Catherine Johnson (2)

I think, of all the things I've read, this has been my favorite (to be fair this is the only fictional based on story I've read). This book has a little of everything--which is both a blessing and a curse. I wasn't quite sure why we needed the Cassandra/Will subplot, except maybe as a foil to Caraboo's adventures.

Johnson imagines Caraboo (Or Mary) as a young girl who's life was broken by heartbreak and betrayal, who takes up the Caraboo life not to con or bamboozle or steal, but because for her Caraboo is what she aspires to be.

Fierce, strong, unflinching and fearless. Caraboo swims and hunts and has a knife she dances with. She is everything a girl like Mary would want to be.… (mere)

I really enjoyed this short history about Nanny of the Maroons resisting the British in Jamaica. I was not at all familiar with her story, so I was glad to learn it, and I appreciated the first-person, action-packed storytelling. I also really liked that the author incorporated a certain ambivalence when it comes to Obeah -- Nanny the character doesn't entirely believe in it, but is willing to use it to her own ends. She also has some inexplicable things happen around her that serves to keep the question open about whether it is real or not. Altogether, a strong history that should be shared, and an engaging book for young audiences.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.… (mere)