The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste

Corrine doesn't believe in Jumbies.  They're just a tale told to scare the kids and keep them out of the forest.  When she has to follow an agouti into the forest to retrieve her mother's necklace, she's not afraid.  Not until she sees the yellow eyes watching her...

Algonquin Young Readers and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published, so check with your local bookstore for a copy.

The Jumbie following Corrine is actually her aunt.  It seems Corrine is part Jumbie.  Her mother (who passed away) was a Jumbie and her father is a human.  Corrine doesn't know this and when she finds out, she tries to hide it.  The aunt comes to town as a beautiful woman and mesmerizes her father.  She also blocks Corrine from the house.

Corrine calls on her friends to help her save her dad.  Her aunt controls the other Jumbies and sets them all on the town.  You see, the Jumbies were there first.  Then man shows up and burns land to clear it, uses the trees for homes, and encroaches on the land that was always the Jumbies before.  So now the Jumbies are going to get even.

There are monsters of all kinds, some small, some large.  They are all strong and they follow the commands of the aunt.  How can one little girl fight an army of Jumbies?  What will it take to stop her aunt and get her father back?  All Corrine can do is try...