Sprites and Scuttlebutt is book six in Elizabeth Pantley’s Magical Mystery Book Club yet it’s the first one I have read (so I can attest that it can easily be read as a standalone). I am so glad to be introduced to this delightful paranormal cozy mystery series–it is a great escape and perfect for readers who love books about books. 

The series features a magical cozy mystery book club and when the group chooses a book, they are transported into the book and the mystery comes to life! (This reminds me so much of the Pages & Co. middle grade series by Anna James but for adults!) In this journey, the club travels to the Kingdom of Everglow. Everglow is a fairyland location with colorful sprites. The community of sprites don’t blink an eye at the book club and especially welcome the club’s talking cat Frank. Here readers learn about Frank’s past, which covers hundreds of years, including being a king, with an evil sorcerer changing him into a cat.

Not long after the club’s arrival, a key member of the royal sprite staff falls dead at a community event.The trouble doesn’t stop as the next day there is evidence of a breakin at the castle and one of the princess sprites has fallen in a deep sleep and can’t be roused. 

Yes, readers need to suspend disbelief as they dive into this story, but isn’t that the best part of reading? To escape with the book club into a fairyland full of beautiful sights and delicious fruits grown only in this land was a welcome treat. The characters are entertaining and often humorous and each so unique. I enjoyed the comments the book club members made about cozy mysteries and the tropes found inside. While I can’t speak for the rest of the series, I would be comfortable handing this mystery to an older middle grade reader who wants the taste of a more grown-up mystery but needs one without adult themes. 

Readers who enjoy a story within a story and who are looking for a break from reality should enjoy this title! 

More about the book:

Paranormal Cozy Mystery

6th in Series

Independently Published (February 15, 2024)

Print length ‏ : ‎ 289 pages

About the author: 

Elizabeth Pantley is the author of fourteen fun, magical cozy mystery books, as well as the international bestselling No-Cry Solution parenting series. [Side note: I had no idea Elizabeth wrote the No-Cry Solution books and here’s my big, much belated thank you for writing The No-Cry Potty Training Solution which I read when my kids were little many years ago and found so helpful!] 

She simultaneously writes well-loved cozy mysteries: The Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic book series and the Magical Mystery Book Club series.

Elizabeth lives in the Pacific Northwest, the gorgeous inspiration for the setting in many of her books.