SOLVED. YA Fantasy novel. Wizard's apprentice accidentally switches magic dust with the ashes of young orphan girl's father. She's in a Cinderella-like situation with stepmother. Spoilers. [s]

[Elisabeth]

Basically this is a chapter book for young readers. What happens is a wizards apprentice accidentally switches the magic dust he was sent to collect with the ashes of a young girls father who currently is in a Cinderella-like situation. Both notice and meet and go on an adventure to fix it.

I also remember the stepmother and a stranger following them and its revealed at the end that the evil stepmother is the daughter of a fisherman and the stranger is her brother, where at the end he makes fun of her for always smelling like fish.

[Kris]

Elizabeth, around what year did you read this book?

Who was the girl's father? What happened to her birth mother?

I copied plot details to the header/ topic title, and added a spoiler alert. Feel free to edit it.

[Becca]

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver looks like a match

[Kris]

Becca's suggestion of Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver sounds like your book.

Kirkus Review:

On the "Living Side," the sun hasn't come out in 1,728 days, and Liesl (about 11) has been locked in a small attic bedroom for 13 months by her conniving stepmother, Augusta. Three nights after her beloved father dies, she is visited by a child-sized ghost named Po and Bundle, a ghost-pet, both of whom come from the "Other Side," where dead souls in various stages of "becoming part of the Everything" linger till they can go "Beyond." They become unlikely best friends, and Po helps Liesl escape so she can take her father's ashes home. (...)  But the alchemist's mistreated apprentice Will, an orphan, mixes up the delivery...

And thanks to Becca for reminding me the "blockquote" html tag is a good way to format blocks of text in a comment.

[Elisabeth]

Becca wrote: "Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver looks like a match"

Yes you're right! Thank you so much that has been nagging my brain for weeks and I remember really liking it so thank you now I finally have the answer!