Rise of the Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste

Rise of the Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste

From my Kirkus column about Rise of the Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste:

You can certainly read Rise of the Jumbies without reading The Jumbies first—Baptiste gives enough information for new readers to catch up—but I’d suggest picking the first book up anyway. For one thing, it’s flat-out great: a smart, spooky, action-packed, emotionally satisfying adventure starring three-dimensional characters written with depth, nuance, warmth, and humor. But beyond that, it’s a profound pleasure to see the larger arc of the character development, relationships, and growth over the course of the two books—and that very much  includes Corinne’s relationship with her aunt Severine, the antagonist. While, again, this book does work as a stand-alone, I’m very much hoping for a third installment, especially on that front.

Beyond all of the strengths that it shares with its predecessor—and it very definitely shares all of those strengths—Rise of the Jumbies is an especial stand out in the honest, layered way that it talks about family.

Previously: The Jumbies.