Rise of the Jumbies
By Tracey Baptiste
Hi! Do you know anybody who is made fun of by other people just for who they are? Well, that’s exactly how Corinne feels. She’s a half-jumbie/half-girl. But jumbies were supposedly evil creatures back then. And everyone on the island did not like her. One day, Corinne had a face-off with her Aunt Severine because Severine was evil. She fell off a cliff and the cliff fell into the water – and the cliff fell on top of her! Corinne thought that was the end of Severine. But then one day she wasn’t so sure.
The tide was coming out and people had to get off of the shore or they would be pulled into the water. Everyone made it, but Corinne’s best friend, Laurent, had gone back up towards his home, but had not been seen by his mother yet. So they conducted a search party for him. Then, suddenly, all sorts of other children began to get lost. Corinne knew she had to do something, so she went to the white witch. The white witch sent Corinne and her friends to Mama D’Leau. Mama D’Leau was a water jumbie. Corinne would need her help to find the children.
Mama D’Leau told Corinne that, if she was going to help them find the children, then they were going to have to give her a favor. At first, she didn’t tell Corinne what it was and Corinne couldn’t ask a question or all of her friends would die. So, instead she said to Mama D’Leau that she hadn’t told them what they were looking for. She told them to look for a rock shaped like the bottom of the ocean. Then she brought three mermaids to guide them. And then, she spoke to them in an ancient language and told them that they were going home. And the mermaids took the children in their hands and suddenly the children were able to breathe.
They followed the current that Mama D’Leau had set for them. It ended at a shipwreck. Then, the mermaids suddenly started remembering things: what their true names were and what had happened before they had lived with Mama D’Leau.
Suddenly, they arrived on a beach. But they had no idea what they were looking for. Then, a little boy came up to them.
What will the boy do? Will he report them to someone? Will he help them? As I always say, read the book to find out!
I recommend this book to readers who like underwater tales and adventure. This book was an action-filled tale full of fun!
A few helpful things I like to say about the books I read:
“Run and Get Mom” (how I describe the scariness factor):
There were only a few minor scary parts.
“Yucky-Lovey Stuff” (how I describe the romance factor):
There was no yucky-lovey stuff in this book.
I give this book 5 wands.
It was amazing! I absolutely loved it! This exciting tale about mermaids was one of the best books I have ever read!
Source: Review Copy
