
Reach for this book when your child is navigating the weight of feeling different, dealing with the pain of an absent parent, or questioning where they fit within their community. This evocative story follows 12-year-old Caroline, who lives on St. Thomas and believes she is cursed. As she searches for her missing mother and navigates a blossoming crush on her new friend Kalinda, she must also face a ghostly presence that follows her through the islands. It is a deeply moving exploration of identity, colorism, and first love. Parents will appreciate the lyrical writing and the honest way it handles complex emotions. While it touches on heavy themes like abandonment and bullying, it ultimately offers a path toward self-acceptance and resilience. It is best suited for mature middle-grade readers who enjoy stories with high emotional stakes and atmospheric settings.
Explores a young girl's developing crush on her female friend.
Deals with intense feelings of abandonment and grief regarding a missing mother.
A ghostly spirit follows the protagonist, creating a spooky, Gothic atmosphere.
Parental abandonment (missing mother), bullying and mistreatment due to colorism and anti-Black racism, intense bullying from peers and teachers, and a life-threatening natural disaster (hurricane).
A mature 10 to 12 year old who feels like an outsider or who is navigating the complexities of a difficult parental relationship. It is perfect for a child who loves lyrical, emotional prose and isn't afraid of a story that feels a bit spooky and intense.
This book can be read cold by most middle-grade readers, but parents should be prepared to discuss the impact of colorism and how it affects Caroline's experiences in the book. The scenes involving the hurricane are intense and may require conversation about safety and fear. A child might come to a parent expressing that they feel "cursed" or disliked by everyone, or they might be struggling with feelings of rejection from a loved one.
An 8-year-old may focus on the mystery of the ghost and the tension of the storm. A 12-year-old will more deeply internalize the nuances of the romantic crush, the social hierarchies of the school, and the emotional weight of maternal abandonment.
Callender masterfully uses the "Hurricane Child" mythology and Caribbean gothic elements to externalize the internal turmoil of adolescence and identity. Callender's novel offers a powerful and poetic exploration of colorism's impact on Caroline's self-perception and relationships. """
Twelve-year-old Caroline Murphy, living in the U.S. Virgin Islands, believes herself to be cursed. Born during a hurricane, she is bullied for the shade of her skin, haunted by a silent spirit woman, and reeling from her mother's unexplained disappearance. When a new student named Kalinda arrives, Caroline experiences her first crush and finds a partner in her quest to find her mother. The story blends realistic elements of colorism and abandonment with a gothic, atmospheric ghost story.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Your experience helps other parents find the right book.
Sign in to write a review