It's
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
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August 2nd 2022 by Scholastic Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Cecily Destin is so excited to be turning 15 during the Labor Day weekend that also includes the West Indian Day Parade that she can't really concentrate on school at Christian Prep. Her parents have a restaurant, Port au Princesse, and will have a booth at the parade. Most exciting of all, her social influencer aunt Mimose will be interviewing the music star Papash and has invited Cecily and her best friend Renee to come along! Her mother isn't too thrilled with Mimose's embracing of their Haitian Vodou culture, and since the death of their mother, Grandma Rose, Cecily hasn't spent as much time with her aunt. She's glad to go to a tarot card reading with her aunt before the interview on the day of the parade, but things go badly wrong. The client, Juste, wants Mimose to perform a ritual, but she declines. He insists, spitting rum on her and causing her to be possessed by the spirit called Erzu. Erzu is concerned with how she looks and is rather laid back, which is good, because Cecily and Renee have to find a way to have the spirit removed. Luckily, she happens upon classmate Kwame, and takes refuge with her aunt in his apartment. His younger brother, Kofi, has been interested in a variety of Black cultural magic since reading Ronald L. Smith's Hoodoo, and is able to give them a rough idea of what needs to be done to bring the aunt back. This sends the four off into the celebration to find items needed for the ritual, including a priestess! They run into all sorts of snags, meet a variety of people in the community, and manage to have a good time despite worrying about Mimose. The interview is thankfully put off, since Papash is busy with other things, which buys them some time. Cecily has always thought that Kwame was kind of cute, and he is sweet, helpful, and seems to have a bit of a crush on her. Will Cecily and her friends be able to navigate the celebration and manage to bring Mimose back to herself?
Strengths: If you haven't looked at this book because you think it is Young Adult, stop right there and go find a copy! Even though Cecily is in high school, this is 100% a fabulous city adventure book similar to Tarpley's The Harlem Charade or Farrar's Song for Bijou. Cecily is in high school, but dealing with many of the same things middle schoolers do; struggles with parents' expectations, missing a grandparent who has recently passed away, and having a very sweet crush on a classmate. Of course, since she's older, she is free to wander around New York City with her aunt even when she is possessed by a spirit. I loved learning about the West Indian Day Parade and all of the different cultural practices, food, and celebrations. She gets a lot of support from community members, Renee, and even her mother, in a surprising twist. Now I almost want to go to New York to experience this for myself!
Strengths: If you haven't looked at this book because you think it is Young Adult, stop right there and go find a copy! Even though Cecily is in high school, this is 100% a fabulous city adventure book similar to Tarpley's The Harlem Charade or Farrar's Song for Bijou. Cecily is in high school, but dealing with many of the same things middle schoolers do; struggles with parents' expectations, missing a grandparent who has recently passed away, and having a very sweet crush on a classmate. Of course, since she's older, she is free to wander around New York City with her aunt even when she is possessed by a spirit. I loved learning about the West Indian Day Parade and all of the different cultural practices, food, and celebrations. She gets a lot of support from community members, Renee, and even her mother, in a surprising twist. Now I almost want to go to New York to experience this for myself!
Weaknesses: It took me several chapters to get my mind around the fact that this wasn't going to be typical navel gazing and whiny Young Adult fare. Not that Rigaud, who also did the fabulous Simone Breaks All the Rules would do that to me, but the Young Adult tone is just not my favorite a lot of the time.
What I really think: This is perfect for readers who want upper middle grade stories like Watson's Love is a Revolution, Richardson's The Meet-Cute Project, Bajpai's A Match Made in Mehendi or Kasie West's oevre. It was a fantastic summer read. My only regret is that I didn't save it for a Saturday when I could pick up Bibi's Haitian Patties to eat while reading it!
What I really think: This is perfect for readers who want upper middle grade stories like Watson's Love is a Revolution, Richardson's The Meet-Cute Project, Bajpai's A Match Made in Mehendi or Kasie West's oevre. It was a fantastic summer read. My only regret is that I didn't save it for a Saturday when I could pick up Bibi's Haitian Patties to eat while reading it!
Most librarians don't buy the all the books, either. Writing reviews takes a lot of work!
School starts next week, and it's been an odd and unproductive summer. Some years are like that. At least I tried to keep on top of books to buy.
Yay to a book for MGers with high school characters! I've never understood why people think there's this distinct cut-off. As to Haitian Patties, now I'm very curious as to how they taste.
ReplyDeleteI love the Haitian culture and traditions, so I would find this book appealing since it focuses on Haitians living in NYC. The Haitians communities are large in the US. But, it also includes some very American themes, as you've mentioned. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI would never have picked this out to read without your stellar review. Kids are always interested in reading about those a little older.Having it done in a non YA way is perfect. Best of luck on the new school year. Things don't get started around here for 2 more weeks.
ReplyDeleteA Girl's Guide to Love and Magic sounds like a great read! I get your feelings about YA books—I can find a few gems now and again, but they tend to be buried amidst a lot of books I see and immediately know I won't like! And I can relate to having an odd and unproductive summer, but I'd say bringing back an entire reading challenge and cramming in dozens of MG books in one weekend is pretty productive! Thanks so much for the wonderful post, Karen!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised reading your review that it was included in MMGM until you told us why. Sounds like a very unique addition to reading at this age. Thanks for the information.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a good start to your school year. You are so right that there are lots of books that you (or I) might love but don't think we have an audience for. There are some tough calls to make because even having made some, I am usually out of money to buy books for school by February or March. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteThank you for finding this young, young adult book. I am always looking for books like this. Sorry it was an odd and unproductive summer. The line makes me want to add, Some years are like that, even in Australia.
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