I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis Published by Titan Books on May 27 2025
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 368
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A twist on the magical school trope told from the parents’ point of view, Caitlin Rozakis’s latest is a fun, heartfelt story with wry humor and a cozy vibe.
“Oct 27 12:05 p.m.
A kind reminder after last year’s incident that many of the off-the-shelf (Halloween) costumes sold in mundane stores are considered to be offensive stereotypes by the witch, shifter, undead, and other populations of our community. In an effort to help our children make thoughtful choices, we will be holding a mandatory Cultural Sensitivity workshop on Friday.”
The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association was not what I expected at all, and I ended up really enjoying this rather low-key magical school story with a twist. I will admit it didn’t pull me in right away, so I struggled in the beginning. But Rozakis’s characters went through so much growth, and the interactions among them were so uplifting and sweet at times, that I was ultimately won over.
Vivian’s five-year-old daughter Aria was bitten by a werewolf (who knew such things existed!) and now she “wolfs out” in the most inconvenient places and at the worst times possible. Now she and her husband Daniel must deal with something way out of their comfort zone. Luckily, it turns out there are special schools for werewolf kids—as well as a host of other supernatural creatures—so Vivian and Daniel have packed up and moved to a new town, just so Aria can attend Grimoire Grammar School.
But fitting in isn’t going to be easy. Not only does Aria have to learn to control her wolfy impulses, but Vivian and Daniel are mundanes and don’t have any magical ability. Vivian joins the PTA and tries to get to know the other moms, but she’s getting the cold shoulder. And when weird and dangerous things start happening at school events, whispers of a prophecy start to circulate. Vivian scrambles to figure out how to keep her daughter safe, all while navigating bake sales, field day and the necessary trials to get Aria into first grade.
One thing to know about this book is that the plot isn’t the main focus, so if you like your stories full of action and plot heavy, this might not be the book for you. In fact, the action doesn’t really kick in until about halfway through, and it’s almost an afterthought. Instead of being riveted by the prophecy storyline and how Aria might be involved, I much preferred reading about Vivian and her family’s struggles to adapt to a completely new environment. Vivian was such a great character. Her cozy life has been completely turned upside down, but she never gives up. I mean, can you imagine if your five-year-old was turned into a werewolf, and you still had to enroll them in Kindergarten?
Rozakis takes traditional school elements and events and pokes fun of them, making the story very relatable to anyone with school-aged children. For example, Grimoire Grammar School is an expensive, private school, and the family is struggling to pay for everything. There’s also pressure on the students to excel, otherwise they might be kicked out. Even Kindergarteners must participate in a “trial” to determine whether or not they move up to first grade! I also loved the WhatsAp parent group, which is full of gossip and complaining. The author sprinkles these texts throughout her story, and they are all laugh-out-loud funny. And I can’t forget my favorite elementary school trauma of all—lice! Rozakis finds a fun way to skewer that right of passage, and I loved how cleverly done it was.
Each chapter is introduced with an email from the Grimoire staff to parents, reminders of upcoming events or new rules, and these emails did a great job at setting a light tone throughout the story, even when things get a little hairy near the end.
Besides the humor though, the book’s main strength is the way the characters interact with each other and the emotional connections they make. Vivian and Daniel both feel as if they’ve made a terrible mistake enrolling Aria in Grimoire Grammar School, but after all three of them are bullied in one way or another, it was heartening to watch other, nicer parents and kids welcome them into the fold. Poor little Aria is probably the worst off (at first)—trying to figure out how to be a werewolf and still follow school rules, and I loved when a werewolf pack ends up welcoming the whole family with open arms. We also see Vivian and Daniel struggling in their marriage, especially late in the school year when things with Aria are at their most stressful. I loved that the author addressed marriage counseling rather than giving them an easy resolution to their problems.
Overall, this was a fun, heartwarming read, and I will be looking forward to Caitlin Rozakis’s next book.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
This was more of a ‘maybe’ on my TBR but your review has convinced me that this one is worth checking out. The quote at the start made me laugh and it sounds like a fun, moving story overall. The lesser focus on the plot should be worrying me more but everything else you’ve said has left me more intrigued than not.
It has so many funny lines, and I did love how much the characters grew during the story.
Great review, Tammy! I love how you call this book a low-key magical school story. It sounds like a really fun read and I feel it has some found family vibes. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Stephanie! Yes, it definitely has that found family vibe:-)
This sounds like a lot of fun. I couldn’t help but smile at the idea of a trial to see whether they can get into first grade. The Whatsapp group and the emails from the school add an extra little something as well that I usually enjoy in books.
The school satire was so funny!
Your review makes me think the heartwarming aspect feels kinda like THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA. ☺️ I read the author’s debut DREADFUL & liked it well enough, but it was a little slow for me & this sounds similar in that regard. I might pick it up one day.
I haven’t read Dreadful so I can’t compare it, but you do need to be in the mood for a slower, lighter read.
Now I need to read that one Tammy! Also I know the start is maybe slower or that I will need some time to really fall into it so I will keep that in mind!
I hope you enjoy it!
This sounds like fun; and I like character driven novels, so the slower pacing might not bother me. Maybe. I have another of Rozakis’s books on my summer reading list that I’m hoping to read in July. I might have to add this one to my list and try it, too. 😀
There was something about these characters that really grew on me. Enjoy your other Rozakis book!
This definitely sounds like a fun read! I might have to give it a try. Love that cover as well. Great review!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2025/06/12/e-galley-review-with-giveaway-shopping-for-a-highlanders-elopement-shopping-for-a-highlander-3-by-julia-kent/
The cover is really cute! Thanks Lisa:-)
Yep I need to read this one. And the way my work week is going, I feel like I’m about to “wolf out.” Great review.
Thanks Barb! LOL hey I’ve been there, work makes me feel the same sometimes:-)
I’m not sure how I’d do with this one (do better with action) but I’ve been gravitating towards lighter reads every summer, it sounds worth checking out!
I’m glad I read it, I don’t always need lots of action so it was a nice change.
Cozy fantasy really seems to be hitting its stride. And some of these titles! 🙂
LOL the titles are so long!
I enjoyed this too. And you’re spot on about the plot not being the main thing.
And I didn’t even care!
Interesting, I was looking out for your review of this because I remembered you saying you’d struggled with the start, and I wasn’t sure if this’d be my thing. Sounds like it’s worth it!
It’s good to know there’s an incident with lice, though — minor phobia on my part, but it should be fine with the warning!
Technically it’s not lice, but it’s the wolf version of lice (fleas!) and it was written in that context, so very funny:-)
I had a hunch that this was just my sort of book – and your superb review confirms it:). Thank you, Tammy – I’ll definitely be getting hold of this one:)).
I hope you love it!
This one sounds fun glad you had such a good time with it.
Lynn 😀