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    The Book Witch

    A Novel

    Author Meg Shaffer
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    On sale Apr 07, 2026 | 10 Hours and 0 Minutes | 9798217278220
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    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.

    “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.
    Advance praise for The Book Witch

    “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

    “Meg Shaffer brought my childhood dreams to life in a gem of a book that is inventive, cozy, and important all at the same time.” —Samantha Sotto Yambao, author of Water Moon
    “A clever and heartfelt adventure . . . This novel captures the giddy, perilous magic of losing yourself in a good story, just like Rainy does. It’s a luminous, wildly imaginative delight that every book lover will cherish.” —Hayley Gelfuso, author of The Book of Lost Hours


    Praise for The Wishing Game

    “Meg Shaffer’s beautiful novel is part Willy Wonka, part magical realism, and wholly moving. It broke my heart and patched it over and reminded me that even as an adult, if you look hard enough, you can find the child still inside you.” —Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name

    “A work by turns clever, dark, and hopeful, Shaffer’s debut is a love letter to reading and the power childhood stories have over us long after we’ve grown up.” —V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

    “A dreamy, inventive novel about how books can not only change lives but save them too . . . Full of the power of imagination, it’s one of my favorite books of the year.” —Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author of Other Birds

    “Shaffer blends tragedy and triumph in a whimsical and gratifying debut about what makes a family. This is wish fulfillment in the best way.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

    “Our list of must-read fiction books wouldn’t be complete without a novel that reminds readers of the power books hold between their pages.” —Reader’s Digest
    © Chanel Nicole Co.
    Meg Shaffer is the USA Today bestselling author of The Lost Story and The Wishing Game, which was a Book of the Month finalist for Book of the Year, a Reader’s Digest and Washington Post Best Book of the Year, and has been translated into 21 languages. Meg holds an MFA in TV and Screenwriting from Stephens College. She lives in Kentucky with her husband and two cats. The cats are not writers. View titles by Meg Shaffer

    About

    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.

    “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.

    Reviews

    Advance praise for The Book Witch

    “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

    “Meg Shaffer brought my childhood dreams to life in a gem of a book that is inventive, cozy, and important all at the same time.” —Samantha Sotto Yambao, author of Water Moon
    “A clever and heartfelt adventure . . . This novel captures the giddy, perilous magic of losing yourself in a good story, just like Rainy does. It’s a luminous, wildly imaginative delight that every book lover will cherish.” —Hayley Gelfuso, author of The Book of Lost Hours


    Praise for The Wishing Game

    “Meg Shaffer’s beautiful novel is part Willy Wonka, part magical realism, and wholly moving. It broke my heart and patched it over and reminded me that even as an adult, if you look hard enough, you can find the child still inside you.” —Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name

    “A work by turns clever, dark, and hopeful, Shaffer’s debut is a love letter to reading and the power childhood stories have over us long after we’ve grown up.” —V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

    “A dreamy, inventive novel about how books can not only change lives but save them too . . . Full of the power of imagination, it’s one of my favorite books of the year.” —Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author of Other Birds

    “Shaffer blends tragedy and triumph in a whimsical and gratifying debut about what makes a family. This is wish fulfillment in the best way.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

    “Our list of must-read fiction books wouldn’t be complete without a novel that reminds readers of the power books hold between their pages.” —Reader’s Digest

    Author

    © Chanel Nicole Co.
    Meg Shaffer is the USA Today bestselling author of The Lost Story and The Wishing Game, which was a Book of the Month finalist for Book of the Year, a Reader’s Digest and Washington Post Best Book of the Year, and has been translated into 21 languages. Meg holds an MFA in TV and Screenwriting from Stephens College. She lives in Kentucky with her husband and two cats. The cats are not writers. View titles by Meg Shaffer

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