Josefa and the Vu by Tulia Thompson

[zeborah]

This is a children's/young-young adult fantasy novel (the publishers reckon 9-12 years which sounds right.) The shape of the plot is a standard dealing-with-school-bully one, but the elements that make it up are a lot of fun.

The supernatural folk are as multicultural as the human cast: Josefa's Vu from Fiji battling the mostly-Scottish Cu Sith; Ming's dragon from China helping; and bully Jack's "Elenpi"s, New Zealand-ified brownies making mischief. As a more minor character Marama may not have her own protective spirit (or at least doesn't know it) but she brings her own iwi's knowledge and confidence to the problems the kids face. (And it's a nice, casual touch that she, rather than any blonde Pākehā, is described as "the prettiest girl in the school".)

I also liked that, though Josefa's family doesn't play an active central role in the plot, they do play their parts and aren't relegated to being nothing but an obstacle to get around.
(ETA: Whoops, meant to link to the publisher's website.)

Comments

[cyphomandra.livejournal.com]

I liked this a lot - fun and fast-paced, and such an effectively diverse cast (also, it made me homesick for the Waitakeres and Onehunga). She appears to be currently doing a PhD in Sociology, but I'm hoping for more fiction as well.