Franny Bannani: Book 1 by Marytė Running EBOOK

Frances Marie Bannani — better known as Franny Bannani — lives up north in Northern Ontario, where winters are freezing, neighbours are nosy, and magic is very real… just not very strong.

Franny comes from a long line of “good” witches, though thanks to generations of witches marrying mortals, her powers have dwindled to just one-eighth witchery. She can freeze time for a few minutes and make small objects disappear — sometimes — but nothing like the powerful witches in her extended family. Still, her world is anything but ordinary.

At home, Franny lives with her quarter-witch mother, her wise grandmother Agatha, and Mr. Wiser — a permanently grounded, extremely opinionated talking owl who never misses a chance to cause trouble. Her parents are separated because her father wants nothing to do with witchcraft, leaving Franny caught between two worlds: the magical and the mortal.

School isn’t much easier. Franny struggles with feeling different and often invisible — especially when faced with Junior, the neighbourhood bully who never lets her forget her rhyming name. But Franny also finds quiet strength in kindness, particularly through her friendship with Bear, a sweet boy with autism who sees the world in his own beautiful way. Through Bear, Franny learns that being different isn’t something to hide — it’s something to understand.

When Franny wishes for a simple black cat for her twelfth birthday, her mother’s well-intentioned magic goes hilariously wrong, transforming a shy rescue kitten into a tiny winged dragon-cat. What follows is a charming adventure filled with magical mishaps, neighbourly chaos, and heartfelt lessons about acceptance, bravery, and family.

Franny Bannani: Book 1 is a delightful middle-grade fantasy filled with humor, warmth, and heart. It reminds readers that even if you feel like you don’t quite fit in anywhere, your uniqueness may be your greatest magic of all.