Fantasy Sports

Wiz, an intern in a magical world, visits the Archmage to request a reassignment from her mentor, Mug. But when the Archmage refuses, Wiz and Mug are sent on a quest together on behalf of the Mage’s Guild to find treasure in a mummy’s tomb. Yet Mug and Wiz find themselves challenged to a game of basketball by He of the Giant Steps. Mug tries his best with brute force, but it’s little Wiz who has mastery of magic enough to play the game and win.

Magic and sport are rarely combined in stories for children, especially with a girl protagonist you can root for from the first page – and all this presented in a bright, stylish, engaging graphic novel format make Fantasy Sports a winner for pretty much any child.

The fact that He of the Giant Steps first appears to be a kind of Egyptian fantasy emperor who then turns into a supernatural NBA giant monster is an added brilliance, as are the panels showing Wiz taking her well-deserved victory. There are plenty of laughs, and Mug is a likeable tough-dad companion for the young Wiz, who you’ll want to see a lot more of by the end of the book.