Voodoo Child

by Janet Post, Gabe Thompson

Explore the mysteries of New Orleans’ French Quarter during Mardi Gras, through the eyes of three seventh graders as they search to reconnect with their parents and avoid a nasty set of bad guys. Left alone and homeless in Haiti, Jean Benoit is sent state-side by an orphanage to live with foster parents and attend Catholic school as a social outcast. His new-found friend Oscar, known as Walmart, is mocked by fellow students as an overweight under-achiever whose mother abandoned him in Wal-Mart. The boys are befriended by Bella, an American Indian, who lives with her adoptive parents. Her birth parents are dead, but they left her a legacy she soon discovers as she begins to shape-shift. Jean receives a gift from his dead father, too. It’s a magic amulet pursued by a voodoo witch named Odette, her brother Bocor, and her son, Natas. Jean has no idea how to use it. He must learn on the fly, on a wild race around New Orleans, on a train to Little Haiti, Miami and back, to the cemetery in the swamp, as the three friends try to find his mother before the black magic users get to her, or them. 5 Stars Readers Favorite Voodoo Child by Janet Post and Gabe Thompson is a beautifully written and intelligently plotted young adult urban fantasy that will thrill fans of the genre. After the earthquake in Haiti, Jean Benoit becomes homeless, losing both parents. Now he is sent by an orphanage to attend a Catholic school as a social outcast. Oscar is a friend of Jean, bullied in school and called Walmart because his mother abandoned him at a Walmart. Bella is their friend, an American Indian living with her adoptive parents. Bella inherited a powerful gift from her parents, a gift she is learning to develop — shape-shifting. Jean has something that the bad witch desires — an amulet he received from his father. Now the voodoo witch Odette, with her brother and son, will stop at nothing to get their hands on the amulet. This is an exciting story and I enjoyed the author’s handling of relationships, the wonderful sense of mystery that permeates the narrative, and the sophistication of the characters. We encounter characters who reflect the reality of the homeless or the outcast. They are bullied in school, called names, but then there is the beauty of relationships that will develop into the best lessons on teamwork in the narrative. It is exciting to follow the protagonist in the race to find his mother across exciting settings —New Orleans, Little Haiti, Miami and the cemetery in the swamp. Oscar and Bella are wonderful friends to Jean, well-developed characters that readers will want to follow. From the start of the narrative, the reader is introduced to the tension within the protagonist, a young seventh-grader in a foster home. The authors did an impeccable job with the setting of this novel and the twists in the plot make for an exciting read. I enjoyed the gorgeous prose, the strong emotions, and the skillful handling of character. Voodoo Child is an exciting urban fantasy with memorable characters.

330 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 12, 2018