Daughters of Jubilation

Gr 9 Up–Evalene has magical powers. Sometimes she can make things move with her mind. Her family calls it the Jublilation. Evalene is descended from powerful Black women who used these powers to survive. One spring in the Jim Crow South, right before Juneteenth, Evalene saves a white family from a falling oak tree after inadvertently causing an earthquake with her powers. Evalene is praised as a hero, when just moments before, she was being threatened by these same people for riding her bike into the “wrong neighborhood.” That summer, as Evalene juggles work, family, and her growing relationship with her longtime crush Clay, her growing powers manifest in a big, scary, and life-changing way. Evalene’s compelling first-person narrative brings readers effortlessly into her life. This historical fantasy contains elements of romance and sex, some violence, as well as strong language.