Eva Evergreen Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe

Summary from Goodreads:

A charming new middle-grade fantasy adventure, about a young witch whose pinch of magic just might be more than enough, perfect for fans of Kiki's Delivery Service and Aru Shah and the End of Time.

Sometimes all you need is a pinch of magic...

Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch before she turns thirteen years old. If she doesn't, she'll lose her magic forever. For most young witches and wizards, it's a simple enough test:

ONE: Help your town, do good all around.
TWO: Live there for one moon, don't leave too soon.
THREE: Fly home by broomstick, the easiest of tricks.

The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic. She summons heads of cabbage instead of flowers and gets a sunburn instead of calling down rain. And to add insult to injury, whenever she overuses her magic, she falls asleep.

When she lands on the tranquil coastal town of Auteri, the residents expect a powerful witch, not a semi-magical girl. So Eva comes up with a plan: set up a magical repair shop to aid Auteri and prove she's worthy. She may have more blood than magic, but her "semi-magical fixes" repair the lives of the townspeople in ways they never could have imagined. Only, Eva's bit of magic may not be enough when the biggest magical storm in history threatens the town she's grown to love. Eva must conjure up all of the magic, bravery, and cleverness she can muster or Auteri and her dreams of becoming a witch will wash away with the storm.

Review:

Normally, I hate it when books get compared to movies I love so much as Kiki’s Delivery Service. How on earth can anything compare? Well…this actually does compare. I can see why so many reviewers are making the comparison. There’s this definite Japanese, whimsical/romantic Miyazaki feel to everything.

There are spiritual/sprite-like magical creatures, beautiful coastal towns, and a cast of characters who all just accept a young 12 year old girl character living on her own….not attending school, and in charge of saving a town from impossible feats. Totally believable….

Yet, there’s also something so wholesome, and so innocent about this book too. Eva genuinely wants to save everyone, even those who aren’t very kind to her. There’s a lot of problem solving in regards to bad weather. There’s friendship stories and family stories in here too. The town feels a little bit like Stars Hollow. And the magical lessons and hardships Eva faces reminded me also a little bit of the old version of Sabrina the teenage witch. I guess a lot of the book felt familiar. A lot of witch stories have already been written. But, it didn’t feel like a giant cliché. It felt more like a comfy mug of tea on a cold fall day. This was a sweet, magical story. There wasn’t anything too scary in it, or anything that will make you think too hard. It was a nice escape.

It’s a good book for kids who might not be up to Harry Potter yet. It’s a little lighter, but still fun and filled with magic. I guess it’s the book I needed in the moment, and I can see a lot of people feeling that right now. I give it an 8/10.