A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold)

Really. I've never had a favorite book. Or at least, not since "The Disney Babies Go Out and Play" when I was two. I read voraciously (probably 20-30 a month, on average) so picking a favorite is hard.This is my favorite book."A Snicker of Magic" is one of the most beautifully written, well-paced, and solidly-developed books I have ever read. The language choices absolutely glimmer, and the characters are both whimsical and realistic. I've sent it back to my Children's Lit professor at university with a recommendation for her upper-div course as an example of how poetic prose can be, how simple lines can draw complex characters, and how kids books don't need (necessarily, lol) to have explosions or dragons or gods to be fantastic.I can't recommend "A Snicker of Magic" highly enough, and her second book, "The Key to Extraordinary," is just about as good -- though "Snicker" remains at the top of my list.

Have you ever wanted to live in a town full of magic and wonder? Presto! Your wish has been granted when you read the book “A Snicker of Magic”. Through the magic of her imagination, author Natalie Lloyd will draw you into a world of wonder.The plot is that there is a town that used to have magic in it. The magic was fueled by two brothers Stone and Berry. When they sung and played guitar, everybody danced and things were good. At one point the two brothers dueled. After their quarrel, they both left the town and the magic was gone. Felicity and her family move to the town when her mom gets a new job. After hearing the story about the brothers duel, she realizes the “curse of the wandering heart” has effected her mother, too. She decides to try and restore the magic to the town that it had lost, and hopefully finally find a home by curing her mothers wandering heart. She takes part in the school wide talent show in the hopes that, if she performs well enough, the magic might return to the town. She also looks for the brothers. If you want to know if Felicity finds the brothers, restores the magic, and finds happiness for her mother nd herself you'll need to read the book.The main character of the book is Felicity Pickle, a self described “word collector”. Her traits are smart, kind, and curious. She likes collecting words that only she sees floating in the air or above someones head and putting them in her journal. She believes in magic and is hopeful that she can restore the town to its former glory. She becomes dedicated to this after seeing the word “home” in the town – something she has never seen before.I think that the theme of the book is that if you believe in yourself than you can accomplish great things. “I heard the sound of three hearts colliding: a sob, then a ripple of happy laughter, then a whispered hallelujah.” The reason that I think that is a good example is that the mother and the daughter are meeting with her dad for the first time in a couple of years and they had to work very hard to get to meet with her dad. I think that the theme of this book is a good thing because it inspires you to work hard to achieve your goals.I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantastical stories. If you like magic you'll love this book. I sure enjoyed it. It has a nice story line and an even better ending.

I just read this book out-loud to my 8 and 5 year old daughters. I've been reading books to them every night since they were born and this was our very favorite ever! They would eagerly get into their jammies and brush their teeth extra early so we could have extra time to read, and I loved it myself just as much as they did, maybe more. Reading it just made us all feel so happy! We loved the "snickers" of magic the characters had. The very best one was seeing words float around people's heads, scuttle across walls, and dance in the sky! But there was also the magic of playing music that made everyone dance, making ice cream that didn't melt, and so much more! Every page was filled with wonderful sentiments I want to hold on to forever, like “Believe is a powerful word to see and to say. But that morning, I felt it. And feeling it was the best of all. I knew something wonderful was about to happen to me. I didn't know what, or why, or how. But I believed." And “I never wanted to forget all the ways we were connected that day: By our shadows and sunlight. By pounding hearts and a starry maybe.” I bought this as an e-book but I need to get a physical copy too, so my 8 year old can keep it on her bed with the books she reads over and over till they're loved and worn, and I need to get extra copies to give to all my friends!

I love this book so much I buy copies every time it is on sale!My original review from 2014-This was such a wonderful book! The author wrote an incredibly beautiful, almost poetical book about felicity (aka flea, junebug) juniper pickle and her family and her wish for a real place to call home. From page one I was completely enchanted and hooked. I read a chapter to some of my 5th graders and they were breathless and hanging on my every word. They didn't want me to stop and I didn't want to either! I truly loved this book! A 'middle grade' must read and I think a must read aloud too :) it's so hard to believe this is a first book for the author! I can't wait to read more of her work!