Authors: Tracey Baptiste

The Jumbies (15 page)

The

Jumbies

Tracey Baptiste

1. Had you heard of any of the scary creatures that Tracey Baptiste describes in
The Jumbies
before reading the novel? If so, how did you first learn about the jumbie(s)? If not, which type of jumbie will you remember most?

2. In what ways is
The Jumbies
like folktales and fairy tales you've read? What makes it different?

3. What does Pierre mean when he says on
page 19
, “You know how the sea is. Nothing stays at the bottom forever”? After reading the story, does this meaning change?

4. On
page 70
, Corinne detects something wrong with the food Severine is cooking; her father doesn't. Describe a time when you knew something was not quite right even though it seemed to others that everything was okay.

5. If Corinne's mother were still alive, how might she have changed Corinne's belief that “stories about jumbies are just things that grown people say when they make up stories at night”? Do you think Corinne's mother would have told Corinne that jumbies were real? Why or why not?

6. Malik and Bouki are loyal friends who remind Corinne that sometimes everyone needs help. When has a friend helped you through something that was too big to handle on your own? Do you think the story would have ended as it did if Corinne hadn't had the help of her friends along the way? How would the ending have been different?

7. Dru is timid and shy when she first meets Corinne, while Corinne is a risk taker. How do the girls change or grow over the course of their friendship? Why are the girls such good friends despite their differences?

8. On
page 92
, Corinne has an experience that makes her believe that “jumbies are real.” How does this revelation change Corinne?

9. On
page 27
, the white witch says, “If I help one, I have to help the other. For balance.” Over the course of
The Jumbies,
the white witch does provide each side with some help, but ultimately, does she stay true to her vow to keep things balanced? Did she make the right choices, such as giving Severine magic that would help her live among humans and saving Corinne, Dru, Malik, and Bouki from drowning? How would
The Jumbies
have been different without the white witch?

10. Who has more right to live on the island, jumbies or humans? Why?

11. On
page 164
, the white witch says, “Everybody thinks they need magic. Everybody wants answers . . . They want a bottle. Instant success! Something to drink, or sprinkle, or spill on the ground. They want magic from nothing. Magic doesn't come from nothing. It comes from somewhere. And it isn't so extraordinary. It's just work. It's just using your head and your heart.” Is there an example in the story that supports or disproves what the witch says? Explain.

12. How will Corinne's life be different after
The Jumbies
ends? How might the discoveries about her family history change how the community treats Pierre and Corinne?

Reader's Guide by Emily Parliman

Latifah Abdur Photography

TRACEY BAPTISTE lived in Trinidad until she was fifteen; she grew up on jumbie stories and fairy tales. She is a former teacher who works as a writer and editor and lives in New Jersey. Her website is
www.traceybaptiste.com
.