The Jumbies
Ratings8
Average rating4.1
The last ten minutes of this audiobook saved the book for me. I can't exactly say why without spoiling.
It was looking like the Indigenous people were being made out to be evil. Evil has the ability to live in anyone but this not the case in this instance.
This was another great read. I've said it too many times to count now, Middle Grade is killing it.
This was powerful because it speaks to something that not a lot of us speak on. As a descendant of both Indigenous people and people of different parts of Africa, we tend to focus on the injustice of the genocide of Indigenous people, the enslavement of both Indigenous and African people; all while dismissing the fact that later on descendants of the African people partook in the overtaking of the Indigenous lands just as the colonizers did. I understand that folks had to do what they could to survive in a new land. Even now folks still have to do what they can to survive. It's about acknowledging that there were people on these lands first and doing what you can to honor them because their sacrifice has contributed to your survival.
I enjoyed this one. I thought the second half was better than the first. I just wasn't invested in the characters.
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!