4.2 Stars 

Travis comes home to find a surprise package addressed to him, and there begin his adventures. He makes new friends, learns about magic, forms a club with his human and animal friends, has adventures, and deals with a bad guy. 

The book has steady pacing throughout. As MG fiction, it deals with topics like school, bullying, making friends, etc. Bullying is dealt with well without being preachy or complex. We also see the range of emotions kids have when making major decisions. Neither of them is totally good or bad (even the bully). The characters are diverse, though it doesn’t actually play an active role in the plot. 

The writing is easy to read, with enough bits of humor, adventure, and reasoning to keep children hooked. The magic system doesn’t really provide answers but is truthful about the same. Whatever we see works to a great extent (suspension of belief is anyway necessary for fantasy). 

My only grouse is the lack of illustrations. I’d have liked at least a couple to see how the magic creatures look. 

To summarize, The Travelers Detective Club: An Origin Story is a short and quick read with many elements kids will like and enjoy. It’s a cool book for adults if you want a breather between heavy reads.