So, I need to take a few moments to share my love for A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. This was the first book I picked up from the library this summer, and it was the best choice I could have made!
If you've never heard of the book, let me start with a quick summary. Felicity, her mother, and her younger sister are wanderers. They don't stay in one place for too long before they pick up and move on. At the beginning of the story, Felicity and her family move in with her Aunt Cleo in the town of Midnight Gulch. Before too long, Felicity learns about the magic that once lived in the town. Only snickers (small bits and pieces) of magic are left by the time Felicity arrives. She becomes addicted to the stories about the old magic and sets out to bring the magic back.
Felicity has her own personal snicker of magic: she see words everywhere and collects them in her little blue book. When her teacher announces she will be hosting a duel (talent show) for anyone who wants to participate, Felicity decides to participate, despite her intense stage fright, in an attempt to keep her family in Midnight Gulch. She quickly makes friends with Jonah, who is secretly The Beedle (the town do-gooder), and he quickly becomes a huge support for her.
There are so, so, so many themes and ideas in this book that warmed my heart and made me smile. For one, the friendship between Jonah and Felicity is one I haven't come across in a book since Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Every person deserves a friend like Jonah. He built Felicity up when she was feeling down, he knew exactly what she needed to be successful, and he was selfless and encouraging. Be still my heart! I fell in love with his character.
Another touching element to this book was the addition of The Beedle. His sole job was to help people in any way they needed. I'm talking major random acts of kindness! He scoured newspapers to find people in need and secretly provided them with whatever it was they needed. How wonderful would our world be if each town had it's own Beedle - someone to bring a smile to your face when the last thing you felt like doing was smiling? We need more of that.
With my monstrous sweet tooth, I was instantly drawn to the cover of this book with it's massive, yummy-looking ice cream cone. What I didn't know before I read the book was the magic in that special ice cream. This ice cream makes you remember your best and your worst memories and has endless flavors, many named after people in the community. The best thing about this ice cream - it doesn't melt (at least not as quickly as real-world ice cream). The characters in the book store the ice cream in their glove compartments! Of course, the entire time I was reading this book, I longed for some ice cream, but I
Finally, I loved the theme of facing fears head-on that echoed throughout the book. Felicity was terrified of speaking to groups of people. As a collector of words, she had many beautiful things to say, but she just clammed up when she knew people were listening. Throughout the book, she learned how important it is to face those fears and to challenge herself to do the impossible. I won't give away the ending, but my heart exploded with happiness as I read it.
In conclusion, I just have to say if you haven't read the book, you need to! It's seriously incredible, and I know you won't regret it!
If you've never heard of the book, let me start with a quick summary. Felicity, her mother, and her younger sister are wanderers. They don't stay in one place for too long before they pick up and move on. At the beginning of the story, Felicity and her family move in with her Aunt Cleo in the town of Midnight Gulch. Before too long, Felicity learns about the magic that once lived in the town. Only snickers (small bits and pieces) of magic are left by the time Felicity arrives. She becomes addicted to the stories about the old magic and sets out to bring the magic back.
Felicity has her own personal snicker of magic: she see words everywhere and collects them in her little blue book. When her teacher announces she will be hosting a duel (talent show) for anyone who wants to participate, Felicity decides to participate, despite her intense stage fright, in an attempt to keep her family in Midnight Gulch. She quickly makes friends with Jonah, who is secretly The Beedle (the town do-gooder), and he quickly becomes a huge support for her.
There are so, so, so many themes and ideas in this book that warmed my heart and made me smile. For one, the friendship between Jonah and Felicity is one I haven't come across in a book since Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Every person deserves a friend like Jonah. He built Felicity up when she was feeling down, he knew exactly what she needed to be successful, and he was selfless and encouraging. Be still my heart! I fell in love with his character.
Another touching element to this book was the addition of The Beedle. His sole job was to help people in any way they needed. I'm talking major random acts of kindness! He scoured newspapers to find people in need and secretly provided them with whatever it was they needed. How wonderful would our world be if each town had it's own Beedle - someone to bring a smile to your face when the last thing you felt like doing was smiling? We need more of that.
With my monstrous sweet tooth, I was instantly drawn to the cover of this book with it's massive, yummy-looking ice cream cone. What I didn't know before I read the book was the magic in that special ice cream. This ice cream makes you remember your best and your worst memories and has endless flavors, many named after people in the community. The best thing about this ice cream - it doesn't melt (at least not as quickly as real-world ice cream). The characters in the book store the ice cream in their glove compartments! Of course, the entire time I was reading this book, I longed for some ice cream, but I
Finally, I loved the theme of facing fears head-on that echoed throughout the book. Felicity was terrified of speaking to groups of people. As a collector of words, she had many beautiful things to say, but she just clammed up when she knew people were listening. Throughout the book, she learned how important it is to face those fears and to challenge herself to do the impossible. I won't give away the ending, but my heart exploded with happiness as I read it.
In conclusion, I just have to say if you haven't read the book, you need to! It's seriously incredible, and I know you won't regret it!