The Book Witch: A Novel

She can hop into any novel, but she just can’t stay there.

Come along with the Book Witch in this magical and inspiring love letter to reading from the USA Today bestselling author of The Wishing Game.

This hardcover edition includes gorgeously designed endpapers!

“Meg Shaffer continues to surprise and delight me with each book she writes.”—Laurie Gilmore, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Café


Rainy March is a proud, third-generation Book Witch, sworn to defend works of fiction from all foes real and imaginary. With her magical umbrella and feline familiar, she jumps in and out of novels to fix malicious alterations and rogue heroes like a modern-day magical Nancy Drew.

Book Witches live by a strict code: Real people belong in the real world; fictional characters belong in works of fiction. Do not eat, drink, or sleep inside a fictional world, lest you become part of the story. Falling in love with a fictional character? Don’t even think about it.

Which is why Rainy has been forbidden from seeing the Duke of Chicago, the dashing British detective who stars in her favorite mystery series. If she’s ever caught with him again, she’ll be expelled from her book coven—and forced to give up the magical gifts that are as much a part of her as her own name.

But when her beloved grandfather disappears and a priceless book is stolen, there’s only one person she trusts to help her solve the case: the Duke. Their quest takes them through the worlds of Alice in Wonderland, King Arthur, and other classics that will reveal hidden enemies and long-buried family secrets.

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Published Apr 7, 2026

320 pages

Average rating: 9.5

4 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

E_reader8
Apr 18, 2026
10/10 stars
"All stories are love stories when you love stories". This was absolutely the cutest book Ive ever read. This is for those of us who love books and are against banning or burning books. This is for those of us who ever wished we could meet our favorite characters and live a day in our favorite stories. I loved Rainy and I definitely loved the Duke of Chicago. I now wish he was an actual book series, actually now I have to check that its not just to be sure. I listened to this on audio and it was superb. This took a turn towards the middle or end of the book and at first I wasnt sure I liked it. But then, even I got in my feelings crying about a real but still fictional character. We all get our happy ending and the villains get what they deserve. And with that.... our revels now are ended. *chefs kiss.

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