While other tales may address it with a casual aside or scrub out the grimiest bits, leaving history in a shiny, tidy package removed from reality, Baptiste allows her characters to find and create ways to grapple with uncomfortable truths. As other young children of the African diaspora sort out their feelings about and relationships with slavery, so do Corinne and her loyal friends. Baptiste deepens what could be a light and charming undersea adventure with ties to African religions and the historical legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

“Baptiste's colorful, rich Caribbean characters return triumphantly in this sequel, and the mythos of the island continues to expand. A stellar recommendation for fans of edgy fantasy such as Aaron Starmer’s The Riverman Trilogy or Adam Gidwitz’s A Tale Dark and Grimm series, and, of course, fans of the first book.” “The novelty of the fantasy elements, the complex characters, and the superb world-building combine in a tale well worth reading, both as a sequel and a stand-alone. 'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. With action-packed storytelling and inventive twists on Caribbean and West African mythology and fairy tales, Rise of the Jumbies is a breathlessly exciting tale of courage and friendship.Ī School Library Journal Best Book of 2017 The only thing more perilous than Corinne’s adventures across the sea is the jumbie that waits for her back home. Corinne and her friends Dru, Bouki, and Malik must travel with mermaids across the ocean to fetch a powerful object for Mama D’Leau. But Mama D’Leau’s help comes with a price. To rescue the missing children and clear her own name, Corinne goes deep into the ocean to find Mama D’Leau, the dangerous jumbie who rules the sea.

When local children begin to go missing, snatched from the beach and vanishing into wells, suspicious eyes turn to Corinne. Everyone knows Corinne is half-jumbie, and many of her neighbors treat her with mistrust. Ĭorinne LaMer defeated the wicked jumbie Severine months ago, but things haven’t exactly gone back to normal in her Caribbean island home. Deep beneath the waves, a great enemy awakens.

The rise of the jumbies