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sashawins's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
šBook Reviewš
Author: Shakirah Bourne
Genre level: Middle Grade
Rating:āāāāā/5
Completed 9/30/21
š§š¾āāļøFavorite quotes
"People like to believe in things until they have to face them."
"The Devil and his wife are fighting over the cou-cou stick."
š§š¾āāļø Book Synosis
Eleven-year-old Josephine knows that no one is good enough for her daddy. That's why she makes a habit of scaring his new girlfriends away. She's desperate to make it onto her school's cricket team because she'll get to play her favorite sport AND use the cricket matches to distract Daddy from dating.
But when Coach Broomes announces that girls can't try out for the team, the frustrated Josephine cuts into a powerful silk cotton tree and accidentally summons a bigger problem into her life . . .
The next day, Daddy brings home a new catch, a beautiful woman named Mariss. And unlike the other girlfriends, this one doesn't scare easily. Josephine knows there's something fishy about Mariss but she never expected her to be a vengeful sea creature eager to take her place as her father's first love! Can Josephine convince her friends to help her and use her cricket skills to save Daddy from Mariss's clutches before it's too late?
š§š¾āāļø My Review
I loved everything about this story! The Carribbean culture, lingo, food, folklore, and scenery. This book is a whole vibe. Reading this book transported me to my 11 year old self and experience whimsical adventures.
The main characters Josphine & Ahkai were amazing. Their friendship was so sweetā¤. I appreciate the author showcasing neuro diverse characters ( Ahkaiš§©).
Josphine and her father Vincent relationship was so tender. And their bickering was too funny. Josphine is a trip.
The wicked Mermaid, Mariss was a scary creature š¤Æ. She doesn't take a no for an answer. Its her or drown. As villians go, It was nice seeing a " evil mermaid"
All the supporting characters added flavor to the pacing of the story.
Even though, Casper, the schools custodian was batshit nuts-- he was my second favoriteš¤£.
Overall, the book was amazing from start to finish.
What Folkore was you told as child?
#Barbados #CarribbeanAuthors #CouCouStick #Cricket #Souse #MacaroniPie #Fisherman
Author: Shakirah Bourne
Genre level: Middle Grade
Rating:āāāāā/5
Completed 9/30/21
š§š¾āāļøFavorite quotes
"People like to believe in things until they have to face them."
"The Devil and his wife are fighting over the cou-cou stick."
š§š¾āāļø Book Synosis
Eleven-year-old Josephine knows that no one is good enough for her daddy. That's why she makes a habit of scaring his new girlfriends away. She's desperate to make it onto her school's cricket team because she'll get to play her favorite sport AND use the cricket matches to distract Daddy from dating.
But when Coach Broomes announces that girls can't try out for the team, the frustrated Josephine cuts into a powerful silk cotton tree and accidentally summons a bigger problem into her life . . .
The next day, Daddy brings home a new catch, a beautiful woman named Mariss. And unlike the other girlfriends, this one doesn't scare easily. Josephine knows there's something fishy about Mariss but she never expected her to be a vengeful sea creature eager to take her place as her father's first love! Can Josephine convince her friends to help her and use her cricket skills to save Daddy from Mariss's clutches before it's too late?
š§š¾āāļø My Review
I loved everything about this story! The Carribbean culture, lingo, food, folklore, and scenery. This book is a whole vibe. Reading this book transported me to my 11 year old self and experience whimsical adventures.
The main characters Josphine & Ahkai were amazing. Their friendship was so sweetā¤. I appreciate the author showcasing neuro diverse characters ( Ahkaiš§©).
Josphine and her father Vincent relationship was so tender. And their bickering was too funny. Josphine is a trip.
The wicked Mermaid, Mariss was a scary creature š¤Æ. She doesn't take a no for an answer. Its her or drown. As villians go, It was nice seeing a " evil mermaid"
All the supporting characters added flavor to the pacing of the story.
Even though, Casper, the schools custodian was batshit nuts-- he was my second favoriteš¤£.
Overall, the book was amazing from start to finish.
What Folkore was you told as child?
#Barbados #CarribbeanAuthors #CouCouStick #Cricket #Souse #MacaroniPie #Fisherman
pageprincess398's review against another edition
5.0
Fantasy fans hang on to your cinnamon and your seashells. Bourne does a fantastic job bring island folklore to life in the Middle-grade fantasy book, Josephine Against the Sea. In the opening of the book, it is just Jo and her father. Jo spending a great deal of effort to "scare" away potential suitors for her dad, considering the untimely death of her mother. Meriss, a new potential suitor for Vincent, Jo's father, has peculiar ways about her. After consulting her superstitious neighbor and librarian Jo and her best friend try to figure out the vulnerability of suspected River/Sea Muma. With themes of friendship and family, and diverse representation of neurology and age, readers will be likely to find something of themselves in this story. With an action-packed ending, fill of authentic island life this is highly recommended for school and home libraries
sometimesleelynnreads's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to TBR & Beyond Tours, Edelweiss, and Scholastic, Inc. for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.
I totally understand where Josephine is coming from when it comes to not wanting her father to date. I was the same way, albeit I donāt think Iāve ever poured fish guts and scales onto my dadās dateā¦ Good job by the way Josephine! I could smell it coming out of the pages like I was there witnessing it all. Josephine is such a relatable little girl just wanting her father to have someone good enough for him, and probably some other underlying reasons about that. She is a girl that I could get behind, and she made for a fun protagonist to follow.
In this story, Josephine has her work cut out for her when one of her fatherās latest dates is a mysterious woman named Mariss, and she doesnāt scare as easily as the others. For once, I believe Josephine may have met her match, but thereās gotta be something different about her, right? Thereās no way that she should be able to withstand Josephineās mischievous waysā¦ at least thatās what Josephine believed. She does what she needs to to find out more about this Mariss person, and finds that she really may be up against someone that she never thought possible.
All of this is happening while we are also dealing with real life issues. The dynamics between a father and daughter, and how sometimes it is not what we believe a healthy father-daughter relationship should be ā but is that based on our own experience or what we would want it to be? Is our vision the universal definition of a āhealthy father-daughter relationshipā? Thatās something youāll have to decide for yourself. We see different cultures throughout this story, one in particular the Guyanese culture that Josephineās father has grown up with. We can see bits of how different cultures within this one place are treated differently, if not always treated well. Thereās a lot of underlying things happening in here that I believe one should try to pay attention to. It makes the story have a bit more depth than one would anticipate, and itās a lot to think about.
I think this was a decent book, and I am curious to see what happens in the sequel. I love reading stories inspired by mythology ā especially when itās not always the same Greek mythology, you know? ā and I feel like this gave me a good taste of what some Caribbean mythology is like. Itās definitely something that I would want to read more of.
I totally understand where Josephine is coming from when it comes to not wanting her father to date. I was the same way, albeit I donāt think Iāve ever poured fish guts and scales onto my dadās dateā¦ Good job by the way Josephine! I could smell it coming out of the pages like I was there witnessing it all. Josephine is such a relatable little girl just wanting her father to have someone good enough for him, and probably some other underlying reasons about that. She is a girl that I could get behind, and she made for a fun protagonist to follow.
In this story, Josephine has her work cut out for her when one of her fatherās latest dates is a mysterious woman named Mariss, and she doesnāt scare as easily as the others. For once, I believe Josephine may have met her match, but thereās gotta be something different about her, right? Thereās no way that she should be able to withstand Josephineās mischievous waysā¦ at least thatās what Josephine believed. She does what she needs to to find out more about this Mariss person, and finds that she really may be up against someone that she never thought possible.
All of this is happening while we are also dealing with real life issues. The dynamics between a father and daughter, and how sometimes it is not what we believe a healthy father-daughter relationship should be ā but is that based on our own experience or what we would want it to be? Is our vision the universal definition of a āhealthy father-daughter relationshipā? Thatās something youāll have to decide for yourself. We see different cultures throughout this story, one in particular the Guyanese culture that Josephineās father has grown up with. We can see bits of how different cultures within this one place are treated differently, if not always treated well. Thereās a lot of underlying things happening in here that I believe one should try to pay attention to. It makes the story have a bit more depth than one would anticipate, and itās a lot to think about.
I think this was a decent book, and I am curious to see what happens in the sequel. I love reading stories inspired by mythology ā especially when itās not always the same Greek mythology, you know? ā and I feel like this gave me a good taste of what some Caribbean mythology is like. Itās definitely something that I would want to read more of.
d_nefertiti19's review against another edition
5.0
Good plot. Good use of Caribbean and Bajan folklores. Satisfying ending.
brandylyons's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A lovely and imaginative book, I really enjoyed learning more about Barbados and their stories!
eleennaeisloved's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
antonique_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
bajebookclub's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
My Fishy Stepmom is about eleven year old Josephine who lost her mom at a young age and loved life with her dad. Her other love is cricket. Josephine had grown accustom to it being her and her dad only. Sheās been battling with her dadās āfriendsā ensuring that none of them get ācomfortableā with her dad. In steps Mariss and the battle begins. Houston we have a problem!
This YA/Teen story which was set in Barbados, was a finalist in the 2018 Burt Award for Caribbean Young Adult Literature. My Fishy Stepmom is a funny and captivating story loaded with Barbadian folklore which intrigued me and scared me a bit š¤¦š½āāļøš¤£. I loved the interactions between Josephine and Ahkai and my favorite chapter is Chapter 8. Mariss intrigued me as she did Josephine. I think I held my breath while reading the last 5 chapters!
I look>forward to reading Josephine Against The Sea (North American edition) to see the differences to My Fishy Stepmom.
Thank you Shakirah.
This YA/Teen story which was set in Barbados, was a finalist in the 2018 Burt Award for Caribbean Young Adult Literature. My Fishy Stepmom is a funny and captivating story loaded with Barbadian folklore which intrigued me and scared me a bit š¤¦š½āāļøš¤£. I loved the interactions between Josephine and Ahkai and my favorite chapter is Chapter 8. Mariss intrigued me as she did Josephine. I think I held my breath while reading the last 5 chapters!
I look>forward to reading Josephine Against The Sea (North American edition) to see the differences to My Fishy Stepmom.
Thank you Shakirah.
ambi_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
My Fishy Stepmom is a middle grade, #ReadCaribbean read written by the talented Ms. Shakirah Bournes. It follows a girl by the name of Josephine, her best friend and neighbour Ahkai who does things in fives, her widowed father and her new potential stepmom, Mariss, who happens to overcome all the boundaries and traps she usually sets for all her dad's new girls. While trying to also be recognized to be a member of her school's cricket team, Josephine knows something is "fishy" about Mariss. Could all the stories and myths Ahkai's mom narrate actually be true?
A protagonist who loves cricket?!?!? SIGN ME UP! I absolutely loved the representation of all things Caribbean in this book. It truly felt like home. From the great sport, to the hills, to the sea, to the nice fruits, to the myths and folklores, to the fishing villages and so much more. I found myself laughing at and with Josephine and her Dad throughout this book. Other times, my hear ached for them as they both were recovering from the loss of their wife and mom respectively. What made it an even greater novel was the inclusion of the truths in the stories we tell. There may be falsity, but the truth is also hidden in plain sight. I loved the gender roles being displayed and how Josephine breaks those glass ceilings in something as small yet powerful as cricket. Lastly, the art on each chapter cover was well done! I absolutely loved it! A must read!
A protagonist who loves cricket?!?!? SIGN ME UP! I absolutely loved the representation of all things Caribbean in this book. It truly felt like home. From the great sport, to the hills, to the sea, to the nice fruits, to the myths and folklores, to the fishing villages and so much more. I found myself laughing at and with Josephine and her Dad throughout this book. Other times, my hear ached for them as they both were recovering from the loss of their wife and mom respectively. What made it an even greater novel was the inclusion of the truths in the stories we tell. There may be falsity, but the truth is also hidden in plain sight. I loved the gender roles being displayed and how Josephine breaks those glass ceilings in something as small yet powerful as cricket. Lastly, the art on each chapter cover was well done! I absolutely loved it! A must read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity and Death of parent
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