A Girl's Guide to Love & Magic
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Perfect for fans of The Sun Is Also a Star and Blackout, this YA novel from Debbie Rigaud is a celebration of Haitian and Caribbean culture, and a story of first love, vodou, and finding yourself, all set against the backdrop of the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn.
Cicely Destin lives for the West Indian Day Parade, the joyous celebration of Caribbean culture that takes over the streets of her neighborhood. She loves waving the Haitian flag, sampling delicious foods, and cheering for the floats. And this year? She’ll get to hang with her stylish aunt, an influencer known for dabbling in Haitian Vodou.
And maybe spot her dreamy crush, Kwame, in the crowd.
But fate has other ideas. Before the parade, a rogue, mischievous spirit seems to take possession of Cicely's aunt during a spiritual reading. Cicely hardly knows anything about Vodou, or how to get someone un-possessed. But it’s up to her to set things right--and the clock is ticking. She'll have to enlist the help of her quick-thinking best friend, Renee, and, as luck would have it...Kwame.
Cicely, her friends, and the reckless spirit who is now their charge set off on a thrilling scavenger hunt to gather the ceremonial items they need. And along the way, will Cicely discover surprising powers of her on?
Bestselling author Debbie Rigaud infuses this novel with sparkling wit, romance, and nuance that will keep readers riveted and enchanted.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A Haitian American teenager unlocks her vodou power in this joyful romance by Rigaud (Simone Breaks All the Rules). Cicely Destin is excited to celebrate her 15th birthday, which falls on the same weekend as Brooklyn's West Indian Day Parade. At the event, her mother's estranged vodouista sister, Tati Mimose, invites Cicely and her best friend, Renee, to meet Papash, the girls' favorite rapper, whom Tati Mimose is interviewing for her podcast. Everything about the outing is planned to the letter, including what time Cicely is due back at her parents' carnival food booth, but her schedule is derailed when a spirit possesses Tati Mimose after a tarot reading gone wrong. With the help of Renee and her classmate—and crush—Kwame, Cicely embarks on a borough-wide hunt to gather the ceremonial items required to cast out the ghost in time for Tati Mimose's interview. Rigaud develops a fast-paced love letter to Brooklyn and Caribbean American culture via a courageous and resolute cast who, through varying interpersonal struggles, explore the meaning of vodou while reckoning with internalized shame about their heritage. Ages 12–up.
