Mari the Unwonderful Witch

Perfect for fans of WICKED, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE and THE WORST WITCH - from bestselling author of BUTTER, Asako Yuzuki! Mari is an eleven-year-old witch who loves her life. Indeed, what's not to love about spending time with her amazing mothers, hanging out with her clever friends, eating delicious food and experimenting with fashion? But, if you ask any of the other witches in town, Mari loves her life a little too much. After all, a wonderful witch puts the needs of others before herself. Magic should be used to help humans - not (for example . . .) creating giant donuts for you and your classmates to scoff. But Mari doesn't care what other people think of her - and when disaster strikes her town, she'll need to convince the other witches to have the courage to break free, too, and be just as wildly unwonderful as she is. A charming, cosy and thought-provoking tale about an UN-wonderfully unconventional little witch, perfect for anyone who likes an enchanting adventure with just a hint of mischief!

Asako Yuzuki was born in Tokyo in 1981. She has been nominated multiple times for the Naoko Prize, and her novels have been adapted for television, radio and film. Her novel Butter (translated by Polly Barton) has sold over half a million copies in the UK alone; was Waterstones Book of the Year 2024; and won the Books Are My Bag Breakthrough Author Award the same year. It was also awarded Fiction Debut of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2025, and was shortlisted for the CWA Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger Award. Her next novel to be published in the UK, Hooked (translated by Polly Barton), has also been a bestselling success. Mari the Unwonderful Witch (translated by Ecre Karadag) is her first book for children.