Jewell Parker Rhodes

Children’s Fiction

a brave and hopeful heroine
brought to life on AppleTV

Bayou Magic

7

It’s Maddy’s turn to have a bayou summer. At first she misses life back home in the city, but soon she grows to love everything about her new surroundings—the glimmering fireflies, the glorious landscape, and something else, deep within the water, that only Maddy sees. Could it be a mermaid? As her grandmother shares wisdom about sayings and signs, Maddy realizes she may be only the sibling to carry on her family’s magical legacy. And when a disastrous oil leak threatens the bayou, she knows she may also be the only one who can help. Does she have what it takes to be a hero?

A coming-of-age tale rich with folk magic, set in the wake of the Gulf oil spill, Bayou Magic celebrates hope, friendship, and family, and captures the wonder of life in the Deep South.

The book cover for Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes, featuring a young African American girl looking into the distance at a barge on fire.
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Honors & Accolades
for Bayou Magic

Magnolia Book Award Shortlist

2018, University of Southern Mississippi

South Carolina Book Award Nominee

2017-2018, South Carolina Association of School Librarians

Top 10 Multicultural Fiction for Youth

2016, Booklist Online

We Need Diverse Books Educational Kit Selection

2015, We Need Diverse Books

LA Times Summer Read Selection: Middle Grade

2015, Los Angeles Times

Cybil’s Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction Finalists

2015, Cybil’s

Teaching for Change’s Favorite Books: Middle School & Adult Fiction

2015, Teaching for Change Books

We Need Diverse Books End of the Year List

2015, We Need Diverse Books

Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature Best Multicultural Books

2015, SERRC

Official Book Trailer

This video introduces Bayou Magic, a part of the Louisiana Girls Trilogy.

Order Your Copy

Buy at IndieBound
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Watch Bayou Magic Come to Life

Featuring an entirely new cast and adventure, the latest installment of Ghostwriter dives into stories inspired by Bayou Magic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Charlotte’s Web, and more!

Watch on AppleTV+
A promotional image for the show 'Ghostwriter' shows middle school aged children looking inquisitively into the air, with gold swirls around them as they look in a book.

Jewell Parker Rhodes’s “Bayou Magic” Explores Fantasy, Folklore, and Family Ties

2015, School Library Journal

Jewell Parker Rhodes: A Magical Summer in the Bayou

2015, Bookpage

Jewell Parker Rhodes: Living the Dream and Writing for Children: Children’s Institute 2015

2015, Publisher’s Weekly

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Press for
Bayou Magic

Booklist, Starred Review

“Bayou Magic revels in friendship, and love while reflecting life in the Deep South. Looking to add diversity to your shelves? Look no farther than the characters that populate Bon Temps and experience the community in which they live.”

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Karly Deno, 5th grade teacher at Kromrey Middle School

“Thank you for inspiring me and my students every day to stay avid readers and writers–individuals who challenge  themselves and write about important, culturally relevant and diverse topics. You inspire me and so many students, and my students see themselves in your books, and I thank you so much for that.”

School Library Journal, Starred Review

“Hand this to middle grade readers who enjoy family stories, history, and a dose of fanciful magic.”

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Views From The Tesseract

“A richly evocative middle grade fantasy adventure…The author brings the flavors, sights and scents of the bayou into the reader’s imagination.”

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School Library Journal

“Maddy is a brave and hopeful heroine, and the descriptions of the bayou are almost as magical as her legacy.”

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Publisher's Weekly

“Readers will be easily drawn into Rhodes’s heady descriptions, and as environmental disaster threatens the landscape Maddy has come to love, her heroism shines as she protects the community and recognizes her own strength.”

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