Svetlana Chmakova has been creating OEL manga for a long time, and Be Wary of the Silent Woods feels like the natural result of that. Taking place in the same world as her young adult series Nightschool (albeit in New England rather than New York City), Be Wary of the Silent Woods is a middle grade graphic novel like her Berrybrook Middle School trilogy, featuring characters of the same age and a similar aesthetic. It's a story with just the right amount of scary for the intended audience, characters worth rooting for, and a plotline that feels very much like the sort of game kids the age of the characters play, making it feel like the perfect combination of Chmakova's earlier two series.

The story is part of the current (as of this writing) trend in middle grade graphics for witch stories, although it certainly stands on its own without that. Titles like Molly Ostertag's Boy Witch trilogy and Emma Steinkelner's The Okay Witch feel like easy companions to this book, and there's a bit of Ted Naifeh's Courtney Crumrin in the language and darker parts as well. But while this fits in with that publishing fad (or at least this most recent iteration of it), the use of the Nightschool world helps it to feel like its own unique take on it. The most striking feature is, of course, the Astrals, blobby creatures whose company marks someone out as a Weirn (witch) in the series' world. Sort of like furry ghosts, the Astrals all have their own distinct personalities that may or may not compliment their owners' and function as familiars to them. While the Astrals are being trained, however, they're more like pets who don't always behave as they ought to – Ailis' friend Jasper's Astral, for example, really likes to throw things, a trait that isn't always endearing to those around them. Alongside the Astrals, the story's world does have a more familiar paranormal/dark fantasy feel, with werewolves, spells like glamours, and, of course, creepy haunted houses in the woods.

It's this last that is the catalyst for the children's adventure. While the current night school that everyone attends is in town and functions as the local regular school during the day, there used to be a separate building that was the night school – one out in the forest. In the early 20th century, however, something strange happened, and the school building became dilapidated overnight and all of the students and the teacher who were in it at the time vanished without a trace. The building is now considered, if not haunted, then extremely dangerous – especially by Ailis' grandmother, who lost her twin brother that night. Naturally local children are interested in it, because abandoned buildings in spooky woods are like catnip to kids. And just as naturally, there's a lot more to the story than anyone, Grandma included, really knows.

What helps to make this book a success is the combination of this supernatural threat with the everyday basics of being a middle school student. Ailis, at age twelve, is starting to move into adolescence and isn't sure she's thrilled about that (although she does have a crush on the older werewolf next door), mostly because with the start of middle school her former friend Patricia has become the chief mean girl, leaving Ailis and Na'ya behind. Neither of them can understand what happened there, but it's clear they're both hurting from it – and it's just as obvious that Patricia isn't entirely thrilled with her new life, either. She does, however, feel like it's one that she has to maintain, and even when she eventually explains it, it's not certain why she feels that way, beyond the fact that it's something that a lot of kids go through at that age. This is the sort of realistic addition to the story that makes Berrybrook so popular (that series attracts readers of Raina Telgemeier's realistic middle grade graphic novels, like Smile): it understands what it's like to be that age and doesn't sugarcoat it. While the meat of the story may be the old schoolhouse and what's lurking there, the middle school details ground it, helping the book to appeal to readers of both fantasy and realistic fiction.

As with her earlier works, Chmakova does a nice job of making this series diverse in terms of its characters, and in a way that doesn't scream, “Look! Diversity!”. The main cast includes people who are mixed race, Asian American, and white, and if the school population isn't quite as impressive as Berrybrook's, sadly that makes it a little more like Northern New England. We also see a variety of body types, which is just as important for the age group, and the muted colors the book is done in really work well with the half-lit world the Weirn exist in. Faces are expressive, and pages are easy to read, with text bubbles and panels in a logical, easy to follow flow.

Be Wary in the Silent Woods is a fun, slightly scary adventure that feels both more polished than the earlier Weirn books and stands nicely on its own. It's a good indicator of Chmakova's growth as a creator, and whether you're looking for a new book for the middle grade reader in your life or you appreciate a good story regardless of intended audience, this is a safe bet for a good time.