Book Spotlight: It’s Elementary

In the past few years, Elise Bryant has released a trio of YA romances that look really cute. Now, she’s making her adult debut with It’s Elementary, a cozy mystery about a mom, Mavis, who has recently become in charge of the DEI committee at her seven-year-old daughter’s school. But things go wrong at the first PTA meeting, and then the principal goes missing. Mavis takes it upon herself to find out what really happened to the principal, changing her views on parenting and elementary school politics in the process.

As a new mom myself, It’s Elementary looks like a lot of fun. I’ve always enjoyed mysteries, and I love the added themes of diversity and inclusion, PTA dynamics, and what it means to be a good parent. I can only hope that things won’t be quite as eventful at my kid’s school! This is a book I’m excited to read, along with Elise Bryant’s YA novels.

Find out more about It’s Elementary below, and let me know if you’re planning to pick it up. If you’ve already read it, let me know how you liked it in the comments! I’m hoping to read this book soon, so stay tuned for my review.

Official Summary

A fast-paced, completely delightful new mystery about what happens when parents get a little too involved in their kids’ schools, from NAACP Image Award nominee Elise Bryant.

Mavis Miller is not a PTA mom. She has enough on her plate with her feisty seven-year-old daughter, Pearl, an exhausting job at a nonprofit, and the complexities of a multigenerational household. So no one is more surprised than Mavis when she caves to Trisha Holbrook, the long-reigning, slightly terrifying PTA president, and finds herself in charge of the school’s brand-new DEI committee.

As one of the few Black parents at this California elementary school, Mavis tries to convince herself this is an opportunity for real change. But things go off the rails at the very first meeting, when the new principal’s plans leave Trisha absolutely furious. Later that night, when Mavis spies Trisha in yellow rubber gloves and booties, lugging cleaning supplies and giant black trash bags to her waiting minivan, it’s only natural that her mind jumps to somewhere it surely wouldn’t in the light of day.

Except Principal Smith fails to show up for work the next morning, and has been MIA since the meeting. Determined to get to the bottom of things, Mavis, along with the school psychologist with the great forearms (look, it’s worth noting), launches an investigation that will challenge her views on parenting, friendship, and elementary school politics.

Brilliantly written, It’s Elementary is a quick-witted, escapist romp that perfectly captures just how far parents will go to give their kids the very best, all wrapped in a mystery that will leave you guessing to the very end.

Get the Book

You can buy It’s Elementary here – it’s available as paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

It’s Elementary by Elise Bryant
Audience	Adult
Genre	Cozy Mystery
Setting	California
Number of Pages	368
Original Publication Date	July 9, 2024