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    Root Magic
    Root Magic
    Root Magic
    Audiobook9 hours

    Root Magic

    Written by Eden Royce

    Narrated by Imani Parks

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    “A poignant, necessary entry into the children’s literary canon, Root Magic brings to life the history and culture of Gullah people while highlighting the timeless plight of Black Americans. Add in a fun, magical adventure and you get everything I want in a book!” —Justina Ireland, New York Times bestselling author of Dread Nation

    Walter Dean Myers Honor Award for Outstanding Children's Literature! A Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winner!

    Debut author Eden Royce arrives with a wondrous story of love, bravery, friendship, and family, filled to the brim with magic great and small.

    It’s 1963, and things are changing for Jezebel Turner. Her beloved grandmother has just passed away. The local police deputy won’t stop harassing her family. With school integration arriving in South Carolina, Jez and her twin brother, Jay, are about to begin the school year with a bunch of new kids. But the biggest change comes when Jez and Jay turn eleven— and their uncle, Doc, tells them he’s going to train them in rootwork.

    Jez and Jay have always been fascinated by the African American folk magic that has been the legacy of their family for generations—especially the curious potions and powders Doc and Gran would make for the people on their island. But Jez soon finds out that her family’s true power goes far beyond small charms and elixirs…and not a moment too soon. Because when evil both natural and supernatural comes to show itself in town, it’s going to take every bit of the magic she has inside her to see her through.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJan 5, 2021
    ISBN9780063064416
    Author

    Eden Royce

    Eden Royce is a writer from Charleston, SC, now living in the garden of England. Her debut novel, Root Magic, was a Walter Dean Myers Award Honoree, an ALA Notable Children's Book, a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winner, and a Nebula Award Finalist for outstanding children’s literature. She is also a Shirley Jackson Award finalist for her short fiction for adults. You can find her online at edenroyce.com.

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    Reviews for Root Magic

    4.5/5

    120 ratings7 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Part historical fiction, part spooky and richly descriptive. Definitely made for the upper tier of middle grade though, 12 and older. Great narration, too!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Wow. Wow, wow, wow! I love this book, nine words.
    • 5/5
      This book was recommend to me by a friend. This book gets to the root about what root work is and isn’t. It gives a clear view on inner workings and spiritual connections we have to spirit and nature.
    • 4/5
      Lots of fascinating information about root magic, but much of the book read like an instruction manual rather than a narrative.
    • 4/5
      Things that impressed me about this book:No shying away from terrible things (police brutality, racism in the 1960s, grief, prejudice against magic, isolation and loneliness)A LOT happens in the book, but the pacing is steady throughoutI know very little about Gullah-Geechee heritage and this book drops the reader into it and shares that background effortlessly It's a complicated story, but really engaging and the scary parts are well delivered and tempered to be not as scaryLove the family relationships, the Sheriff who wants to help, the twins themselves, Jezebel's strong spirit
    • 4/5
      Jezebel's grandmother has just died. Her rootwork kept their family safe, so with her passing Jezebel and Jay's Uncle Doc begins to teach them rootwork. The 1960s are a dangerous time to be African American in South Carolina, but other African Americans treat rootworkers badly even though many in their families might also take advantage of the potions that Doc makes. Jezebel's only friend turns out to be a boo-hag, an evil creature, but Jezebel helps her to get back to her family. In turn, that good deed comes back to save the family.
    • 4/5
      Such a fantastic read for pre-teens. While steeped in history and African-American folk magic, it also tackles tough issues facing children today, such as bullying and racism.I really enjoyed learning about the Gullah culture. The author did a wonderful job. I hope she continues writing children's fiction.