Poor Little Witch Girl — Marie Desplechin

At age eleven, Verbena hasn't shown a single sign of talent for witchcraft. And worse than that--she wants to be normal. In fact, she even dreams of settling down someday and getting married! But with a mother who tells you that a) you're a witch and b) a husband won't be much use to you--how can anything feel normal? But there is hope in the form of a loving grandmother--also a witch--who takes Verbena under her wing and shows her that casting spells and causing supernatural things to take place--is not so bad after all. Told in alternating points of view, Poor Little Witch Girl is the funny, tender story of a mom who knows exactly what she wants her daughter to be, and a daughter who just wants to be herself. In the end, maybe the two aren't so different after all?