Tracey Baptiste

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.

The Jumbies

The jumbies are coming! Corinne La Mer isn’t afraid of anything. Not scorpions, not the boys who tease her, and certainly not jumbies. She knows that jumbies aren’t real; they’re just creatures parents make up to frighten their children. But on All Hallows’ Eve, Corinne chases an agouti all the way into the forbidden woods. Those shining yellow eyes that follow her to the edge of the trees, they couldn’t belong to a jumbie. Or could they? Corinne begins to notice odd occurrences after that night. First she spots a beautiful stranger speaking to the town witch at the market. Then this same beauty, called Severine, turns up at Corinne’s house, cooking dinner for her father. Danger is in the air. Sure enough, bewitching Corinne’s father is 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 ancient magic to stop Severine and to save her island home.

Sarah Sammis

Dee B. 

Candyce Kirk

Nickie Mohler

I enjoyed this one. I thought the second half was better than the first. I just wasn't invested in the characters.

Britt Jansen 

Kelsey Holtaway

Between a 3 and 4 star. Fun and fast paced. I loved learning about the Jumbies and other Caribbean lore, and Corrine was a strong lead. 

Bands of kids coming together to fight monsters (ala Stranger Things, Super 8, etc.) is one of my favorite tropes, and I'm looking forward to the next in this series.

Kerri McDonald

“A seed is a promise, Corinne, a guarantee. Plant it and watch it grow.”

Do you remember when you fell in love with reading? I distinctly remember falling in love with books when I was young and devouring everything I could get my hands on. And I especially fell in love with books that nowadays would be classified as middle grade. There was just such a whimsical, magical quality to them that I just adored! They really ignited my love for reading and I’ve been a book nerd ever since.

Of course, as I grew up, I moved on to books geared towards young adults and adults. I kind of forgot about the entire middle grade genre, though I always remembered the way that had made me feel. Recently, I’ve been wanting to pick up some middle grade and, thankfully, I came across the perfect group to encourage me: Middle Grade Marvels! It’s a book club where we read a different middle grade book each month. It’s brought back that whimsy and wonder that I remember from when I was a kid! And there have been some fantastic books chosen by the group to read. In July, we chose to read The Jumbies and I’m so glad that we did!

The story follows a young girl named Corrine, who lives on a Caribbean island with her father. Her mother died a long time ago and, though Corrine misses her, she has a pretty great life with her dad. That is until one day when she wanders too far into the woods and catches the attention of one of the resident jumbies. Jumbies are magical and tricky creatures that claim the woods as their domain and aren’t fond of trespassers. Corrine soon finds herself in a struggle to save her father and her island.

Y’all, when I say this book swept me away! It was so beautifully crafted and atmospheric, I felt like I was on Corrine’s island, standing on the beach as I watched the waves. I loved the descriptions of the creepy woods, the resident creatures, and everything in-between! I think the author does a deft job of painting you a picture with her words and I was more than happy to get lost in it.

One of the aspects of this book that I absolutely loved was the lore. I had never heard of a jumbie before and it was fascinating to learn about all the different types! (Make sure to read the author’s note at the end to learn even more about them.) I could read an entire book that was just the history of each of the different creatures! Beyond that, the descriptions of island life and traditions were wonderful to read. It’s wonderful to see that representation in a middle grade book.

The main thing I loved about this book, though, was the characters. Corrine is such an incredible protaganist! She’s headstrong, fierce, kind, flawed… she’s so real that she practically leaps off the page. Does she always make the best decisions? Nope! But who did at her age? And I adored her relationship with the friends she makes as the book progresses. It reminded me of the awkwardness I felt when making new friends as a young girl. Speaking of her friends, I loved all the other characters, as well! They were nuanced and interesting, which made the whole reading experience that much more special.

I think the only thing that felt a little off to me was the pacing. Well… not so much the pacing as the length of the book, perhaps. Sometimes things felt a bit rushed when I would have liked to stay in the moment a little bit longer. This is especially true when it came to the end and Corrine’s background. I just wanted more! Thankfully, this just so happens to be the first book in a series, so I can dive back into this world.

Final thoughts: This book is a beautiful, atmospheric read that will transport you to the world of the Caribbean and jumbies. It’s incredibly interesting to learn about the culture and folklore. The characters are engaging and will worm their ways into your heart. Though this book felt like it went by too fast, it was a fun read and I can’t wait to pick up the next book in the series!

Jessica Nottingham

Fairy tales continue to be one of the cornerstones of my reading. The age that the story is written for doesn't matter. Give me a re-telling, or a classic, and I'll sit there wide-eyed and invested until the very end. So, it's not surprise that I picked up The Jumbies. I love reading folklore from different countries and, despite never having read "The Magic Orange Tree", I couldn't wait for Tracey Baptiste to tell me a new story. Haitian folklore? Yes please, and thank you very much.
 
Before I get started on the actual story itself, let me say that the audio version of this book is fabulous! Robin Miles does an excellent job of bringing this story to life, complete with wonderful accents and dialect. If you're looking for a way to get the whole experience, I highly recommend the audio. I know I would have loved this story either way. Still, having Robin Miles read it to me made it infinitely better.
 
Which leads me to the fact this is a gem of folktale! Just scary enough to give shivers, without being too over the top, this is the perfect story to share with a young reader. Corrine and her friends are brave and true. There is plenty of family love. A heaping helping of magic. Even better, there's a thread at the bottom of this story that shares the importance of living in harmony. About the importance of nature, and living in harmony with others. I adored every bit of it. This was the perfect blend of heroism, and childlike wonder.
 
If you're a fan of fairy tales, folklore, or just stories that will make you shiver and smile in equal measures, this is for you. I honestly wish I still worked with children so that I could share this with them. It was wonderful!

Emily Burns

Moth

Lucy

Haley Murray

Nicole Salcedo

Mirella Hetekivi

Kim Tyo-Dickerson

Mack Hargrave

Amanda

A spine-tingling tale rooted in Caribbean folklore about an ordinary girl who must use her extraordinary bravery--and a bit of magic--to save her island home from jumbies, the scary spirits that haunt the forest. 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, 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 to save her island home. PRAISE FOR THE JUMBIES: “Endlessly addictive and hypnotic . . . Baptiste has a lot of fun remixing the classic Haitian folktale The Magic Orange Tree, while adding her own original touches.” —Essence “A well written tale full of action with enough scary elements to satisfy fans of Adam Gidwitz’s A Tale Dark and Grimm.” —School Library Journal “It’s refreshing to see a fantasy with its roots outside Europe . . . This is a book worth reading simply for its originality.” —Kirkus Reviews “Entrancing and engaging . . . Baptiste enters an all-new folktale adaptation into our regular fantasy lore . . . Original. Haunting.” —A Fuse #8 Production A Washington Post Kids Post Book Club Selection A Junior Library Guild Selection