Natalie Lloyd: A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic 2014)
Midnight Gulch was once full of magic. It was a secret place, because the mountains and the river hid it from the world and protected it. Its inhabitants had magic flowing in their veins, some could lock starlight in a jar, or make it rain, or become invisible. But the most special power belonged to those siblings, who, when they started playing music, everyone started dancing and became cheerful. However, once they challenged each other to a duel and since then, unfortunately, the magic has disappeared from the town. Or is there still a little left? Felicity, with her forever wandering mother and sister, returns to their family’s old home. Felicity also has a little bit of magic: she sees words everywhere. Sometimes they have wings, or tiny feet, high-heeled shoes or zebra stripes. But there is a word that she had not seen before, the word “home”. She might see it in Midnight Gulch, but first she must break the curse that has befallen her family and the entire town.
At first, it was difficult to decide whether magic really exists or whether we are just looking into a child’s fantasy. But maybe it doesn’t matter, because the point is that everyone should discover their own magic within themselves. The most important thing is love, because where our hearts leads us that is where our home is. My favorite character was Jonah, the mysterious do-gooder, whose principle I think everyone should follow: doing good to people without expecting anything in return.
As a child, Natalie Lloyd thought she could get to Narnia through her wardrobe, so she packed her favorite books in her lunchbox and climbed into the closet, but she never made it to the snowy forest, and she hasn’t since, even though she checks the wardrobes regularly. She knew she wanted to be a writer since she was a third grader, and her teachers encouraged her in this endeavor, to whom she is still grateful. She currently lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A Snicker of Magic was her debut novel, which won several awards and has since been followed by 8 other novels.
