Rise of the Jumbies

The second installment of the action-packed, fantasy-adventure series, The Jumbies. 

Deep beneath the waves, a great enemy awakens . . .

Corinne LaMer defeated the wicked jumbie Severine months ago, but things haven’t exactly gone back to normal in her Caribbean island home. Everyone knows Corinne is half-jumbie, and many of her neighbors treat her with mistrust. When local children begin to go missing, snatched from the beach and vanishing into wells, suspicious eyes turn to Corinne.
 
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. But Mama D’Leau’s help comes with a price. Corinne and her friends Dru, Bouki, and Malik must travel with mermaids across the ocean to fetch a powerful object for Mama D’Leau. The only thing more perilous than Corinne’s adventures across the sea is the jumbie that waits for her back home.
 
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.

Tracey Baptiste lived in Trinidad until she was fifteen; she grew up on jumbie stories and fairy tales. She is a former teacher who works as a writer and editor.

“Read this book for the flavorful Caribbean setting. Read it for the fantastic mythology. Read it to meet one very brave girl. Read it if you like the thrill of a good scare. Read it to discover more about a shameful past hidden in the depths of the sea.  That's a tall order for one middle grade book, but Baptiste delivers on all counts.”
—Reading Style Guide
 
“With an action-packed story, diverse characters, Rise of the Jumbies is an inventive twist on Caribbean and West African tales. This is a great book for summer reading that your middle schoolers will enjoy.”
—Successful Black Parenting

“Young readers are probably familiar with Greek myths, thanks to Rick Riordan, and other enduring European classics, so this series with twists on Caribbean (particularly Haitian and Trinidadian) and West African tales is a welcome change.”
—Booklist
 
“This highly enjoyable story captures the culture and the atmosphere of the small island community with beautiful descriptions and natural, flowing dialogue . . . a welcome addition to the juvenile menagerie of mythological creatures.”
—Foreword Reviews