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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
4.5 stars! I just loved this story about Maddy spending the summer with her Grandmere! Any book that has a lot of cooking involvement had me at "chopping onions." I loved the inclusion of mermaids from a non-Disneyfied perspective and the invitation to look at the environmental impacts of our dependence on oil. The ending wasn't fully tied up, but I am not sure that it could have been due to the complexity of events at the end. It was well worth the read and I'm happy to have read this book so I could check out more books by Rhodes :-)
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed the magical realism elements of this one.
I found Maddie and Bear adorable and the cast of characters diverse in personalities.
I think this would be a great read for any middle grader.
I loved how poetic and lyrical the writing style is.
I think that the plot felt like it might have been missing a bit of something but I'm not sure what, which is why I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 stars. The storyline kept me interested though.
I found Maddie and Bear adorable and the cast of characters diverse in personalities.
I think this would be a great read for any middle grader.
I loved how poetic and lyrical the writing style is.
I think that the plot felt like it might have been missing a bit of something but I'm not sure what, which is why I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 stars. The storyline kept me interested though.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Several years ago, I read about 30% of the book selecting books for Summer Reading. Lovely writing, legends and an interesting story, I put this on the list and have been recommending it since.
I finally have finished the entire book, and it is nothing like the first part of the book. There are powerful stories, but not the semi-light, magical realism read I thought it was. This book is beautifully written, but contains some very serious topics. Best for upper Elementary or Middle School.
There are Caution Warnings: almost drowning, child abuse, alcoholism, death of a parent, animal deaths, environmental disaster
The audiobook was beautifully done.
I finally have finished the entire book, and it is nothing like the first part of the book. There are powerful stories, but not the semi-light, magical realism read I thought it was. This book is beautifully written, but contains some very serious topics. Best for upper Elementary or Middle School.
There are Caution Warnings: almost drowning, child abuse, alcoholism, death of a parent, animal deaths, environmental disaster
The audiobook was beautifully done.
This was by far my favorite of the series! Heart wrenching and yet so much love and fun in this one book! Superb
4.5 stars
Bayou Magic is such a great middle grade novel. On the surface, it has a straightforward plot: Just before her tenth birthday, Maddy leaves her home in New Orleans to spend the summer with her grandmother in the bayou. Maddy soon learns she and her grandmother have magical powers. It's the language, depth of the characters, richness of the setting, and use of history, folklore, spirits, and magic that are so amazing. Jewell Parker Rhodes makes connections to slavery and environmental justice issues in ways that feel organic to the story, and somehow she manages to do all of this using language that's accessible to children. Also, there may be mermaids.
Bahni Turpin's narration of the audiobook is outstanding. She's one of my favorite narrators, but this is unusually good, even on a Bahni Turpin scale of excellence.
CW:
Bayou Magic is such a great middle grade novel. On the surface, it has a straightforward plot: Just before her tenth birthday, Maddy leaves her home in New Orleans to spend the summer with her grandmother in the bayou. Maddy soon learns she and her grandmother have magical powers. It's the language, depth of the characters, richness of the setting, and use of history, folklore, spirits, and magic that are so amazing. Jewell Parker Rhodes makes connections to slavery and environmental justice issues in ways that feel organic to the story, and somehow she manages to do all of this using language that's accessible to children. Also, there may be mermaids.
Bahni Turpin's narration of the audiobook is outstanding. She's one of my favorite narrators, but this is unusually good, even on a Bahni Turpin scale of excellence.
CW:
Spoiler
child abuse, death of a parent of an important secondary character, BP oil spill, wildlife deaths (None of this is presented in nightmarish graphic detail)
Decent storyline. Vivid characters and setting.
Bear's sub-plot seems a bit contrived but not completely unbelievable
Bear's sub-plot seems a bit contrived but not completely unbelievable
I have so many different thoughts on this book, its hard to write a review. I liked Bayou Magic but I wasn't as impressed with it as I thought I would be.
I did enjoy how descriptive the book was. I could really picture the Bayou and how amazing it must be to live in a place like that. The sense of community and friendship was evident in the neighbors and I especially liked the relationship between Maddy and Bear. I also loved how Maddy's grandmother allowed her to just be a kid and explore the Bayou without any real restrictions.
I have a thing for mermaids("The Little Mermaid" is one of my favorite movies) but the lack of diversity tends to keep me from pursuing more mermaid themed items, books or movies. So I was really excited about the African American mermaid character:
"I've seen pictures of brown-, blond-, and red-haired mermaids with white faces. I never thought a mermaid might look like me."(pg 142 of my e-book-chapter titled Fish Tails)
I guess I would have liked this book more if Maddy's magic was that she was a mermaid. However, her magic, seemed to be more intuitive and telepathic. This was a decent book but it just wasn't what I thought it was going to be. Still might be worth a read for some, I just don't think it would be one of the first I'd recommend.
I did enjoy how descriptive the book was. I could really picture the Bayou and how amazing it must be to live in a place like that. The sense of community and friendship was evident in the neighbors and I especially liked the relationship between Maddy and Bear. I also loved how Maddy's grandmother allowed her to just be a kid and explore the Bayou without any real restrictions.
I have a thing for mermaids("The Little Mermaid" is one of my favorite movies) but the lack of diversity tends to keep me from pursuing more mermaid themed items, books or movies. So I was really excited about the African American mermaid character:
"I've seen pictures of brown-, blond-, and red-haired mermaids with white faces. I never thought a mermaid might look like me."(pg 142 of my e-book-chapter titled Fish Tails)
I guess I would have liked this book more if Maddy's magic was that she was a mermaid. However, her magic, seemed to be more intuitive and telepathic. This was a decent book but it just wasn't what I thought it was going to be. Still might be worth a read for some, I just don't think it would be one of the first I'd recommend.
An enticingly rich stew of ideas and characters, that becomes a little overstuffed and didactic. Maddy spends a summer in Bayou Bon Temps on the Gulf Coast with her grandmother, and is able to fulfill her dream of being a hero when tragedy strikes. Read my full review here.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced