Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Magic Within 1 (Sabrina Manga)
Though these Archie Comics stories are almost 10 years old, this successful collection is nevertheless fun and engaging, with a long story arc. In this version, Sabrina is a high-school sophomore but on the young side. She’s caught between her crush on a mortal boy and a magical one, the latter of whom disconcertingly appears to be crushing on Sabrina’s best friend. Aside from sweet-and-sour romance, the chapters introduce Sabrina’s legal-guardian aunts, one of whom has political aspirations, and, of course, the wizard turned cat, Salem, who serves as both a comfort and an abrasive companion as Sabrina embarks on mortal and magical adventures ranging from recovering a kidnapped magical creature to waiting for her mortal sweetheart to invite her to the winter ball. The storytelling is well crafted, and the volume ends on a cliff-hanger, as its readers would likely prefer. The art is manga-like but well within the standards a middle-school library can offer students. Grades 6-9. --Francisca Goldsmith