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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.
A BOLD MIDDLE GRADE DEBUT: In Root Magic, Eden Royce combines humor, heart, history, a touch of creepiness, and a dose of magic into a wonderful mix perfect for middle grade readers. Digging into issues of justice both social and personal and weaving them through a classic story of friendship, family, and growing up, this debut has it all—a potent combination reminiscent of intimate stories like Alicia Williams's Genesis Begins Again and tales of magic like Ronald L. Smith's Hoodoo.
UNDERREPRESENTED FOLKLORE AND TRADITIONS: Root Magic is inspired by rootwork, a type of African American folk magic based in West African spiritual traditions, and it also includes the folklore and traditions of the Geechee people and the Gullah language, a vibrant mix of English and several African languages formed when the first enslaved people were brought to the United States, and still spoken today in parts of the Carolinas.
AN ESSENTIAL VOICE: Eden's ability to powerfully tackle social issues and weave them into this magical coming-of-age story make her an author to watch. And the compelling voice, characters, setting, historical and cultural details, and author’s vivid and essential perspective make this the sort of book that is severely lacking in the middle grade fantasy space and one that will garner a lot of deserved attention.
STEEPED IN IMPORTANT HISTORY: The novel is set in a pre–civil rights South Carolina and adeptly addresses the racism of the era and the state's reluctant integration of its school system a full nine years after Brown v. BoE. It also includes a touching, powerful scene around the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Eden's honest, sensitive portrayal of these historic events brings even more vitality—and classroom relevance—to her story.
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.
A BOLD MIDDLE GRADE DEBUT: In Root Magic, Eden Royce combines humor, heart, history, a touch of creepiness, and a dose of magic into a wonderful mix perfect for middle grade readers. Digging into issues of justice both social and personal and weaving them through a classic story of friendship, family, and growing up, this debut has it all—a potent combination reminiscent of intimate stories like Alicia Williams's Genesis Begins Again and tales of magic like Ronald L. Smith's Hoodoo.
UNDERREPRESENTED FOLKLORE AND TRADITIONS: Root Magic is inspired by rootwork, a type of African American folk magic based in West African spiritual traditions, and it also includes the folklore and traditions of the Geechee people and the Gullah language, a vibrant mix of English and several African languages formed when the first enslaved people were brought to the United States, and still spoken today in parts of the Carolinas.
AN ESSENTIAL VOICE: Eden's ability to powerfully tackle social issues and weave them into this magical coming-of-age story make her an author to watch. And the compelling voice, characters, setting, historical and cultural details, and author’s vivid and essential perspective make this the sort of book that is severely lacking in the middle grade fantasy space and one that will garner a lot of deserved attention.
STEEPED IN IMPORTANT HISTORY: The novel is set in a pre–civil rights South Carolina and adeptly addresses the racism of the era and the state's reluctant integration of its school system a full nine years after Brown v. BoE. It also includes a touching, powerful scene around the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Eden's honest, sensitive portrayal of these historic events brings even more vitality—and classroom relevance—to her story.
