BUMPS IN THE NIGHT

A 12-year-old has a lot to learn about her true powers and her mom’s side of the family before she can save everyone she loves.

Since her parents’ divorce and her mother’s disappearance, Skittles-loving Rika Lovelace-Rose from Colorado has had a lot of complicated feelings but not the best channels for expressing them. Sending her to visit Granny in Trinidad and Tobago was supposed to help. Yet, when she meets a talking iguana and a grimoire speaks to her, it becomes obvious to Rika that there’s a lot more to her maternal line than meets the eye. An art project offers a revelation that may answer questions about where Mom’s gone. With Piku (the baby iguana with the heart of a dragon) in tow, Rika teams up with a crew of magical tweens to uncover even more Trini folkloric mysteries that, as a Lovelace, she’s intimately tied to. Eventually, it becomes obvious: Rika is a witch. The father of Nox, Rika’s annoyingly cute crush, is trapped along with Rika’s mom in an evil silk cotton tree; to get them back and save the world, Rika and friends must work together to navigate a maze, overcome puzzling trials, and combat Caribbean monsters, including douens, a soucouyant, and la diablesse. The twists and turns, mythological elements, and compelling narration pack a punch. The novel centers Black and brown characters, reflecting the diversity of the setting.

Exciting, culturally rich fun and adventure.