Oh my goodness, I LOVED THIS STORY!! It was like stepping into a blooming rose of nostalgia from start to finish. You can tell the author sought inspiration from so many of our childhood favorites including Anne of Green Gables, Hansel & Gretel, and even Matilda. This story follows young Grace, an orphan seeking the security of home. She's heard tales of a witch that bakes children in the woods and believing that she herself is a witch, heads to the little cottage to see if the witch would be interested in teaching her. Their relationship is extremely "grumpy/sunshine" and while the witch was pretty terrible, it was fun to watch her warm up to Grace throughout the story. The friendships, the magic, the RICH setting, the themes of courage and what "home" really means — it all worked. I wanted to live in Grace's world a bit longer, but I'm so grateful I got the time I did. 5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! Although I received a copy of this e-book in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own.

This book is not what I was expecting and I'm glad. Full disclosure, I've never read Anne of Green Gables, so I don't have that to compare it to. This is said to be a reimaging of Anne, but I couldn't even tell you if it was close lol. Grace is an orphan, but she doesn't think she ever has a chance at being adopted. Not with her magic ability. So, she runs away from the orphanage to find the witch to see if she can live there, learn to be a witch from her. The reluctant witch makes a deal with Grace, learn all 100 and 1/2 spells in her grimoire, and she will train her.

This turns out to be much more than just learning and performing spells for Grace though. I loved watching her make friends in the nearby town, figure out how to use her magic, basically without the help of the witch (or anyone else for that matter) and figure out how she's going to get through this grimoire.

I loved the way this story ended. Not at all what I expected, but perfect for this tale. Overall, this book gets a solid four stars for me. There were parts that felt a little bit long, but in the end, it did tie in quite well. The only concern I would have with younger children reading this is, if they have an overactive imagination (like I did) they may have bad dreams because of some of the magic and interactions between the witch and Grace. There wasn't anything terrible, but it does lead my active mind down its own little road.

A fun, whimsical tale of magic and friendship and kindness. This was, for me, a super quick read (partly because I spent 5 hours on an airplane) and it left me with the warm and fuzzy feelings that a good book does. Grace was likeable and sweet character- a poor orphan who simply wants a place to call home and a person to love her. After she convinces the witch to give her a chance, she sets to work through her spell book and, in the process, learns more about who she is and also the importance of relatationshios, both with friends and family.

The storyline is loosely based on Anne of Green Gables (with the addition of magic), which I absolutely loved as a child.

Absolutely delightful story about finding home and your place in the world. Grace is mesmerizing and her magic is beautiful. You’ll find yourself giggling and crying and grateful for every moment.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

-fawcett is MY queen of middle grade fantasy, she is doing it like no one else
-i read this one in a day, which i haven’t done in ages
-i’m not familiar with anne of green gables, but it didn’t detract from my reading experience at all
-the ending was so lovely and bittersweet, which i normally hate but it leaned enough toward sweet that i was okay
-grace was such a lovable character, and her whole friend group (including the witch!) were such a great addition to the story and really made this such a great read
-fawcett has such beautiful, lyrical writing, ive listened to a few of her novels on audiobook and i have no doubt this one would be a great experience reading it that way as well!
-i need my nephew’s to stay babies forever but also to grow up so i can read these books with them!!

Anne of Green Gables with magic?! Absolutely!! This story is every bit as magically enchanting and perfect as it sounds!

Thank you for the digital ARC. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

I can honestly say that all I’ve read so far, this book is doing major justice to its inspiration of Anne. I feel all the nostalgic feelings towards it and it’s such a just wonderful story in all.

To be honest I really wanted to like this book. I'm a long-time Anne of Green Gables fan and I'm also a fan of magic worlds used in fiction but this book just didn't do it for me. It felt forced and repetitive. I feel like there was a great spark of an idea that wasn't fleshed out and edited well.

Charming “retelling” of Anne of Green Gables meets Hansel and Gretel! This was a cute, middle grade read! I was in the market for an adorable palette cleanser and this was just the thing. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Is Anne of Green Gables the original found family story? After reading The Grace of Wild Things, I’m saying yes. This book is a magical retelling of Anne, with a young, orphaned witch who pretty forces herself on a witch who lives in the forest. After striking a deal with the witch, Grace explores her magic and her new home. The writing is stunning (makes me so excited to read this author’s adult work) and so heartwarming. The magic is like a classic fairy tale, full of flowers and clouds and talking birds. I adored it.

Like its inspiration, this has a lot of heart. There are several likable characters and the witch is surprisingly layered for a middle grade story. Grace’s friends are wonderful, and it’s really special to see finally be cared about and find her people after being so lonely. The choice to make Gilbert into a mischievous fairy is so wonderful and so funny. And yes, I did tear up several times. I love headstrong girls, I love magic and I love forests that come alive. This was great and I’m eager to get it for our library.

Cute story, but I wanted more of the witch and Grace’s relationship! I saw some similarities to Anne of Green Gables, but would’ve loved more. The addition of Cordelia and the men confused me—what was their purpose?

I've seen The Grace of Wild Things described as Anne of Gables meets Grimm fairytales, and I would echo that sentiment!

The Grace of Wild Things is like a twist on the beloved story, Anne of Green Gables. Grace is an orphan, just like Anne, looking for imagination and beauty. However, Grace has a magic that Anne never had! This is where the slightly darker vibes come in. Grace is a young girl just trying to navigate her supernatural world.

This story is still written in that wonderful writing style of the authors as seen in other books of hers. I would definitely recommend this for youth and older children.

The Grace of Wild Things is a middle grade magical Anne of Green Gables reimagining. I enjoyed Grace's dreamy outlook on life and liked seeing how she endears herself to and befriends mostly everyone she meets. She was such a charming character, and I adored seeing her whimsy and interactions with others play out.

For me, a lot of the Anne of Green Gables references felt unnaturally shoehorned in. I think I would have enjoyed this more if the character of Grace had kept her personality as inspired by Anne, but without it following certain story beats. The one exception is the part with the cordial and later how Grace helps the little sister and wins her friend's mom over to her side.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book, and I think it's perfect for middle grade readers looking for a lighthearted magic book.

I’ve been a fan of Anne of Green Gables ever since I saw the wonderful miniseries with Megan Follows. She is the definitive Anne for me. So any new Anne has some big shoes to fill. I think this book does a lovely job of it.

This is not your usual Anne of Green Gables, although the story lines will be familiar to fans of the book or tv show there is enough different to make this book feel fresh and new. It does an excellent job of hitting the right narrative notes. Found family, found friends, imagination. Focusing on a clever, brave heroine who experiences the world around her with unbounded charm and delight. The book was easy to read and to fall into, and it was a page turner. I am sharing it with my daughter, who never got into the original book series. I hope she likes it as much as I did.

This book was an adorable read and would do well for students in middle school. It is easy to get into and follow even if you never read Anne of Green Gables.. Grace is a fun narrator to follow along and watch as she finally gets friends and a family for the first time. I love how strong willed Grace is and how comes up with her own way to do things. The layout of the chapters make it really easy to follow and get through since they are like small tales themselves. The only issue I had with the story itself is that the ending felt a little rushed, but otherwise I would recommend this book.
I was permitted to review both an e-book copy and an audiobook copy of this story. The audiobook was also easy to follow along and listen to. It wasn't the final narrator so I can't comment too much on the voices themselves, but I think it has a lot of potential as an audiobook as well. The chapters don't drop you off in the middle of a scene or anything, so it is easy to drop-off and pick-up wherever you need to.

It has been a while since I read Anne of green gables, but I remember loving it. So once I found out there was a retelling with magic I was intrigued.
The story follows young Orphan Grace who wishes nothing more than having a place to finally belong. After she escapes the Orphanage, she goes in search of a house in the woods where it’s rumored a witch is living. Grace being a witch herself hopes of finding someone who understands her.
The witch however doesn’t seem to want anything to do with Grace. After getting the witch to a agree to a bet in exchange for becoming her apprentice. Grace has one year to complete all the spells from the witches Grimoire. On her journey she finds some friends and maybe begins to soften the witches heart towards her.

I really enjoyed this one, not only as a retelling but as a story on its own. You can definitely tell what the author was retelling in the way our main character spoke and her whimsical nature.
There are some things that didn’t work aswell for me.
- Somtimes there were parts that moved to fast. Especially the ending felt rushed.
- the character that is the main villain in the end felt a bit unnecessary and wasn’t fleshed out enough.
I still think if you liked Anne of green gables but wished it had magic this book would be for you.

I received a E- Arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

Growing up Anne of Green Gables was a book I reread yearly. When I saw this was a new twist on my favorite childhood story I was so excited to be given an advanced reader copy. I must admit I was a little worried that the new story would change Anne in a way that she was no longer the same character but I was worried for nothing. Our Anne is still the same imaginative and lovable girl, just in a whole new setting.

I think this is a great book that can introduce children to some of the classics their parents grew up on.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this lovely book!

The Grace of Wild Things is a lovely reimagining of Anne of Green Gables that captures the spirit of the classic and essence of “Anne” while becoming something that stands fantastically on its own.

In this book, Anne is Grace, Marilla is a witch, Matthew is a cloud and Gilbert a fairy. And each one is perfectly suited to both the tale and world crafted by Heather Fawcett.

Grace is the girl/witch you want to root for. She’s bright and inquisitive and wonderfully flawed. The witch is dark and crusty and nuanced. And as Grace forges friendships, supporting characters help to fully flesh things out. Each of the children have specific quirks that really make them stand out.

The best things about The Grace of Wild Things are the feelings it evokes. Picking it up is like visiting with an old friend. Fawcett’s writing is warm and inviting, full of wit and emotion. The Grace of Wild Things is a fine update to a beloved classic.

This story was so cute and informative for young readers. Not only an almost retelling of “Anne of Green Gables” with an added twitch of magic, friendship, and grief.

Almost immediately I personally fell in love with the characters and what they brought to the story. I appreciated that the topic of grief and losing a loved one. These topics of friendships, not fitting in, grief and so many more important ideas that children need to know!

Highly recommend for middle school aged children and younger, if their reading level is higher.

Take Anne of Green Gables and add witchcraft and BAM.. you’ve got a book.

Grace has never been good at anything except magic. While other children are adopted from the orphanage, Grace has nobody wanting her. So she runs away. Who better to teach her about magic than another witch.

This story was an imaginative and unique in its own spin. There’s definitely a main character struggling with identity. I appreciated the take the story was trying to weave, but she’s a massive honker for kids to read.