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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Well-done mix of myth and sobering reality.
2021 PopSugar Book List #2
2021 PopSugar Book List #2
A summer in the bayou helps a little girl find her own sense of self and place. Maddy borrows the magic of her ancestors as she explores the mysterious landscape of the bayou with her new friend bear. As her magic grows, she finds the courage to help her friend and the community survive an ecological disaster. Great story for children who struggle with finding their place in their family.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Audiobook. An adorable novel that made me ache for Louisiana and the bayou! Love the pinch of magic, connection to Earth, and lessons on being kind to the planet and different beliefs/cultures.
What an incredibly beautiful book! I was captivated by the voice and cadence of the storytelling. The lines between waking and dreaming, reality and imagination, were blurred so effectively that the book became a beautiful Bayou Impressionist painting. The Black and Bayou folklore and love of nature paired with the harsh realities of man made environmental disasters offer such a bleak, and poignant, and yet hopeful fable. Like our protagonist, Maddy, I long for next summer in Bon Temps with the fireflies and mermaids.
Content warning: child abuse, alcoholism, animal death, environmental disaster.
Content warning: child abuse, alcoholism, animal death, environmental disaster.
A fairly wonderful little middle-grade novel. I only wish it hadn't ended as abruptly as it did!
This book is wonderful.
I never would have picked it up on my own. I had never heard of it or the author. My 4th grader found it at the library, and I decided to read it because the African-American girl on the cover piqued my interest. I am a big fan of multiculturalism in literature, though I admit, as an Asian-American, I tend to seek out books by and about Asian-Americans. I can't speak to the authenticity of the African-American experience in this book, but as a reader, I was drawn into the world of the Louisiana bayou along with Maddy, the main character, and I didn't want to leave.
Firstly, this book is beautifully written. The writing is very descriptive, even poetic. Metaphors abound.
Maddy, the main character, is a city girl from New Orleans who is sent to spend the summer with her grandmother in the Louisiana bayou. She meets a boy named Bear who is self-reliant, independent, and at one with nature. He is a compelling character, and once I met him, I wanted to read more about him.
As Maddy is introduced to the bayou, there is a bit of a lesson about environmentalism. As the book progresses, the lesson becomes explicit, a central theme.
Faith in things unseen is also an important message. There's a bit of magic realism as Maddy discovers, and struggles to understand, some "gifts" she inherited through her maternal ancestors.
About two-thirds of the way through the book, the story takes a very serious turn. Though the events were predictable, having suspected that they would happen did not detract from the book because I was already invested in the characters, and I wanted to see how the story would end.
For the parents out there who like to know what to expect, I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that this book doesn't hide the fact that life is complicated. There is a death, and a violent drunk. But both are handled in as gentle a manner as you might expect when narrated from the perspective of a thoughtful 10-year-old girl.
I never would have picked it up on my own. I had never heard of it or the author. My 4th grader found it at the library, and I decided to read it because the African-American girl on the cover piqued my interest. I am a big fan of multiculturalism in literature, though I admit, as an Asian-American, I tend to seek out books by and about Asian-Americans. I can't speak to the authenticity of the African-American experience in this book, but as a reader, I was drawn into the world of the Louisiana bayou along with Maddy, the main character, and I didn't want to leave.
Firstly, this book is beautifully written. The writing is very descriptive, even poetic. Metaphors abound.
Maddy, the main character, is a city girl from New Orleans who is sent to spend the summer with her grandmother in the Louisiana bayou. She meets a boy named Bear who is self-reliant, independent, and at one with nature. He is a compelling character, and once I met him, I wanted to read more about him.
As Maddy is introduced to the bayou, there is a bit of a lesson about environmentalism. As the book progresses, the lesson becomes explicit, a central theme.
Faith in things unseen is also an important message. There's a bit of magic realism as Maddy discovers, and struggles to understand, some "gifts" she inherited through her maternal ancestors.
About two-thirds of the way through the book, the story takes a very serious turn. Though the events were predictable, having suspected that they would happen did not detract from the book because I was already invested in the characters, and I wanted to see how the story would end.
For the parents out there who like to know what to expect, I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that this book doesn't hide the fact that life is complicated. There is a death, and a violent drunk. But both are handled in as gentle a manner as you might expect when narrated from the perspective of a thoughtful 10-year-old girl.
Solid writing featuring memorable characters, but much of the story lacked depth or reflection. This is a quick middle grade read, so I don't expect the same amount of depth as I would in an adult novel, but this lacked something in the reading experience. Enjoyed the mythology woven through the magic, and would certainly read more of this author's work.