Bayou Magic

It's Maddy's turn to spend the summer in Bon Temps, the Louisiana bayou, and she's not exactly jumping for joy.  Her older sisters have warned her that Grandmere is crazy, there's no TV, no internet, no life.

But as soon as she arrives, Maddy begins to relax.  She instantly connects with Grandmere and her friends in the bayou including Bear, a boy with red hair, freckles, and an adventurous spirit.  Maddy and Bear explore the bayou and its wildlife.

This is plenty of magic on its own, but Maddy quickly discovers that she is like her Grandmere, Tiny Mighty.  She has a magic gift that allows her to call the fireflies and see mermaids.

Long ago a water spirit called Mami Wata followed Maddy's ancestors on a slave ship to America.  Could Mami Wata be real?

Maddy is enjoying her time in Bon Temps until a disaster threatens the gulf, the bayou, and the plants, people, and animals who live there.  Is Maddy really Tiny Mighty like Grandmere?  Can she save her beloved bayou?

Jewell Parker Rhodes's new book is love letter to the Louisiana bayous and the gulf coast and a call to action in preserving the Louisiana wetlands especially in light of the Deep Water Horizon disaster.