The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett, A-
Grace is an orphan that nobody wants to adopt, so she runs away to a witch’s house and begs the witch to take her as an apprentice. The witch grudgingly makes an agreement with her: if Grace can perform 100 1/2 spells from the witch’s grimoire by the time the old cherry tree blooms again, then the witch will officially take Grace as an apprentice; if Grace fails, then the witch will take her magical powers. It’s a perilous pact, yet Grace loves living in the woods and going to the nearby school, and she soon makes friends who help her with her witchcraft. But can she master all of the spells, including the unfinished half-spell, by the deadline?
As described on the cover, “Inspired by Anne of Green Gables, this is a magical story of found family, loss, and the power of a girl’s imagination.” Every chapter begins with an excerpt from a poem about birds, which is a cute feature. The story seemed a little too twee at first, but it grew on me. Recommended.