Meesh the Bad Demon

Meesh the Bad Demon is a totally fantastic fantasy graphic novel featuring 12-year-old schoolgirl demon Meesh. Although a demon, Meesh is a huge fan of all things fairy like - especially TV fairy Princess Nouna and her life in Plumeria City. This is not the usual habit for an underworld demon from the dark, foreboding Land of the Lava. Meesh is an outsider - at secondary school she would rather pick flowers than learn how to breathe fire. Other pupils, lIke Xavier, tease and ridicule her - to them, Meesh is uselessly 'bad' not BAD in the true demon sense.

Meesh is a sad, lonely and angry figure. When disaster strikes at Mount Magma, Meesh has to flee for her life and seek help from the only place she can think of - Fairyland itself, and Princess Nouna and her powerful healing ruby. Disguising a demon as a fairy isn't an easy mission and fairies aren't as welcoming and helpful as Meesh may have thought them to be… The ensuing demon/fairy conflict sends Meesh and Nouana spiraling through a vortex together - to a land where they must fend for themselves and look after each other; putting aside differences and mistrust in order to find their way home and save Meesh's world from destruction. Are all demons "bad"? Are all fairies kind and gentle ? Can demons and fairies ever really be friends ? Are they really so different after all?

I love the manner in which the story unfolds to challenge all of these ideas about the character types. The graphics are truly fabulous and appealing; from the dark, demonic setting of Mount Magma to a visually lighter Plumeria City, colour is played with and ebbs and flows as the lines between the two main characters begin to blur and react to each other.  Meesh is an endearing, relatable character with both self doubt and fierce determination that is shown spectacularly by the visual changes to her that we see in the illustrations.

The story is a classic, highly entertaining quest; our heroine and her friends are battling to save themselves, each other and their communities. The graphics are glossy, luxurious and captivating. It was such a joy to read and to see the story being brought to life.  This is going to have a huge waiting list back in school!

304 pages / Reviewed by Jennifer Caddick, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 9+

Meesh the Bad Demon is about Meesh wanting to be a fairy and then everyone in Mount Magma turns to stone and Meesh meets fairy Nouna. Nouna is a fairy who can't fly without her ruby and then Meesh finds out that the fang she has around her neck also gives her powers. Nouna learns to fly without her ruby and together they unfreeze everyone.

My favourite character is Nouna because I like how at the end she has faith in herself to stand up to her mum. My favourite part of the book was when Nouna learns how to fly because it shows her belief in herself and that she doesn't have to be perfect. Read for @crashspringwood .

Suggested Reading Age 7+