Dear readers, I am so very excited to share this new middle grade contemporary fantasy from the author of Root Magic, one of my favorite books of 2021. Keep reading and scrolling to find out about it and the author, my thoughts on it, check out the educator guide, enter a giveaway, and visit the other stops on the blog tour.

Conjure Island
by Eden Royce

Walden Pond Press, 2023

ISBN 978-0062899613

Review copy kindly provided by the publisher.

ABOUT THE BOOK

If you ask Delphinia Baker, she’d tell you she has all the family she needs. Sure, her mom passed away when she was young, her dad is often away on deployment, and she’s had to move so much that she’s never had close friends. But even though Del has never had anyone she can call her people, she has always had her grandmother—and for Del and Gramma, best friends since forever, that’s enough. Besides, having no roots just makes it that much easier when you have to move again.

All of that changes, though, when Gramma falls ill and Del is sent to stay with her great-grandmother. Del has never even heard of Nana Rose, and she has no interest in spending the summer with a stranger on an unbearably hot island off the South Carolina coast. And when Nana Rose starts talking about the school she runs dedicated to their family’s traditions—something called “conjure magic”—Del knows she’s in for a weird, awkward summer.

That is, until the magic turns out to be real.

Soon, Del is surrounded by teachers who call themselves witches, kids with strange abilities, creatures and ghosts who can speak to her. She has a hundred questions, but one more than any other: Why didn’t Gramma ever tell her about her family, the island, this magic? As Del sets out to find answers and to find her place in a world she never knew existed, she also discovers a shadowy presence on the island—and comes to believe that it all might be connected.

Eden Royce, the acclaimed author of Root Magic, returns to the folklore of Gullah Geechee culture to weave an enchanting tale of magic, mystery, and belonging.

Eden Royce is a writer from Charleston, SC, now living in the Garden of England. She is a Shirley Jackson Award finalist for her short fiction for adults. 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. Find her online at edenroyce.com.

Photo by Tim Hensel.

MY THOUGHTS

CONJURE ISLAND is a powerful book. I had so much sympathy for Del, with so much responsibility put on her from a young age, even before we got to the magic part of the story. And then – the school that looks different depending on whether or not you believe in it, Del’s struggle to make and keep friends for the first time, her quest to solve the mystery, all while not knowing what’s happening to her Gramma. The magic itself is real, steeped in tradition and meaning, while its purpose of connecting and building community are lessons that Del needs to master on multiple levels of her life. I appreciated also that though Del has a lot to learn, the adults in her life are able to apologize for the difficulties there choices caused for her. Young people reading this book are sure to want to learn more about Root and find a broom companion of their own. I’d love to read more about Del and her friends, but I’ll read anything Eden Royce wants to write.

Other books set in magical schools that reflect African-American traditions include Wildseed Witch by Marti Dumas, A Taste of Magic by J. Elle, and The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton. My review of Root Magic also included a list of African-American middle grade fantasies with a strong sense of place, which CONJURE ISLAND also has in spades.

CONJURE ISLAND Blog Tour

June 27 Nerdy Book Club  @nerdybookclub

June 27 Unleashing Readers.   @unleashreaders

June 27 Helping Kids Rise @helpingkidsrise

June 28 Charlotte’s Library @charlotteslibrary

June 28  StoryMamas @storymamas

June 29  LitCoachLou @litcoachlou

June 29  A Library Mama @librarymama

June 29  Teachers Who Read @teachers_read

TEACHER’S GUIDE

GIVEAWAY

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