neighbor to the village of vegetable people rather than a scary vampire. But despite Agnes's best attempts to home-brew a vegetarian blood substitute for Count, the ingredient she needs most can only be found at the Magic Market, far from the valley.

Before she knows it, with a broomstick in hand, Garlic is nervously preparing for a journey.

But Garlic is experiencing another change too--finger by finger, she appears to be turning human. Witch Agnes assures her that this is normal for her garden magic, but Garlic isn't so sure that she's ready for such a big change. After all, changes are scary...and what if she doesn't want to be human after all

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3--6--Garlic and friends return for an even cozier sequel. A morning surprise signals that Garlic may be slowly transforming into a human, so she seeks out Witch Agnes's help. Turns out the transformation is just part of Garlic's growing, as it will be for all the other anthropomorphic vegetables. Still, as the Count says, "Big changes can be scary." Luckily, Garlic isn't alone. A quest to the Magic Market--with a few snags--shows Garlic's growth beyond the physical as she comes into her own. Paulsen effectively expands the agricultural world she conjured in Garlic and the Vampire, including adding a brief origin story. Nearly wordless sequences and a cottage-core palette establish an impeccable visual serenity. Light Frog-and-Toad-esque romance takes the wholesomeness even further. The cast of human characters is diverse in skin tone. Carrot uses they/them pronouns. VERDICT A must-have for sweater-weather season or anytime.

Kirkus Book Review

In this follow-up to Garlic and the Vampire (2021), vegetable helpers become human. In Paulsen's first foray into this world, Garlic and her vegetable friends showed up fully formed. The second installment explains how they were harvested when melancholy, light-skinned Witch Agnes decided to grow herself some helpers, making her world a brighter place. She's still working on a blood substitute for her vampire friend, Count, and sends Garlic and Count to a far-off market to retrieve some bloodroot. Garlic, meanwhile, is worried about sprouting a fifth finger, not having been told that she and her vegetable friends would eventually become human. There are a few sticky storytelling moments--it's hard to believe that it would take the witch so long to remember that a plant called bloodroot might be helpful in synthesizing blood, and it's unclear for quite a while that Garlic's concerns revolve around her number of fingers. The cheerful art, rendered in an autumnal palette, and relatable characters remain the series' main draws, though this story veers a bit more toward cloying sentimentality than the first, with many overt conversations about being yourself and embracing change even though it's scary. Still, though, when the vegetables turn into a multiracial group of humans, readers will close the book feeling good. Earnest and thoughtful. (Graphic novel. 7-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.