Algonquin has put a lot of time and effort into the release of this wonderful little "Horror" novel appropriate for children, and it shows. Intelligently written, never acting as if the kids reading the book will be ignorant and slow to follow. This novel contains a strong female heroine but one with enough pals of both sexes, filled with resilience and smarts that it makes a good, uplifting read for boys and girls.
Below I have fun links showing Jumbies in all their forms and a character run down of who you will find in this book. This is a great book to read with your kids in the upcoming warm months.....while camping out in the dark woods. (evil laugh here) Watch out for those Jumbies!
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Algonguin Young Readers
April 28, 2015
Ages 8 to 12
A field guide to Jumbies - Click Here.
The Cast of the Book - Click here.
A spine-tingling tale rooted in Caribbean folklore that will have readers holding their breath as they fly through its pages.
Corinne La Mer isn’t afraid of anything. Not scorpions, not the boys who tease her, and certainly not jumbies. They’re just tricksters parents make up to frighten their children. Then one night Corinne chases an agouti all the way into the forbidden forest. Those shining yellow eyes that followed her to the edge of the trees, they couldn’t belong to a jumbie. Or could they?
When Corinne spots a beautiful stranger speaking to the town witch at the market the next day, she knows something unexpected is about to happen. And when this same beauty, called Severine, turns up at Corinne’s house, cooking dinner for Corinne’s father, Corinne is sure that danger is in the air. She soon finds out that bewitching her father, Pierre, is only the first step in Severine’s plan to claim the entire island for the jumbies. Corinne must call on her courage and her friends and learn to use ancient magic she didn’t know she possessed to stop Severine and save her island home.
With its able and gutsy heroine, lyrical narration, and inventive twist on the classic Haitian folktale “The Magic Orange Tree,” The Jumbies will be a favorite of fans of Breadcrumbs, A Tale Dark and Grimm, and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.