What do you think?
Rate this book
The Book Witch: An Urban Fantasy Coming-of-Age Novel
Some Twelve-year-olds play games, or watch TV, or travel.
Not Natalia MacKenzie. She reads books at the Serenity Library rumored to have magic because she comes from a broke family, and she can’t afford to do anything else.
Yet when Natalia’s dad finds a steady career, she starts reconnecting with her old friends. Then the town mayor announces he’s shutting down the library.
After Natalia’s dad loses his job for the second time, she’s tired of her family’s misfortune. Natalia is tempted to distance herself from her peers again, but she needs their help to try to change the mayor’s decision. When her attempt fails, she feels hopeless.
However, Natalia learns she has a deeper connection to the Serenity Library other than her love for books…she has the power to save it.
The solution to keeping the library open is hidden within, and all Natalia has to do is find it.
Not Natalia MacKenzie. She reads books at the Serenity Library rumored to have magic because she comes from a broke family, and she can’t afford to do anything else.
Yet when Natalia’s dad finds a steady career, she starts reconnecting with her old friends. Then the town mayor announces he’s shutting down the library.
After Natalia’s dad loses his job for the second time, she’s tired of her family’s misfortune. Natalia is tempted to distance herself from her peers again, but she needs their help to try to change the mayor’s decision. When her attempt fails, she feels hopeless.
However, Natalia learns she has a deeper connection to the Serenity Library other than her love for books…she has the power to save it.
The solution to keeping the library open is hidden within, and all Natalia has to do is find it.
205 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 8, 2025
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 10, 2026
Rating: 🙂/3
Source: #netgalley
Review: Cute main character with real life experiences trying to save a magical library. Loved the tons of great references to real books. The library is its own character! Too many characters and book was too long and confusing.
Format: 👩🏻💻
Source: #netgalley
Review: Cute main character with real life experiences trying to save a magical library. Loved the tons of great references to real books. The library is its own character! Too many characters and book was too long and confusing.
Format: 👩🏻💻
June 9, 2026
I would rate the novel as 4 out of 5 as the writer had created a mysterious story through its magical power and effects in the novel .
The novel started in the country of Michigan ,where mom was asking her daughter Natalia to visit library with her friend josh who stayed nearby house .Both of them in the same school,and studied together and were very close and familiar to their families.The boy doesn't liked to read the books so after insisting so much by Natalia mom he was ready to ready the books at library finally went together although he was interested in playing video games.and he wanted to go for cruise trip instead of reading books during summer vacation .his family trip was cancelled due to her father's job so he wanted to go for the trip with Natalia and her mom to spent the time and have lots of fun together but the girl was a book witch wanted to read the book and know the theory of serenity library that had got magical power . When she sat in the library ,mom felt happy and told both of them to choose any book that would create magic to make up their mind for reading a book by ownself .so they had done the task of reading and felt happy .
After summer vacation ,the girl went to the school and found their new teacher Mr Ellison who was their new English at seventh grade The teacher,gave an assignment of making a report writing .as she saw the new teacher she recalled the past memories that she might have met the person before .she couldn't remembered fully but somehow a flash of light came to her mind that she met her aunt Katie when invited for having icecream at gold dairy there she met him accidentally .
The girl was working behind the history of serenity library and she came to know from her aunt Katie that she belonged to witch family and her aunt had three sisters who worked and created a magical powerbat library ,lake Michigan photos and light house .These three sisters Serenity,Emmeralineand Genevieve worked together put up a makeup,like compact on their faces ,eyeliner,lipstick , and bright eyeshadow to look beautiful well groomed and attract the people towards them for doing their business so they could created a magical power and lured them.
Later another sister ,Christina from lighthouse joined them as no body like Christina look as she was not good looking as her marriage also broke up ,no friends were there ,the people left for her rude behaviour sp she decided to go to the lighthouse near Lake Michigan and casts a spell by reading spell books over there and thus magic was created over the place .
The novel started in the country of Michigan ,where mom was asking her daughter Natalia to visit library with her friend josh who stayed nearby house .Both of them in the same school,and studied together and were very close and familiar to their families.The boy doesn't liked to read the books so after insisting so much by Natalia mom he was ready to ready the books at library finally went together although he was interested in playing video games.and he wanted to go for cruise trip instead of reading books during summer vacation .his family trip was cancelled due to her father's job so he wanted to go for the trip with Natalia and her mom to spent the time and have lots of fun together but the girl was a book witch wanted to read the book and know the theory of serenity library that had got magical power . When she sat in the library ,mom felt happy and told both of them to choose any book that would create magic to make up their mind for reading a book by ownself .so they had done the task of reading and felt happy .
After summer vacation ,the girl went to the school and found their new teacher Mr Ellison who was their new English at seventh grade The teacher,gave an assignment of making a report writing .as she saw the new teacher she recalled the past memories that she might have met the person before .she couldn't remembered fully but somehow a flash of light came to her mind that she met her aunt Katie when invited for having icecream at gold dairy there she met him accidentally .
The girl was working behind the history of serenity library and she came to know from her aunt Katie that she belonged to witch family and her aunt had three sisters who worked and created a magical powerbat library ,lake Michigan photos and light house .These three sisters Serenity,Emmeralineand Genevieve worked together put up a makeup,like compact on their faces ,eyeliner,lipstick , and bright eyeshadow to look beautiful well groomed and attract the people towards them for doing their business so they could created a magical power and lured them.
Later another sister ,Christina from lighthouse joined them as no body like Christina look as she was not good looking as her marriage also broke up ,no friends were there ,the people left for her rude behaviour sp she decided to go to the lighthouse near Lake Michigan and casts a spell by reading spell books over there and thus magic was created over the place .
May 18, 2026
Normally when I’m faced with a book whose writing style isn’t 100% up my alley I find it too distracting to fully enjoy the story, but I have to say, The Book Witch was a delightful surprise. I was really impressed with how real and relatable the characters felt, especially with their varied real-world problems and interactions. In fact, combined with the tone and writing style, I almost wondered if the author was very young herself, so well was she able to tap into that age. Much like Natalia’s magic, it’s both a blessing and a curse - not all authors are able to write childhood convincingly once they’ve grown out of it, but at the same time it means the work lacks a certain sense of polish. That may only really matter to people like me who are old and cranky and looking for things to critique; certainly a kid reading this might not care as much, and will likely be far too absorbed in the wonderful story to notice. I was especially delighted by the ending - it’ll be difficult to explain without spoiling it, but I loved how neatly a detail that may have been overlooked tied into Natalie’s solution to her dilemma, and solved multiple problems at once. Overall, The Book Witch gave me warm fuzzies in a way I didn’t know I needed. Well done for a first novel!
May 26, 2026
Today I read The Book Witch by author K.L. Baxton.
The Serenity Library has an enchanted folklore of being a place that children who arrive there will leave with an appreciation of books. Better grades can even happen. Twelve year old bookworm Natalia has all but grown up in the library as her mom works there. Reading is Natalia’s sanctuary.
Very unexpectedly the towns Mayor orders the library to be demolished…in a week!
Secrets begin to reveal themselves pointing Natalia that she may be able to intervene…but it won’t be easy. Can she save the library and heal the town?
It will be well worth your while to pick up this precious story and find out.
This book was full of wonderful young characters and caring adults that are easy to invest in. Serious issues commonly faced by families are woven through safely. Bullying, financial hardships, illness, divorce.
This book is listed as YA, 9 yrs and older. I will say I found it incredibly enjoyable in my 50s. It was a perfect palate cleanser from the heavier stories I am usually reading and it was truly refreshing.
Highly recommend for the YA crown and anyone wanting a well written quick witchy story.
Thank you BookBuzz and NetGalley for providing me this reading copy. This is my voluntary and honest review.
The Serenity Library has an enchanted folklore of being a place that children who arrive there will leave with an appreciation of books. Better grades can even happen. Twelve year old bookworm Natalia has all but grown up in the library as her mom works there. Reading is Natalia’s sanctuary.
Very unexpectedly the towns Mayor orders the library to be demolished…in a week!
Secrets begin to reveal themselves pointing Natalia that she may be able to intervene…but it won’t be easy. Can she save the library and heal the town?
It will be well worth your while to pick up this precious story and find out.
This book was full of wonderful young characters and caring adults that are easy to invest in. Serious issues commonly faced by families are woven through safely. Bullying, financial hardships, illness, divorce.
This book is listed as YA, 9 yrs and older. I will say I found it incredibly enjoyable in my 50s. It was a perfect palate cleanser from the heavier stories I am usually reading and it was truly refreshing.
Highly recommend for the YA crown and anyone wanting a well written quick witchy story.
Thank you BookBuzz and NetGalley for providing me this reading copy. This is my voluntary and honest review.
May 11, 2026
Magic Coming of Age
As someone who loves stories about magic, friendship, and growing up, I really enjoyed this book. It had that cozy, magical atmosphere that immediately pulled me in, especially with the idea of a mysterious library holding secrets far greater than anyone realizes. Natalia was such a relatable main character, and I appreciated how real her struggles felt as she dealt with family hardships, friendships, and trying to find her place in the world.
What I loved most was the coming-of-age aspect woven into the magical storyline. Watching Natalia slowly gain confidence and discover her deeper connection to the serenity library made the story feel heartfelt as well as adventurous. The themes of hope, community, and resilience were beautifully done without feeling overly heavy.
The library itself almost felt like a character of its own, and as a book lover, I couldn’t help but fall in love with the setting. The mix of magic and emotional growth made this an enjoyable and comforting read. It’s the kind of story that reminds you why magical middle-grade adventures are so timeless and meaningful.
As someone who loves stories about magic, friendship, and growing up, I really enjoyed this book. It had that cozy, magical atmosphere that immediately pulled me in, especially with the idea of a mysterious library holding secrets far greater than anyone realizes. Natalia was such a relatable main character, and I appreciated how real her struggles felt as she dealt with family hardships, friendships, and trying to find her place in the world.
What I loved most was the coming-of-age aspect woven into the magical storyline. Watching Natalia slowly gain confidence and discover her deeper connection to the serenity library made the story feel heartfelt as well as adventurous. The themes of hope, community, and resilience were beautifully done without feeling overly heavy.
The library itself almost felt like a character of its own, and as a book lover, I couldn’t help but fall in love with the setting. The mix of magic and emotional growth made this an enjoyable and comforting read. It’s the kind of story that reminds you why magical middle-grade adventures are so timeless and meaningful.
May 13, 2026
Natalia’s family is going through hard times. She hides herself in the corner of the local library reading books to escape from being confronted or ridiculed about her situation. As the story goes on she eventually finds that others have issues too.
But most importantly that library, she finds comfort in, is to be torn down. As she tries to do something to stop that she finds her family history is more tied up in the library than she could imagine.
Natalia the main character is 12, so this would be a fun and perfect read for that age. I’m sure they will find lots to relate too in the characters home and school lives.
This is probably one for the younger reader age group. The story happens over a week. Which to me felt rushed. I presume to add impetus. But that and especially the Mayor’s final turning point announcement, and its impact, happens like a flicked switch. Which didn’t seem like it could have really happened. However as my daughter would say, remember this is a just a story. So just go with it.
The story is Thank you for K.L. Barton and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.
But most importantly that library, she finds comfort in, is to be torn down. As she tries to do something to stop that she finds her family history is more tied up in the library than she could imagine.
Natalia the main character is 12, so this would be a fun and perfect read for that age. I’m sure they will find lots to relate too in the characters home and school lives.
This is probably one for the younger reader age group. The story happens over a week. Which to me felt rushed. I presume to add impetus. But that and especially the Mayor’s final turning point announcement, and its impact, happens like a flicked switch. Which didn’t seem like it could have really happened. However as my daughter would say, remember this is a just a story. So just go with it.
The story is Thank you for K.L. Barton and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.
June 29, 2026
I enjoyed this middle grade novel about a 12 year old girl named Natalia who becomes a book witch. The town library is set to be torn down and she is the only one who can save it.
The setting is in northern Michigan near Escanaba. As someone who grew up in the state, it was easy for me to visualize the setting - especially the lighthouse at the end of a pier and a beach on the lake. As an avid reader, the setting of the library seemed amazing and I could visualize Natalia on the different levels of the library as she described them.
The characters were well developed and the story line was solid. This story would most be enjoyed by upper elementary and middle school aged children.
The only downfall is that there were some choppy sections and some things that were repetitive. A couple of times the story seemed to go on an unnecessary tangent that was distracting. These are normally things an editor would handle.
Overall I enjoyed the book and I think kids will too.
The setting is in northern Michigan near Escanaba. As someone who grew up in the state, it was easy for me to visualize the setting - especially the lighthouse at the end of a pier and a beach on the lake. As an avid reader, the setting of the library seemed amazing and I could visualize Natalia on the different levels of the library as she described them.
The characters were well developed and the story line was solid. This story would most be enjoyed by upper elementary and middle school aged children.
The only downfall is that there were some choppy sections and some things that were repetitive. A couple of times the story seemed to go on an unnecessary tangent that was distracting. These are normally things an editor would handle.
Overall I enjoyed the book and I think kids will too.
May 6, 2026
This is the kind of middle grade story that quietly pulls you in and then surprises you. Natalia starts off as a relatable kid dealing with money struggles, school stress, and feeling like she doesn’t quite fit in—but once the Serenity Library begins revealing its secrets, the story shifts into something much bigger. The idea of stepping into a picture and uncovering the origins of the library’s magic was such a fun twist, and I loved how it tied the past and present together. It balances real-life challenges with fantasy in a way that feels natural, and the stakes around saving the library give it real momentum. If you like stories about hidden magic in ordinary places, this one is worth picking up.
June 8, 2026
sweet almost realistic magical story
This was a pretty fun book with a story about a girl who is a bit too focused on her own life and family issues to realize she still has people that want to be her friend. Natalia is a very relatable 12 year old with a 6 year younger sister as a close friend but also pestering her from time to time. The time traveling was pretty realistic in the thought process of what one would have to do if as a child being discovered in a place where the clothing is definitely visible. It ends with a HEA for everyone even the bullies and she seems to have grown and learned a few lessons as well by the end. Meant for children but definitely still enjoyable as an over 40 year old book dragon.
This was a pretty fun book with a story about a girl who is a bit too focused on her own life and family issues to realize she still has people that want to be her friend. Natalia is a very relatable 12 year old with a 6 year younger sister as a close friend but also pestering her from time to time. The time traveling was pretty realistic in the thought process of what one would have to do if as a child being discovered in a place where the clothing is definitely visible. It ends with a HEA for everyone even the bullies and she seems to have grown and learned a few lessons as well by the end. Meant for children but definitely still enjoyable as an over 40 year old book dragon.
May 4, 2026
This was such a cute and enjoyable read! The idea of a magical library is really appealing to me. The story had a very cute and fresh story. Some parts felt a bit too over explained, and some repetition here and there. However, The Book Witch was a good read. This book featured easy to follow vocabulary and sentence structure. It was a very deliberate choice, and appropriate for a middle-grade reader. The book also dealt with some nice emotional material, particularly concerning friendship and feeling out of place. A good book. Not perfect, but fun and perfect for middle grade readers who love magic, libraries, and books. I got this e-book free.
May 17, 2026
Natalia is a tween without many options - she doesn't really have friends and is borderline being bullied at school, and her family's struggles mean that the only place where she can really get what she needs is the local library.
But now the mayor has decided the Serenity Library will be shut down! Can the library's reputation for being magical somehow save it? Or will Natalia have to come up with a plan of her own?
At times, there was something about the writing that felt a little abrupt, but overall this is an easy read with a relatable protagonist.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
But now the mayor has decided the Serenity Library will be shut down! Can the library's reputation for being magical somehow save it? Or will Natalia have to come up with a plan of her own?
At times, there was something about the writing that felt a little abrupt, but overall this is an easy read with a relatable protagonist.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
May 10, 2026
This middle grade fantasy offers a mix of real-world struggles and magical discovery, following Natalia as she navigates family challenges and the looming loss of her beloved library. The story takes an interesting turn when Natalia uncovers a connection to the library’s past, revealing a hidden magical history.. It’s an easy book to sink into, especially for readers who love stories where ordinary places hide extraordinary secrets, and it leaves you wanting to follow Natalia deeper into the truth behind the library before it’s too late.
July 21, 2026
Light trigger warning for poverty if that is something that might affect you. The family is poor and the mc is an underweight minor. They often mention how her bones stick out, how she's hungry, and her clothes not fitting right. A few mentions of Harry Potter. I'm so tired of people centering Harry Potter. Can we move on to someone who deserves the attention and isn't causing active harm to society, please? She is not the only children's author out there. I think the premise was very good but this story could have been told better.
May 29, 2026
Fun cozy youth read
I haven't read any youth or young adult books in a while. That being said i gave this one a whirl and do not regret it at all. For a short story it has alot happen. Characters develope and grow, friends reunite, family overcomes hardships, and best of all a girl finds her purpose. This is a great read if you are looking for something quick and satisfying. I guarantee I would have loved this even more had I read it at a young age.
I haven't read any youth or young adult books in a while. That being said i gave this one a whirl and do not regret it at all. For a short story it has alot happen. Characters develope and grow, friends reunite, family overcomes hardships, and best of all a girl finds her purpose. This is a great read if you are looking for something quick and satisfying. I guarantee I would have loved this even more had I read it at a young age.
July 22, 2026
This was a good read. Bought this for my daughter but I read it first and it was pretty interesting and grabbed my attention. Natalia is a character everyone can relate to. I hate talking about the book so as to not spoil for anyone but it's worth your time to read it. By the way, my daughter said this was her favorite book ever. I definitely recommend it......and so does she!
August 9, 2026
I came across this book by accident thinking it was another book but it caught my attention from the very beginning. This is a book I would have loved to read as a teenager. I love the idea of traveling back in time to help save the library and change her family's history. I plan on introducing this book to my kids and other kids.
May 10, 2026
Terrible writing. Repetitive, constantly tells instead of showing, and a lot of misused words. Author needs to work on fundamentals of good writing.
The story had the germs of a good tale. I wish it had been tolerable writing.
The story had the germs of a good tale. I wish it had been tolerable writing.
August 7, 2026
Initially, a very confusing plot line. Things got better as I read along, but it still is a rather silly story. Sorcery and witchcraft aren’t a topic I enjoy reading. The entire book seemed juvenile and geared to middle school readers.
March 29, 2025
Natalia MacKenzie's story is a heartfelt adventure that blends reality with a touch of magic. As she fights to save the Serenity Library, readers are taken on a journey of resilience, friendship, and self-discovery. The stakes are high, the emotions are real, and the mystery surrounding the library keeps you turning pages.
This is a must-read for anyone who loves books, believes in the power of community, and enjoys a story where the underdog rises to the challenge. A truly enchanting read!
This is a must-read for anyone who loves books, believes in the power of community, and enjoys a story where the underdog rises to the challenge. A truly enchanting read!
April 14, 2025
I’ve already passed this one along to my daughter! It explores some important themes about feeling good-enough, finding and trusting your friends, and the power to affect change- even when you’re young. I’m also a sucker for anything with magic AND books!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews