Review: A SNICKER OF MAGIC by Natalie Lloyd

**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** PublishersWeekly
**Starred Review** SchoolLibraryJournal
**Starred Review** GoodBooksforKids (us)

A SNICKER OF MAGIC is all about magical realism, and Natalie Lloyd's debut novel does it right.  This is a book that is going to appeal to readers who love quirky characters, small communities, and happy endings.  

Backstory

Once upon a time Midnight Gulch was a hidden place. A place of magic. And two brothers were some of the most magical of the people who resided there. They made music and when they played people couldn't help but dance, and the trees would grab a hold of their tunes and kept them on the breeze. Then one day something tore the brothers relationship apart and they decided to duel.  The penalty was horrible and would tear them apart forever, for whichever one of the brothers lost would have to leave Midnight Gulch, forever.  And worse, they would be cursed with a rambling heart so that they could never settle down.

That horrid day, when the brothers parted, marked the beginning of a decline of Midnight Gulch.  People no longer wanted to live there. They left and didn't come back, and sorrow became more a part of peoples lives, than not.

Change is coming though.  Because to 12 year-old Felicity this small town is still magical. Even if it's just got a snicker of magic and not full blown magic. It's the place where she finds her first friend, and it's a place where her 'seeing and catching' words and writing them on her shoes and in her blue notebook is accepted.

The Conflict

Felicity and her little sister, Frannie Jo, want to stay put, but their momma just can't.  Felicity is convinced that their mom is afflicted by the heritage of the brother's curse.  And she's convinced that if she applies herself that she can figure out the curse and undo it.  The question is whether there will enough time to unravel the mystery before her mother moves them on again.

a touch of quirkiness...

The next afternoon, Johan told me to meet him at his mom's beauty salon. The shop is called

Jewell Pickett's Lube & Dye

because it happens to be the only salon offering beauty services and minor car repairs in the entire town of Midnight Gulch and possibly the whole world.  Jonah said the shop came about because his mom, Jewell, had two great passions in life: tinkering with carburetors and coloring people's hair.

This book had me when Felicity was described as a 'collector of words'.  As a reader I love words and I understood immediately the power of her ability.  That I love stories with quirky characters and whimsical small towns didn't hurt either.  

A SNICKER OF MAGIC delivers on all of these things.  There are a slew of strange characters to love, and magical moments abound. It's a book about love, forgiveness and making amends.  (

Pam~


A SNICKER OF MAGIC
(Scholastic)
by Natalie Lloyd

4.13 STARS from 695 GoodReaders 

Reading Information:
Word Count: 69,414
Page Count: 320
Accelerated Reader: 4.7 / points: 10.0
AR quiz: 164275
--sample pages and reviews available