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Tracey Baptiste
I have always loved stories.
Mostly fairy tales and old family lore.
In fairy tales, things are often not what they seem.
In family lore, people are often surprising.
Both kinds of stories speak to my curiosity and sense of wonder.
So naturally, as an author, I write about family and fantasy and history…
and sometimes, science.
My characters are brave, kind, smart, and determined.
My stories are often a lot more than they seem.
Book 1 of the Jumbies series.
Corinne La Mer isn’t afraid of anything--certainly not jumbies. They’re just tricksters made up by parents to frighten children. Then one night Corinne goes into the forbidden forest, and shining yellow eyes follow her. They couldn’t belong to a jumbie. Or could they?
The Jumbies
Book 3 of the Jumbies series.
The scariest and most heart-pounding installment of the highly praised and popular Jumbies series!
Huracan summons the wind and rain and wields lightning like a sword. He doesn’t miss and he never falters. He will destroy everything in his path if he desires.
The Jumbie God’s Revenge
by Tracey Baptiste
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Booklist
“Baptiste (Moko Magic: Carnival Chaos, 2024) combines common issues of identity and finding a home with an sf spin, ultimately presenting an absorbing plot. Her characters are thoughtfully multidimensional, from Coal to his supportive foster family to Door, the good-natured and irrepressibly funny best friend. Baptiste neatly contrasts Coal’s sense of social invisibility to his actual invisibility, all of which leads him to finding his place in the world.” — Booklist
“The origin story of our new favorite superhero.” — Jason Reynolds (New York Times bestselling author of Long Way Down)
“Downright irresistible .” — Kwame Alexander (Newbery Medal-winning author of The Crossover)
“Captivating. Innovative. Original. Perfection.” — Renée Watson (#1 New York Times bestselling author of Black Girl You Are Atlas and Piecing Me Together)
“Boy 2.0 is as ingenious as it is impossible to put down.” — Anne Ursu (National Book Award longlisted Author of Not Quite a Ghost)
Kirkus
We Need Diverse Books co-founder Oh follows up Flying Lessons & Other Stories (2017) with a collection of 12 interwoven, slice-of-life tales from acclaimed middle-grade authors.
In an unnamed American city stands a (potentially haunted) yellow apartment building called the Entrada, where aromas of food and loud sounds set the tone for a summer of communal living. Desirée, apparently of West Indian descent, helps Ro perform a lion dance for her Chinese school. Yaniel learns about his abuela’s history in Cuba while contemplating his feelings for Filipina American Pacy, a Star Trek aficionado with a crush on him. Many kids are first- or second-generation immigrants, and their cultures intermingle in authentic ways. Angel’s family is late on the rent, and his parents’ memories of their home city, Sephardic-founded Monterrey, Mexico, leads them to feel confident reaching out to their white Jewish landlords for help. Vietnamese American Hao discovers the ghost he’s been seeing around the building has a connection to Mr. Joe, the Italian American barber. Though each story was written by a different author—among them Tracey Baptiste, Adam Gidwitz, and Erin Entrada Kelly—they nevertheless coalesce into a rich depiction of a loving community. With candor and sensitivity, the authors take on both lighthearted issues such as burgeoning romance as well as more serious ones, including bigotry and the harsh realities of the American dream.
A superbly rendered love letter to identity and heritage. (foreword by Meg Medina) (Anthology. 8-12) —Kirkus, starred review
Publishers Weekly
"Lively alternating third-person perspectives center immigrant and Caribbean experiences with humor and heart, culminating in an engaging mystery that emphasizes the high spirits of the festival season and its importance to the tweens’ Afro-Caribbean heritage." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
Kirkus
“Sometimes a legend is history that wasn’t written down.” It’s late summer, and rising sixth grader Misty has just moved to Brooklyn from Trinidad, which, on a positive note, means two Carnival celebrations (her favorite!) this year. But it’s undeniably a difficult and lonely transition; her mother struggles to find work, and her dad is back home. Misty and her Brooklyn cousins, Brooke and Aidan, despite being the next generation of their large, fairly tight-knit Trini American family, aren’t particularly close—at least, not until supernatural elements force their hands. The frustration of having parents, aunties, and uncles keep secrets from them is palpable as the young trio learn of the magical Afro-Caribbean heritage they’ve suddenly inherited as new mokos from a long line of legendary figures dating back to pre-colonial West Africa. Misty now has the gift of foresight and hindsight, Aidan can heal others with his touch, and Brooke can conjure protective shields. These hard-to-control powers will come in handy: They’ve manifested alongside a great supernatural threat that puts lives (and Carnival itself) at great risk. In this culturally rich and engaging series opener, the young mokos immerse themselves in the oral traditions of their culture and try to determine who can be trusted and who can’t. All the while, they discover that their strengths—like the rich food, music, and folk stories detailed throughout—only grow when they’re shared. The power of storytelling on full, colorful, exciting display. (author’s note, glossary) (Fantasy. 8-12) — Kirkus
Kirkus
“This approachable biography of the young activist highlights her bravery, commitment, and vulnerability. Young readers will appreciate learning about a regular kid who did something extraordinary. . . . An engaging profile of an inspiring civil rights hero whom readers will enjoy learning about and cheering for.” — Kirkus, starred review
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Illustrations from Mermaid and Pirate by Leisl Adams, Illustrations from Looking for a Jumbie by Amber Ren, Illustrations from The Jumbies by Vivienne To
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