Current installment of Tommi Reads the World – we’re in the Bs.
Country: Barbados
Title: Josephine Against the Sea
Author: Shakirah Bourne
Language: English
Translator: None
Publisher: Scholastic Press 2021
You never outgrow books (or you shouldn’t), so it’s no surprise that a middle grade book shows up in Tommi Reads the World. And thank goodness, because Josephine Against the Sea is an absolute delight.
The novel is about Josephine, an almost an eleven-year-old girl who is being raised by her fisherman father. She loves cricket, even though she’s been forbidden from playing, and she’s convinced if she can get tickets to a national match, he’ll remember how much he loves it too. And, if she can make it on the school team, she’ll get tickets for the match. But her dad doesn’t want her to play, and the coach doesn’t think girls can play – Josephine is going to prove them all wrong. Then her daddy brings home a new girlfriend, and strange things start to happen. Josephine begins to suspect Mariss is a benevolent and dangerous spirit – and she’s set her sights on Josephine’s daddy! With her best friend Ahkai at her side, Josephine has a new mission: save her daddy from the water spirit.
Now y’all know how much I love Mami Wata and how the diaspora spread variations of her throughout the world. So, you should not be surprised that I ate this Bajan one up. Josephine is everything you could want in a heroine, and Ahkai, who is autistic, is the ideal sidekick. (It’s perfect for fans of the Tristan Strong series.)
Read this book.
A Girl Named Tommi 