We look forward to seeing you on your next visit to the library. Find a location near you.

Root Magic
(OverDrive Listen)

Book Cover
Your Rating: 0 stars
Star rating for

Average user rating: 5 stars
User ratings:
5 star
 
(1)
4 star
 
(0)
3 star
 
(0)
2 star
 
(0)
1 star
 
(0)
Author:
Narrator:
Published:
Walden Pond Press 2021
Accelerated Reader:
IL: MG - BL: 4.6 - AR Points: 12
Status:
Available from OverDrive

Description

"A poignant, necessary entry into the children's literary canon, Root Magic brings to life the history and culture of Gullah people while highlighting the timeless plight of Black Americans. Add in a fun, magical adventure and you get everything I want in a book!" —Justina Ireland, New York Times bestselling author of Dread Nation

Walter Dean Myers Honor Award for Outstanding Children's Literature! A Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winner!

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.

Also in This Series

Formats

OverDrive Listen
Need Help?
If you are having problem transferring a title to your device, please fill out this support form or visit the library so we can help you to use our eBooks and eAudio Books.

More Like This

Other Editions and Formats

More Copies In LINK+

Loading LINK+ Copies...

More Details

Format:
OverDrive Listen
Edition:
Unabridged
Street Date:
01/05/2021
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780063064416
Accelerated Reader:
MG
Level 4.6, 12 Points

Reviews from GoodReads

Loading GoodReads Reviews.

Citations

APA Citation (style guide)

Eden Royce. (2021). Root Magic. Unabridged Walden Pond Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Eden Royce. 2021. Root Magic. Walden Pond Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Eden Royce, Root Magic. Walden Pond Press, 2021.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Eden Royce. Root Magic. Unabridged Walden Pond Press, 2021.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.

Copy Details

LibraryOwnedAvailable
Shared Digital Collection22

Staff View

Grouped Work ID:
651144f5-1495-f84c-d2be-a1ad0745904d
Go To Grouped Work

QR Code

API Extraction Dates

Needs Update?:
No
Date Added:
Jan 06, 2021 16:01:25
Date Updated:
Jan 06, 2021 16:01:25
Last Metadata Check:
Dec 01, 2024 13:51:50
Last Metadata Change:
Nov 24, 2024 14:59:23
Last Availability Check:
Dec 01, 2024 13:51:54
Last Availability Change:
Nov 13, 2024 22:56:43
Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
Dec 06, 2024 02:10:44

OverDrive Product Record

sortTitle
Root Magic
crossRefId
5512586
images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/0293-1/{DE2E84BC-6712-4304-80F6-F3D2E609420E}Img100.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/0293-1/{DE2E84BC-6712-4304-80F6-F3D2E609420E}Img200.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/0293-1/DE2/E84/BC/{DE2E84BC-6712-4304-80F6-F3D2E609420E}Img150.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/0293-1/DE2/E84/BC/{DE2E84BC-6712-4304-80F6-F3D2E609420E}Img400.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
formats
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780063064416
      • name: OverDrive MP3 Audiobook
      • id: audiobook-mp3
mediaType
Audiobook
primaryCreator
    • role: Author
    • name: Eden Royce
id
de2e84bc-6712-4304-80f6-f3d2e609420e
title
Root Magic
starRating
0
dateAdded
2021-01-06T17:41:00-05:00
contentDetails
      • href: https://link.overdrive.com/?websiteID=141&titleID=5512586
      • type: text/html
      • account:
          • name: Sacramento Public Library (CA)
          • id: 1151

OverDrive MetaData

isPublicDomain
False
formats
      • duration: 09:54:21
      • fileName: RootMagic-16727
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 285290994
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780063064416
      • name: OverDrive Listen
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: audiobook-overdrive
      • onSaleDate: 1/5/2021
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: audiobook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=de2e84bc-6712-4304-80f6-f3d2e609420e&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
creators
      • role: Author
      • fileAs: Royce, Eden
      • bioText:

        Eden Royce is a writer from Charleston, SC, now living in the garden of England. Her debut novel, Root Magic, was a Walter Dean Myers Award Honoree, an ALA Notable Children's Book, a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winner, and a Nebula Award Finalist for outstanding children's literature. She is also a Shirley Jackson Award finalist for her short fiction for adults. You can find her online at edenroyce.com.

      • name: Eden Royce
      • role: Narrator
      • fileAs: Parks, Imani
      • name: Imani Parks
publishDate
2021-01-05T00:00:00Z
edition
Unabridged
isOwnedByCollections
True
title
Root Magic
fullDescription

"A poignant, necessary entry into the children's literary canon, Root Magic brings to life the history and culture of Gullah people while highlighting the timeless plight of Black Americans. Add in a fun, magical adventure and you get everything I want in a book!" —Justina Ireland, New York Times bestselling author of Dread Nation

Walter Dean Myers Honor Award for Outstanding Children's Literature! A Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winner!

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.

reviews
      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        November 16, 2020
        1960s South Carolina comes to life in this middle grade debut filled with magic and heart. Eleven-year-old twins Jezebel and Jay Turner have just lost their grandmother when an unexpected visit from a racist police deputy spurs their uncle, Doc, to begin teaching them how to engage with their heritage through root magic, which offers healing and protection. Jez must also contend with a new school year: she’s been placed in the grade above Jay and must weather her classmates’ taunts alone. It’s only the presence of her doll, Dinah, who is more than she seems, and a strange new girl, Susie, that help Jez navigate the growing distance she feels with her brother and the otherworldly occurrences going on in the marsh behind their house. If Royce occasionally meanders, her depictions of the kids’ daily life and inner strength more than makes up for it. Ages 8–12. Agent: Adriann Ranta Zurhellen, Foundry Literary + Media.

      • premium: True
      • source: AudioFile Magazine
      • content: In a Southern drawl, narrator Imani Parks puts listeners right in the heart of rural South Carolina in the 1960s. After the death of their beloved grandmother, 11-year-old twins Jez and Jay begin to train in root work, the African American folk medicine their family has always made for the people on their island. The twins' understanding of their family's ability to conjure magic grows as they notice supernatural occurrences going on in the marsh behind their house. The story's tension also rises with the increasing menace of a racist police officer. With her youthful voice, Parks deftly portrays Jez's growing confidence and maturity, creating a hero whom kids will relate to and cheer for. S.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
      • premium: True
      • source: School Library Journal
      • content:

        March 5, 2021

        Gr 3 Up-Eleven-year-old Jezebel "Jez" Turner, who is Black, doesn't fit in. All she wants is a friend. While some people embrace the root magic her family specializes in, others look down on it. Following her grandmother's passing, Jez and her twin brother Jay get the opportunity to learn the root work that has been a part of their family for generations. These lessons and the protection they teach come just in time, as a racist deputy harasses their family and community and all kinds of evil come after them. It's up to Jez to take what she's learned and apply it in a way that allows her to remain true to herself. Though this seems like an overwhelming task, she luckily doesn't have to face it alone. From chapter one, this title immerses the reader in the Gullah Geechee culture of South Carolina, giving readers a look into their funeral rites, spiritual practices, root work, language, and food. Throughout her lessons, Jez proves to be a natural root worker, and though she recognizes the value in her culture's traditions, she also challenges these beliefs in order to decide for herself who her allies and enemies are. In Jez, readers will find a kindred spirit and will relate to her desire to protect her family and the people she cares about, even when it causes her to feel like she has an enormous weight on her shoulders. Readers, like Jez, will learn the importance of sharing that weight with the people who love them. VERDICT A fantastical tale brimming with family traditions, friendship, and #BlackGirlMagic that is sure to be an excellent addition to any library's middle grade collection.-Myiesha Speight, Towson Univ., Baltimore

        Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

      • premium: True
      • source: The Horn Book
      • content:

        March 1, 2021
        Eleven-year-old Jezebel's family has done "rootwork" for generations. In 1963, many of the people on their South Carolina island frequent her grandmother and uncle's cabin for the healing potions they make, while others, including "other Negroes," ridicule them as old-fashioned and ignorant. Deputy Collins, a white police officer, has made it his mission to harass and terrorize the root workers. When Gran dies, Jezebel and her twin brother, Jay, begin lessons in rootwork with Uncle Doc. As Jezebel begins to learn "root magic," she also begins to notice more about her own powers. After hearing a voice in the marsh, Jezebel discovers that her spirit can fly free from her body and begins to take nightly trips around the island. But those trips come at a cost. Over time, Jezebel learns how to use her powers to protect those she loves. Royce sets her novel during a time of social change (the integration of South Carolina schools, the assassination of JFK) while introducing readers to centuries-old Gullah traditions. For fans of Tracey Baptiste's The Jumbies, this book, with its rich language and evocative setting, is a great addition to the literature based on folklore that has sustained many people of color in their island communities. Nicholl Denice Montgomery

        (Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

      • premium: True
      • source: Booklist
      • content:

        Starred review from January 1, 2021
        Grades 4-8 *Starred Review* It's the summer of 1963 when Gran dies, leaving 11-year-old Jezebel and her twin brother, Jay, to learn and master the family trade--working roots. A practice of healing, protecting, and conjuring magic, working roots holds deep ties to the Gullah Geechee people of South Carolina and their African ancestors, as well as to Jezebel's family and community. Despite her excitement around root work and the thought of protecting her family from the racist policeman terrorizing them, Jezebel knows that it'll only make her more of a target at school, unlike her popular brother. But soon, after a number of run-ins with mystical and spiritual beings, the family finds that the tween's inclination for root magic is stronger than they'd suspected, sparking a confidence and maturity in Jezebel that will resonate with anyone who has been teased for being different. This title adds nuance to textbook lessons about Jim Crow and broadens conceptions of Blackness with rich histories and customs that predate slavery. All the while, themes of friendship and acceptance, family, and the very real pains of outgrowing childhood tether this title to the seams of the heart. Readers will revel in the magic of root work, but, perhaps more important, they'll develop a deep reverence for the practice as they come to understand its groundedness in healing, restoration, and respect for all beings. A must-read for leisure and learning, sure to leave readers wishing for more after the final page.

        COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

      • premium: True
      • source: Kirkus
      • content:

        Starred review from November 1, 2020
        An African American tween learns about her family's connection to conjure magic--and human evil--in 1960s South Carolina. Jezebel and her twin brother, Jay, know their family will never be the same following their Gran's death. Their father's unexplained disappearance a few years back is another loss that has yet to heal. Gran was a talented Gullah rootworker whose abilities were sought by some and reviled by others. The local White deputy harasses families who use rootwork even as they are needed for the healing denied by segregated hospitals. Now, Jezebel and Jay are about to learn these skills from their uncle to keep the legacy alive. For the first time, the twins will not be in the same class since Jezebel will skip fifth grade. She becomes the target of bullies but manages to make one friend, a girl new to the school. As the rootwork lessons proceed, the twins become more aware of change all around them, from whispered voices in the marsh to the strange actions of Jezebel's doll. It becomes clear that they have inherited connections to the spiritual world and that they face a very human threat. This richly detailed narrative offers elements of magical realism against a backdrop of social change, presenting a convincing family story and exploring community differences. Although Jezebel is a spirited narrator, Jay and other characters are fully realized. A strong coming-of-age story grounded in a vibrant cultural heritage. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

        COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

      • premium: True
      • source: The Horn Book
      • content:

        January 1, 2021
        Eleven-year-old Jezebel's family has done "rootwork" for generations. In 1963, many of the people on their South Carolina island frequent her grandmother and uncle's cabin for the healing potions they make, while others, including "other Negroes," ridicule them as old-fashioned and ignorant. Deputy Collins, a white police officer, has made it his mission to harass and terrorize the root workers. When Gran dies, Jezebel and her twin brother, Jay, begin lessons in rootwork with Uncle Doc. As Jezebel begins to learn "root magic," she also begins to notice more about her own powers. After hearing a voice in the marsh, Jezebel discovers that her spirit can fly free from her body and begins to take nightly trips around the island. But those trips come at a cost. Over time, Jezebel learns how to use her powers to protect those she loves. Royce sets her novel during a time of social change (the integration of South Carolina schools, the assassination of JFK) while introducing readers to centuries-old Gullah traditions. For fans of Tracey Baptiste's The Jumbies, this book, with its rich language and evocative setting, is a great addition to the literature based on folklore that has sustained many people of color in their island communities.

        (Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

popularity
891
links
    • self:
        • href: https://api.overdrive.com/v1/collections/v1L1BWwAAAA2I/products/de2e84bc-6712-4304-80f6-f3d2e609420e/metadata
        • type: application/vnd.overdrive.api+json
    • shareInLibby:
        • href: https://link.overdrive.com/share?q=ih1UAMShdiw
        • type: text/HTML
id
de2e84bc-6712-4304-80f6-f3d2e609420e
starRating
4.4
images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/0293-1/{DE2E84BC-6712-4304-80F6-F3D2E609420E}Img100.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/0293-1/{DE2E84BC-6712-4304-80F6-F3D2E609420E}Img200.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/0293-1/DE2/E84/BC/{DE2E84BC-6712-4304-80F6-F3D2E609420E}Img150.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/0293-1/DE2/E84/BC/{DE2E84BC-6712-4304-80F6-F3D2E609420E}Img400.jpg
        • type: image/jpeg
isPublicPerformanceAllowed
False
languages
      • code: en
      • name: English
subjects
      • value: Fantasy
      • value: Juvenile Fiction
      • value: Juvenile Literature
      • value: Historical Fiction
publishDateText
01/05/2021
otherFormatIdentifiers
      • type: ISBN
      • value: 9780062899576
mediaType
Audiobook
shortDescription

"A poignant, necessary entry into the children's literary canon, Root Magic brings to life the history and culture of Gullah people while highlighting the timeless plight of Black Americans. Add in a fun, magical adventure and you get everything I want in a book!" —Justina Ireland, New York Times bestselling author of Dread Nation

Walter Dean Myers Honor Award for Outstanding Children's Literature! A Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winner!

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...

sortTitle
Root Magic
crossRefId
5512586
awards
      • source: Association for Library Service to Children
      • value: Notable Children's Books
publisher
Walden Pond Press
bisacCodes
      • code: JUV011010
      • description: JUVENILE FICTION / African American & Black
      • code: JUV016150
      • description: Juvenile Fiction / Historical / United States / 20th Century
      • code: JUV037000
      • description: JUVENILE FICTION / Fantasy & Magic