Evangeline of the Bayou
Jan Eldredge
Illustrated by Joseph Kuefler
Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2018
Hardcover, 304 Pages
Trigger Warnings: Death of a parent, some potentially scary content for young readers
About the author: Jan was born and raised in the swampy state of Louisiana where as a child she would often sneak into her older brother’s room to read through his numerous monster magazines and scary comic books, and gaze at his collection of classic movie monster models like the Wolfman, Frankenstein’s Monster, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. In addition to her interest in cats, magic, and assorted eldritch things that go bump in the night, she enjoys researching bizarre superstitions, exploring old cemeteries, and visiting assorted theme parks. Halloween is her favorite holiday, but that probably goes without saying. Bio is from authors website, so to find out more about Jan, visit her here: http://www.janeldredge.com/about.html
“Power comes from belief. If you don’t believe you have it, then you don’t. But if you believe in yourself, amazing things will happen.”
Evangeline is a 12-year-old haunt huntress, descended from a long and prestigious line of female haunt huntresses—or at least, she will be once her familiar appears and she can prove to the council that she has “heart”. But before she can, her and her Grandmother are summoned to New Orleans to deal with a frightening new case: there is a monster loose in the city, one with sharp claws and a mouth full of fangs. This case will prove to be the biggest challenge Evangeline has yet to face, revealing dark secrets of her past—the question is, will Evangeline prove she has enough heart to handle the truth, and face down this monster?
Taking place deep in the Louisiana bayou, and the great city of New Orleans itself, Evangeline of the Bayou tells the story of a young girl seeking to prove to everyone and herself that she has what it takes to carry on her family’s tradition of hunting and busting the things that go bump in the night. This story is full of spine chilling, ghoulish fun, told by a sassy girl who knows how to handle herself in a world full of monsters. Evangeline of the Bayou may be all that a spooky mystery should, but it’s also a story which celebrates female empowerment and the bonds of family, while teaching an important lesson—never underestimate the capabilities of children to be the heroes of their own stories.
PRR Editor, Sierra Jackson
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