Title: The Jumbies

Author: Tracey Baptiste

Publisher: Algonquin Books 2015

Genre: MG Fantasy

Pages: 240

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Corinne La Mer claims she isn’t afraid of anything. Not scorpions, not the boys who tease her, and certainly not jumbies. They’re just tricksters made up by parents to frighten their children. Then one night Corinne chases an agouti all the way into the forbidden forest, and shining yellow eyes follow her to the edge of the trees. They couldn’t belong to a jumbie. Or could they?

When Corinne spots a beautiful stranger at the market the very next day, she knows something extraordinary is about to happen. When this same beauty, called Severine, turns up at Corinne’s house, danger is in the air. Severine plans 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 to save her island home.

I’ve heard about this one from multiple sources and finally picked it up for Middle Grade March. I loved the dive into Caribbean myths and culture. We get to meet Corinne and the various inhabitants of the island, including the non-human inhabitants. We dive right into the story and immediately encounter the danger from Severine. I loved following along as Corinne makes new friends and then finds a way to return peace and order to her island. Beautiful middle grade horror.

The Jumbies

• #1 The Jumbies

• #2 Rise of the Jumbies

• #3 The Jumbie God’s Revenge

Next up on the TBR pile: