Rougarou Magic
by Rachel M. Marsh
Intermediate, Middle School    Greenwillow    272 pp.
9/24    9780063325388    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780063325395    $9.99

Feliciana Fruge (pronounced “like blue jay”) is starting over. Again. Her family moved from Louisiana to Boston a year ago, but she was bullied at her first school by a girl named Ashley for her Cajun accent and southern roots. This year she’s starting sixth grade at Revere Academy, where she’s determined to keep her head down and blend in. That proves difficult when she discovers a rougarou—a wolf-like “swamp creature” from spooky Cajun folktales—in the woods behind her stepdad’s house, sent by her grandma to protect her. Once Feliciana finds out about an art contest, getting chosen to compete becomes her new goal, though she worries that even positive attention from sharing her work could expose Roux the Rougarou and bring more taunts from Ashley, who still torments her online and around town. This ultimately heartwarming novel contains lots of self-reflection on Feliciana’s heritage as she grows to embrace it, as well as comic relief from her offbeat new pet. Feliciana’s bully is realistically portrayed, but Feliciana learns to ignore her with the help of new friends. Cajun words, traditions, and foods are peppered throughout the text and lovingly explained. Pair with Cuevas’s Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo (rev. 1/24).

From the ">November/December 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.