A Snicker of Magic

by Natalie Lloyd (Author)

A Snicker of Magic
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
The Pickles are new to Midnight Gulch, Tennessee, a town which legend says was once magic--but Felicity is convinced the magic is still there, and with the help of her new friend Jonah the Beedle she hopes to bring the magic back.
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School Library Journal

Starred Review

Gr 4-7--A delightful and inspiring debut. Mama has a wandering heart, which means that 12-year-old Felicity Pickle and her little sister, Frannie Jo, have wandered along with her in their battered van. But Midnight Gulch feels like home, and not just because it's where Mama grew up. It's one of those quirky little towns where there just might be magic. It's the characters that make this story shine: gruff Aunt Cleo and her tongue-tied swain; Oliver and Ponder, purveyors of unusual ice cream and baked goods, respectively; Jewell Pickett, hair-stylist and auto-mechanic extraordinaire; and her son Jonah, who has the amazing ability to make things better for anybody, despite his own difficulties. And Felicity, who sees words everywhere and uses them in remarkable ways. She's a girl who loves deeply and openly, and who creates her own kind of magic. Added to these elements are a series of folkloric backstories about feuding brothers, doomed romances, mysterious do-gooders, lost children, and a curse. Mibs Beaumont and her magically gifted clan from Ingrid Law's Savvy (Dial, 2008) would feel right at home here. As Felicity loves to say, "Yes...yes...yes!"--Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

From every angle, Lloyd's first novel sparkles and radiates warmth. Felicity Juniper Pickle, 12, feels an immediate kinship with the town of Midnight Gulch, Tenn., the latest place her itinerant mother has brought Felicity, her almost-six-year-old sister, Frannie Jo, and their dog Biscuit. The remote mountain town has a history interwoven with secret magic, but most of it seems to have evaporated years ago following a dual between a pair of famous magician brothers, which divided a family and resulted in a curse. Felicity's immediate concerns lay with her mother's sadness and her insistence on constantly uprooting the family. With the help of Felicity's new friend Jonah, who has his own secret magic that he works on Midnight Gulch; the stories that Felicity collects from various townspeople; and Felicity's ability to see words that reflect people's hidden thoughts and desires) she tries to save both the town and her own family. Working in the folksy vein of Ingrid Law's Savvy, Lloyd offers a reassuring, homespun story about self-expression and the magic that resides in one's mind and heart. Ages 8-12. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Mar.)

Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

- A 2015 Children's Choice Book Award Finalist

Kirkus Starred Review
The protagonist of this debut joins a growing list of endearing young girls from the South, and it's an extra bonus that her new best friend and mentor is a boy whose method of transportation, without fanfare, just happens to be a wheelchair.

Felicity Juniper Pickle, her little sister, Frannie Jo, and their dog, Biscuit, have once again been moved by their mother to a new town. This time they are moving in with Mama's sister in Mama's old hometown, Midnight Gulch, Tenn., which used to be renowned for its magic—the kind where people could "sing up thunderstorms and...dance up sunflowers." Felicity, who has an uncanny ability for seeing and using written words but suffers from stage fright, wants to stay in Midnight Gulch. Her new friend, Jonah, with whom she performs anonymous acts of kindness, persuades Felicity to enter the Duel—a talent show in which her "weapon" will be her words. As the Duel approaches, Felicity and Jonah find themselves caught up in figuring out how to return the town's magic and to reverse a curse from Felicity's "balloon-riding, globe-trotting, curse-bearing great-great-grandfather" (surely homage to Holes).

Although pacing is sometimes difficult, this tale offers all the other earmarks of fine storytelling, including colorful, eccentric characters, an original, highly likable narrator and a mighty "spindiddly" plot.
Natalie Lloyd
Natalie Lloyd lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She collects old books, listens to bluegrass music, and loves exploring quirky mountain towns with her dog, Biscuit. She is the author of A Snicker of Magic and The Key to Extraordinary.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780545552707
Lexile Measure
680
Guided Reading Level
W
Publisher
Scholastic Press
Publication date
February 20, 2014
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV013060 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Parents
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Magic
Family life
Tennessee
Mothers and daughters
Single-parent families
Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children
Recommended 2015 - 2015
Georgia Children's Book Award
Finalist 2016 - 2016
E.B. White Read Aloud Award
Honor Book 2015 - 2015
Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize
Finalist 2015 - 2015
Kentucky Bluegrass Award
Nominee 2016 - 2016
Keystone to Reading Book Award
Nominee 2016 - 2016
Nene Award
Nominee 2016 - 2016
Golden Sower Award
Nominee 2016 - 2016
Colorado Children's Book Award
Nominee 2016 - 2016
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award
Nominee 2016 - 2016
Virginia Readers Choice Award
Nominee 2016 - 2016
South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award
Nominee 2015 - 2016

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