What's a jumbie? Corinne and her friends know. In Trinidad, where Corinne lives with her widowed papa on the edge of the forest, a jumbie is an evil spirit that comes out at night to suck blood, steal children, or lure people into peril, the kind of creature parents tell stories about to frighten their children. Corinne knows they are not real, but when a beautiful woman suddenly takes an interest in Papa, she starts digging deeper. With the help of her friends u, of South Asian descent; Malik, who never says a word; and Bouki e discovers something deeply sinister going on. Structural elements similar to those of classic European fairy tales (brave girl, evil stepmother, magic amulet, and so on) look fresh, lively, and no less scary in the Caribbean setting. Readers will thrill to the werewolflike lagahoo and the creepy little douens, who have backward-facing feet. With a diverse cast of multidimensional characters, a swift plot, and a unique setting, this book will delight many.

Gr 3-5 A middle grade twist on a traditional Haitian folktale. Corinne and her father don't believe in jumbies, malevolent creatures that come out of the island's dark woods to prey on people. Then one day a strangely beautiful lady named Severine walks into Corinne's house and takes over, her Papa begins acting weird, and evil creatures attack the village. Corinne and her friends approach the white witch for help but she can't assist because it would affect the ancient balance between creatures and humans. However, the white witch does tell Corinne that she has a special power that can help. Readers will find Corinne engaging and her determination authentic. Corinne's friends, Dru, Bouki, and Malik are also fully formed and believable characters whose loyalty and bravery help save the day. Even the evil Severine is drawn well enough to evoke empathy in readers. The story builds nicely to the inevitable confrontation between Corinne and Severine. Though the denouement seems a little too good to be true, the themes of fairness, justice, and retribution meld into a better than average evil witch story. VERDICT This is a well written tale full of action with enough scary elements to satisfy fans of Adam Gidwitz's A Tale Dark and Grimm (Penguin, 2010) or Laura Amy Schlitz's Splendors and Glooms (Candlewick, 2012). Gretchen Crowley, Alexandria City Public Libraries, VA