Root Magic by Eden Royce – Book Review

Title: Root Magic Author: Eden Royce Publisher: Walden Pond Press Release Date: January 5, 2021

Just as Jezebel Turner and her family reel from the loss of Gran, they face a number of other conflicts that threaten not only their place on their South Carolina island but also their lives. With a police deputy looming over the family and presenting a constant threat, Jez’s uncle, Doc, decides it’s time for her and her twin brother, Jay, to learn rootwork. The African American folk magic has sustained the family for countless generations. However, as they are beginning their rootwork lessons, the spiritual and sinister descend upon the Turner family. More than rootwork potions and powders, Jez must tap into the magic deep within her to protect what is most important, her family.

Eden Royce’s Root Magic forcefully blends a mix of magic, African American folk culture, history, and family love. It is an ambitious undertaking, and it will intrigue readers from the start. Unlike many novels that utilize world building to drive magical elements, Root Magic delivers a tale that is very real from the start. Whether or not these realistic portrayals of potion making and magic garner fans, the history behind rootwork and its practice in America will surely spark intrigue and produce powerful conversations about the country’s past. In the end, Royce selects all the right ingredients for an influential middle grade novel. Yet, verbose prose and a sluggish pace in the novel’s middle may lose some readers along the way. Those that do stick with it will find themselves moved by an important tale of family and friendship. They will also be rewarded with an enduring lesson about tapping into one’s own courage when faced with the toughest of circumstances.

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and publisher, Walden Pond Press, for an eARC of this book.

Classroom Applications

• Book Club or Book Exchange – Share the novel with students that enjoy reading fantasy or historical fiction books.

Nonfiction Connections

The list below outlines topics that will enrich your students’ understanding of the novel.

• Gullah Geechee culture and traditions
• African American folk magic
• West African spiritual traditions
• 1960s South Carolina – Pre-Civil Rights

Book Companions

The following are great books to pair with Root Magic. In parenthesis are the specific aspects students could explore when synthesizing across the texts.

• Hoodoo by Ronald L. Smith (Character Connections, Nonfiction Connections, Themes)
• The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste (Character Connections, Nonfiction Connections, Themes)
• Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Character Connections, Nonfiction Connections, Themes)

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