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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
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
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-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
Dreamy and heart wrenching. Would be great for discussion.
Every word in this book is overflowing with magic. Maddy's summer in the bayou demonstrates how a knowledge of nature and family history can affect deep change in a young person. Rhodes speaks honestly to children about slavery but also provides uplift and hope in the form of the traditional water spirit, Mami Wata, who shows children that mermaids do not always have to look like Ariel. Themes of family, community, culture, and the environment prevail and children of all backgrounds are invited to explore the magic of the Louisiana bayou.
4.5/5 stars
Short and Sweet:
I loved this magical middle grade set in the bayou! I highly recommend for anyone who favors The Princess and the Frog Disney movie.
To Elaborate…
I stumbled onto BAYOU MAGIC when I was browsing in Barnes and Noble, and I have no idea how I’ve missed this author. I love middle grade books, and Jewell Parker Rhodes has not only written several, she’s also received awards for them. She even has a book releasing next month, TOWERS FALLING (set 15 years after 9/11), which I’ve heard next to nothing about. I’m so glad I picked this one up because I’m officially a huge fan, and I want to read the rest of her works.
This story follows Maddy, the last of her sisters to spend a summer with her Grandmère in the bayou. While Maddy is worried she’ll miss the city, she starts to fall in love with the community, fireflies, surroundings, and magic of the bayou. While adventuring with a new friend, Maddy sees a mermaid. Her grandmother explains the history of magic in their family, involving African culture, and Maddy will be the one to carry on the magical legacy. However, something bad is on the horizon, and Maddy must find strength, courage, and kindness to help.
While it took me a few chapters to get used to the writing style (short, quick sentences), I soon fell in love with this atmospheric tale of magic, history, and community. Maddy is smart and easily likable, and the way she sees the world is fascinating. Her conversations with her grandmother, and all of her family members, are moving, often hilarious, and sweet.
One of the big issues explored in this book is environmentalism, something I’m very passionate about. The bayou is threatened by an oil rig immediately, but the story also reflects the bigger picture of some of the destroyed and lost land. There is an immense respect for the land, air, and water in Maddy’s new community, and you can feel their pain when that physical community is under harm. Rhodes has a lovely author note at the end that goes into a little more detail, and it’s very beautiful and heartbreaking.
If you enjoy a bayou setting, firefly and mermaid magic, and a close community feel, then I would highly recommend this quick middle grade read!
Originally posted at The Forest of Words and Pages: http://www.forestofwordsandpages.com/2016/06/review-bayou-magic-jewell-parker-rhodes/
Short and Sweet:
I loved this magical middle grade set in the bayou! I highly recommend for anyone who favors The Princess and the Frog Disney movie.
To Elaborate…
I stumbled onto BAYOU MAGIC when I was browsing in Barnes and Noble, and I have no idea how I’ve missed this author. I love middle grade books, and Jewell Parker Rhodes has not only written several, she’s also received awards for them. She even has a book releasing next month, TOWERS FALLING (set 15 years after 9/11), which I’ve heard next to nothing about. I’m so glad I picked this one up because I’m officially a huge fan, and I want to read the rest of her works.
This story follows Maddy, the last of her sisters to spend a summer with her Grandmère in the bayou. While Maddy is worried she’ll miss the city, she starts to fall in love with the community, fireflies, surroundings, and magic of the bayou. While adventuring with a new friend, Maddy sees a mermaid. Her grandmother explains the history of magic in their family, involving African culture, and Maddy will be the one to carry on the magical legacy. However, something bad is on the horizon, and Maddy must find strength, courage, and kindness to help.
While it took me a few chapters to get used to the writing style (short, quick sentences), I soon fell in love with this atmospheric tale of magic, history, and community. Maddy is smart and easily likable, and the way she sees the world is fascinating. Her conversations with her grandmother, and all of her family members, are moving, often hilarious, and sweet.
One of the big issues explored in this book is environmentalism, something I’m very passionate about. The bayou is threatened by an oil rig immediately, but the story also reflects the bigger picture of some of the destroyed and lost land. There is an immense respect for the land, air, and water in Maddy’s new community, and you can feel their pain when that physical community is under harm. Rhodes has a lovely author note at the end that goes into a little more detail, and it’s very beautiful and heartbreaking.
If you enjoy a bayou setting, firefly and mermaid magic, and a close community feel, then I would highly recommend this quick middle grade read!
Originally posted at The Forest of Words and Pages: http://www.forestofwordsandpages.com/2016/06/review-bayou-magic-jewell-parker-rhodes/
I bought this book for my niece but decided to read it first since I had been hearing so much about it. I enjoyed the descriptions of the different staple dishes of Louisiana. I've never visited but could almost taste the jambalaya and gumbo. The story took way too long to pick up for my taste and ended far too abruptly. Chapters were spent with Maddy going out in the river with her new friend Bear in search of the mermaid and then never really finding anything. I also don't understand why Bear is on the cover with her(at least one the edition I received) as he was missing in action for a few chapters only to return for a thrown together plot involving his father that was quickly ended. And then he was MIA when it came time to save the day and Maddy had her mermaid friends to rely on. Also there was a lot of forewarning about bad things to come ahead but the bad thing did not happen until the end of the book and was resolved rather easily.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death of parent
Maddy is the youngest of five sisters. Every summer each sister gets sent to Bayou to live with their mysterious grandma. This time it's Maddy's turn. Upon reaching Bayou, she finds out about her family's magical legacy. Soon she meets bear ( who's a boy) and they go on exploring the beautiful land and waters of bayou. But there's more to the story - full of southern folktales and rich imagination.
I won't say I'm very impressed with this book. There were times I felt the story was a bit rushed and not exactly fulfilling. There were multiple plots but they didn't get a nice closure. The writer just tied all of them at the end of the story.
Now coming to the good part. The book is filled with folklores and fantasy. It portrays the relationships between family, friends and neighbours wonderfully. The plot is centered on nature and its beauty; so that's surely a plus for all the nature enthusiastic out there.
Also can we take a moment and appreciate how magical the cover is?
I won't say I'm very impressed with this book. There were times I felt the story was a bit rushed and not exactly fulfilling. There were multiple plots but they didn't get a nice closure. The writer just tied all of them at the end of the story.
Now coming to the good part. The book is filled with folklores and fantasy. It portrays the relationships between family, friends and neighbours wonderfully. The plot is centered on nature and its beauty; so that's surely a plus for all the nature enthusiastic out there.
Also can we take a moment and appreciate how magical the cover is?
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced