ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Royce, Eden

Conjure Island

320 pp. | HarperCollins/Walden Pond | June, 2023 | Trade ISBN 9780062899613 $19.99 | Ebook ISBN 9780062899620 $10.99
(2) 4-6 Because her father is in the Air Force, eleven-year-old Delphinia Baker moves to a new state every year, making it difficult to form lasting friendships. Del is grateful for the one constant in her life: her grandmother. However, when Gramma falls ill while Del's father is deployed, Del is sent to stay with her great-grandmother, Nana Rose, who runs a school on an island off the coast of South Carolina. Del didn't know she had a great-grandmother--nor did she know that she comes from a long line of conjurers, spell workers whose magic is tied to the land and the community. At first, Del wants nothing to do with the strange school, but she soon learns that magic is more than incantations and enchantments. Magic is family, community, and life. Still, the mystery remains: why did her grandmother hide the existence of the school, the island, and her family? This heartfelt fantastical novel discusses resonant topics such as belonging, friendship, and grief. Royce's (Root Magic, rev. 3/21) narrative is filled with magic, but the heart of the story lies in its connection to Southern conjure and Gullah Geechee culture. Share with readers who enjoyed Dumas's Wildseed Witch and Clayton's The Marvellers (rev. 5/22).
Reviewer: S. R. Toliver | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2023

RELATED 

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

The Republic of Birds
by Miller, Jessica
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Atlantis
by Mone, Gregory
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

It Doesn't Take a Genius
by Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls
by Rivera, Kaela
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Soul Lanterns
by Kuzki, Shaw
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?