The Jumbies

By: Tracey Baptiste

Narrated by: Robin Miles

Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

A spine-tingling tale rooted in Caribbean folklore that will have listeners holding their breath as they fly through the audio.

Corinne La Mer isn't afraid of anything. Not scorpions, not the boys who tease her, and certainly not jumbies. They're just tricksters parents make up to frighten their children. Then one night Corinne chases an agouti all the way into the forbidden forest. Those shining, yellow eyes that followed her to the edge of the trees, they couldn't belong to a jumbie. Or could they?

When Corinne spots a beautiful stranger speaking to the town witch at the market the next day, she knows something unexpected is about to happen. And when this same beauty, called Severine, turns up at Corinne's house, cooking dinner for Corinne's father, Corinne is sure that danger is in the air. She soon finds out that bewitching her father, Pierre, is only the first step in Severine's plan to claim the entire island for the jumbies. Corinne must call on her courage and her friends and learn to use ancient magic she didn't know she possessed to stop Severine and save her island home.

With its able and gutsy heroine, lyrical narration, and inventive twist on the classic Haitian folktale The Magic Orange Tree, The Jumbies will be a favorite of fans of Breadcrumbs, A Tale Dark and Grimm, and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.

©2015 Tracy Baptiste (P)2015 Recorded Books

Highly recommend

Loved it! It definitely kept my attention until the end! Highly recommend reading/listening to this.

Moving characters and thrilling pace

I loved the friendships that were unexpected but strong and wise. I thought the story was fast paced and exciting, with a truly fierce, cunning, and scary evil enemy.

A fantastic scary story for kids of all ages

Based on the Haitian folk tale of "The Magic Orange Tree," Tracey Baptiste has woven a wonderful tale of magic, mythology, and things that go bump in the night.

Corinne and her father live together in a home close to the forest - a forest that the people of the island steer clear of because it houses the Jumbies. Corinne isn't afraid of the jumbies, or any of the other creatures that star in the tales the people tell to scare their children. So, when her town bullies tie her mother's necklace to the tale of an animal - the only thing Corrine still has that belonged other mother - she doesn't think twice about running into the forest after it. After successfully retrieving her necklace, Corinne happily returns to her father, never realizing that her trip into the forest attracted the attention of something.

When a beautiful woman shows up to the village market and goes to talk to the village witch, Corinne doesn't know who the woman is, but she does know that something is happening.

If only Corinne had listened to that little voice telling her something was different about the women, or the voices of her new friends telling her to stay away from the woman, or the villagers' stories telling her to stay out of the forest, then perhaps these events would not have unfolded. But she didn't, and so they did. LOL.

And though I did feel for the trouble that Corinne fell prey to as a result of her actions, I'm also glad that she didn't listen to those voices. Had she done so, we wouldn't have this wonderful story. Baptiste did a wonderful job developing the characters in the story, from the fearless Corinne to the trouble-making Bouki to the silent Malik, to the beautiful but dangerous Severine and beyond, the characters really bring the story to life.

That's not to say that the plot was lacking. It absolutely was not. While based on the fairy tale "The Orange Tree," Baptiste took great liberty with the story and adding in the Jumbies - characters that existed in the stories of the islanders who live in Trinidad - and other aspects which added a great deal of scary to the story. The amount of tension Baptiste wielded in this story was absolutely perfect. This is a great story of children young and old who like scary stories, as there were so many close calls that I was beginning to wonder if the protagonists were going to actually make it out of the story alive.

For this book, I also listened to the audiobook, narrated by Robin Miles. She gave a wonderful performance, and I loved the bits of singing that she did. I definitely look forward to continuing the series, seeing what happens next, and listening to Miles narrate the audiobooks.

Lovely and engaging story

My children are aged 5-12 and they all loved this story! Just dark enough to keep them engaged but not so much as to frighten them. Thank you!

Adventure with Just Enough Scary

Tracey Baptiste really took me on a ride into Caribbean lore and creepy (but not too creepy for my fifth graders) adventure. An enjoyable book that my students are sure to pick up and pass around with enthusiasm.
I should also add that I though Robin Miles did an outstanding job. Her pace was perfect and her character voices were seamlessly part of the story.

Goosebumps went to the Caribbean

I love books with magic, folklore, and mysticism. This is a fun creepy tale for young people without being too scary. Imagine if Goosebumps just got on a plane and went to the Caribbean.

Fantastic Creatures!

I didn't know what to expect when I started listening to this story, as I hadn't heard of a Jumbie before. But the various Jumbies Tracey described were unique and scary. I wouldn't want to cross paths with any of them! This original story is enthralling! I can't wait to start the sequel!

a real treat

It was wonderful to listen to a story about the jumbies I grew up hearing about as a child. I am looking forward to passing this on to my little niece in the States who otherwise might never learn our Trini folklore. And as always, Robin Miles weaves her magic into this tale.

Meh🫤

It was not my favorite it was kind of short and also kind of weird

it was funny and Suspensfull

my 8 and 13 year-old girls and I laughed and gasp though out the story. it made our 8 hr drive go by in a blink. absolutely loved this story and may listen to it a few more times.