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“Magical, out of this World, and emotional.“
Reading age
8-12
Genre
Historical fiction
Publisher
Walden Pond Press
Publication date
April 5, 2022
My brief summary of the Root Magic
In South Carolina, 1963, Jezebel and Jay Turner, 11-year-old Gullah-Geechee twins, are about to get their life changed. Their grandmother had just passed away, and they are starting to learn how to do rootwork from their uncle Doc. Jez and Jay have always been curious about their Gullah-Geechee heritage. But they are living in dangerous times. Jez will start 6th grade as a gifted student without her twin brother (who is still in 5th grade).
She is nervous and is already getting picked on. Soon, strange things began occurring when she got stuck in the marsh. Jez and Jay must figure out the cause of these occurrences and make this year for the better.
My thoughts
What a fascinating and thrilling story! Scary and poignant at times, sweet and compassionate at others, Root Magic is a hard book to put down. The Gullah-Geechee people’s descriptions of their culture are well done. I didn’t know anything about them. Thanks to this book, I learned so much about their culture, rootwork, etc. My favorite character is Jez’s best friend Susie because I think she is a very loyal friend, which I love.
For Black History Month, I read so many great books, but Harriet Tubman (her biography) and this book are my favorite black history novels so far.
My rating
My parents are from Belgium, and I enjoy learning about Belgium’s history and culture. I hope to visit Belgium soon.
About the author
“Eden Royce is from Charleston, South Carolina, and is a member of the Gullah Geechee Nation. Her short stories have appeared in various print and online publications, including Fiyah, and she is the recipient of the Speculative Literature Foundation’s Diverse Worlds grant. Root Magic is her first book. Eden now lives in England with her husband and cat.” – Amazon.
