With a diverse cast of multidimensional characters, a swift plot, and a unique setting, this book will delight many. Readers will thrill to the werewolflike lagahoo and the creepy little douens, who have backward-facing feet.
Structural elements similar to those of classic European fairy tales (brave girl, evil stepmother, magic amulet, and so on) look fresh, lively, and no less scary in the Caribbean setting. With the help of her friends-Dru, of South Asian descent Malik, who never says a word and Bouki-she discovers something deeply sinister going on. Algonquin Young Readers, 15.95 (240p) ISBN 978-1-61620-414-3 Baptiste ( Angel’s Grace) mines Caribbean folklore for her second novel. Rather than a mermaid’s fish-like body, Mama D’Leau’s tail is that of a giant. Corinne knows they are not real, but when a beautiful woman suddenly takes an interest in Papa, she starts digging deeper. While the first Jumbies book was influenced by the Haitian folktale The Magic Orange Tree this sequel explores the folk tale of Mama D’Leau, Mother of the Waters, who is a powerful water jumbie similar to a mermaid in many aspects except for her tail.
In Trinidad, where Corinne lives with her widowed papa on the edge of the forest, a jumbie is an evil spirit that comes out at night to suck blood, steal children, or lure people into peril, the kind of creature parents tell stories about to frighten their children. This is also an excellent illustration of the beautiful father-daughter relationship that helps fuel Corinne throughout the novel. What's a jumbie? Corinne and her friends know.
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