What a cute and fun book!

I don't usually read middle grade books, but I made an exception for the Grace of Wild Things because of how much I loved Fawcett's Emily Wilde's Enclyopaedia of Faeries. I am very happy that I did! The Grace of Wild Things is about Grace, a girl who runs away from her orphanage because she's pretty sure she is a witch and she wants to be formally trained by the mysterious witch she has heard tales of in her orphanage. But in order to be trained by the witch, Grace must successfully complete all of the spells in the witch's grimoire. Grace is such a likeable character, even grumpy wicked witches can't help but be drawn in by her. She can never stop talking and has a positive, imaginative view of the world that is very endearing. Then there is the witch, who is known for shoving children into ovens and turning men into trees. A duo like no other.

The whole time I read The Grace of Wild Things, I got strong Studio Ghibli vibes. The highest possible compliment. I have no qualms, nothing to pick apart. This book was amazing, fun, and a great way to start 2023. This, coupled with Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, has made me an avid fan of Heather Fawcett. I look forward to reading more books written by her soon. Read this book!

Thanks Heather Fawcett, Balzer & Bray/Harperteen, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Grace of Wild Things was very well written. It's author combines magic, humor, and mystery to write a fanciful story. There is a sense of unknown that continues throughout the book and leaves you wondering at the end. This is definitely a book that will not be understood well until it is finished. Which may garner a desire to a later reread, or could prove a stumbling block for impatient readers.
Readers who have previously enjoyed Anne of Green Gables may enjoy this more than those who are not familiar with that story.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

“May it be, by sun and stars.”

I loved this imaginative retelling of Anne of Green Gables. The poetry woven throughout was refreshing and I enjoyed all of the characters. This is a world in which I wish I could visit! I highly recommend The Grace of Wild Things to readers of all ages.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC!

Anne of Green Gables is my favorite book of all time. The Grace of Wild Things is a delightful retelling of Anne of Green Gables with a twist. Grace is a witch that doesn't fit in. If you love Anne of Green Gables, please give this book a try. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced e-reader copy.

The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett is a magical middle grade novel written in the tradition on Anne of Green Gables. The book takes place on Prince Edward Island where a young orphan named Grace has left the orphanage in search of a true home. While the rest of the children on the island avoid a witch who lives in the middle of the woods luring children to her oven with the tempting smell of sweets, Grace seeks out the witch and asks to become her apprentice.
Grace and the witch, known to the island children as Miss Puddlestone, have a contentious relationship. The witch is uninterested in keeping Grace and threatens her on numerous occasions, but Grace, a bold and curious girl strikes a deal with her. If Grace can perform all the magic spells in the witch’s grimoire by the time the trees flower, the witch will agree to be her apprentice, but if Grace fails, she will lose her magic to the witch.
This book is written for middle grade children so it is more comic than dark though it does deal with real-world themes of loss and identity. Grace attends school, making friends and encountering bullies as she lives in the witch’s cottage and works on learning spells, and she even meets a fairy boy who she calls Rum. With the help of her friends and her familiar, a crow named Windweaver who collects poetry like most birds collect shiny things, Grace learns to master the magic of the natural world.
My favorite part of the book is the intertextual elements that combine magic with fairy tales, ghost stories, and poetry. Each chapter begins with the lines of a famous poet (Dickinson, Wordsworth, Coleridge, etc.) and poetry is treated as “a different kind of magic”. This a lovely book to share with a child, and the format will allow adults readers to revisit childhood while contemplating the magic of poetry and folklore. The book is simple in characterization and plot, but fans of the Anne of Green Gables series will enjoy this tale of a magical orphan girl.

My first reading love was Anne of Green Gables, so I snatched up this book which pays homage to Anne, Avonlea, and Prince Edward Island.

Grace is exuberant, inquisitive, prone to flights of fancy, and an orphan, but unlike AoGG, she's got magickal powers! She runs away from the orphanage after being returned by several adoptive families, taking only books in her carpet bag.

Upon finding a lone cottage in the woods near By-the-Sea, she just knows the elderly lady living within is a witch. The witch begrudgingly takes Grace in promising her she can stay if she performs all the spells in the witch's grimoire by spring.

The witch's cottage description is based on Avonlea, and among other throwbacks to AoGG, we get the infamous cordial scene.

Grace is endearing and loveable. She uses her wits and intuition to get through the grimoire and social situations. Truly a great example of found families and caring.

Recommend for middle grade readers and for acquisition to school libraries.

Thank you to the author, Heather Fawcett, Publishers Harper Collins Children's Books and Balzer & Bray, and as always NetGalley, for an advance digital copy to read of THE GRACE OF WILD THINGS.

In this book, which is a retelling of Anne of Green Gables, Grace is a young witch who leaves her society behind because she doesn't belong. She seeks shelter with the old witch in the cabin in the woods, to be the old witch's apprentice. The old witch does so, but treats Grace horribly. She still agrees to teach Grace the ways of magic, and Grace makes her way, a new life for herself in the new forest-- until she faces the need to defend it, herself, and all she cares for.

I think THE GRACE OF WILD THINGS suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. It's a middle grade novel, meant for kids in grades 3 to 7, or ages 8 to 12, according to the information in the Kindle Store. But it's also almost 400 pages and its form is challenging-- meandering and without the benefit of a clearly defined plot. Some of the story's themes hang a bit low and obstructive on this thin string of plot. Despite these issues, the setting and source material come together to create a moody story that readers will find alluring.ll

Rating: 🦅🦅🦅🦅 / 5 bright black birds
Recommend: yes
Finished January 9 2023
Read this if you like:
🧙‍♀️ Witch fiction
🏚🌲 Cabin in the woods
🐈‍⬛ Talking animals
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found family
🪄 Magic spells

I loved The Grace of Wild Things. I personally think this book is great on its own and doesn’t need to be marketed as a fantasy Anne of Green Gables. I could see why it is but this book is more than just a retelling.

Grace is an orphan no one wants. She doesn’t think she’s good at anything except for magic and makes a deal with a witch to become her apprentice.

I was sold on this book in the first chapter and I will be making my homeschool students read this one. I would say it’s best as a middle grade book but I enjoyed it as a 31 yr old!

I didn't actually finish this; I couldn't.
I will say that this is likely colored by the fact that I don't actually like Anne of Green Gables. I had hope for this as fantasy and Anne of Green Gables are popular at my library; unfortunately they're also popular with older MG/younger YA readers and this is a solidly MG title that I don't think will appeal to those readers. Or I was just put off by Grace (who really is pretty much everything I don't like about Anne but with the book lacking the charm of any actual description of PEI).

4/5 stars! Wonderful re-telling of the Anne of Green Gables classic. What I really enjoyed about this re-telling was that it managed to add a fantasy lens and make the story uniquely it's own. Too frequently we see re-tellings that don't push the envelope far enough and fall flat. This book pulled me in and I loved following Anne on her journey.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

I thought it was an interesting story.

This is a cute little Anenof Green Gables retelling with a fairytale twist.

If you are a fan of AoGG and are interested in fairytales from the perspective of the witch, this just might be a slam dunk in your basket. The touchstones of the tale are made extra humorous by the retelling.

The storytelling was good, and I have enjoyed other works of Heather Fawcett immensely. Unfortunately this didn't quite catch my interest. Anne is much beloved to me, but I don't think a retelling was something I needed In my life.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's books for sending an ARC through netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This was an absolutely delightful reimagining of Anne of Green Gables The plot was well-paced and captivating from start to finish. The characters were charming and witty. I highly recommend this fun and quick read! Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Such a wonderful reimagining of Anne of Green Gables! I have a student who will love this when it releases, and I can't wait to get it in her hands. I loved the relationship between Grace and the witch,. There are so many lessons to be learned from this story, my favorite being to find the strength within ourselves.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoy reading reimaginings of classics I enjoyed as a girl, but I can't say that I've ever read one of Anne of Green Gables. The Grace of Wild Things was a delightful story of found family and magic with so many elements of the original that we know and love. The young witch, Grace, embodies Anne well with her persistent cheer, indomitable vocabulary and desire for a true home. Heather Fawcett transforms so many of the iconic scenes into this new magical world with care and the whole thing was super fun to read.

Oh, how I enjoyed this book! I like Heather Fawcett's use of language; I felt as if I could see the forest with my own eyes.

This story is of Grace, her finding a family that she chooses, and learns to use her magic. It is a story of friendship, imagination, and love. Beautiful!

I always loved Anne of Green Gables, so when I read that this was a reimagining of Anne of Green Gables - with witches and magic - I definitely had to give it a try.

Grace, an orphan with a big imagination, a love of poetry, and a belief that she is a witch, shows up on the doorstep of a cottage in the woods. The witch who lives there is probably the one about which the story of Hansel and Gretel is written. Probably. The witch grudgingly agrees to let Grace stay and the two form a pact - if Grace can complete the tasks given to her before the cherry tree blooms again, she will become the witch's apprentice; if she can't, she must give up her magic.

Through it all Grace makes new friends and learns more about who she is. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The story was good, and I particularly liked the poetry at the beginning of each chapter.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC.

Feedback will be provided when a new contract is negotiated with HarperCollins Union.
Feedback will be provided when a new contract is negotiated with HarperCollins Union.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

This was a sweet, fun, enchanting reimagining of Anne of Green Gables. The target audience is definitely for the younger side, but as an adult, I really loved the magical world of Grace and her new adventures, her bold decision to leave the orphanage and to try to become an apprentice. I do agree with other reviews that it doesn't need to be called a retelling of Anne and that this story is fun on its own.

Grace is an orphan with no friends except a crow that talks. She feels alone, and she knows she's different - she can look into a person's eyes and see their regrets. That's why she runs away from the orphanage and to the forest where she finds the witch's cottage. Here, she offers her services and asks for shelter. The witch reluctantly agrees and challenges Grace to cast 100 spells by spring. If Grace can succeed, she will become the witch's apprentice. Otherwise, she must give up her magic.
Grace does try hard to cast the spells, but she must also attend school, which takes a big chunk of time. Soon, she begins to make friends and realizes that she needs help. By the end of the story, Grace has collected more friends than she could ever have imagined. And she learns about belonging to herself, to her gifts and to others.
I really enjoyed reading this book. The pace is pleasant until the end when I found myself wishing for more details and a sequel. I also liked the poetry. "Magic (is) like poetry - a poem, after all, could mean more than one thing, or mean different things to different people." Grace respects and appreciates nature as she uses natural resources wisely, and I appreciate that too.
While I don't typically endorse books about witches, this one reminds me of a fairy tale. Except it could happen. We all have unique gifts that make us special. Like Grace, we often need support, time, intuition, and help to discover and nurture those gifts. That's what Grace does. Until she could believe in herself, she was not fully present to her gifts. I really like how this book supports belonging, vulnerability and hope.