A Snicker of Magic

KEEPER by Kathi Appelt. SAVVY by Ingrid Law. THREE TIMES LUCKY by Sheila Turnage. All three of those novels have one significant thing in common: a charming, lyrical female narrator. (Well, Mibs from SAVVY technically hailed from the midwest, but lyrical and charming all the same.) The prose of those novels is sing-songy and magical and at times, tongue-twisty to read. Newbery committees of recent memory have rewarded all three of these female authors (Appelt for THE UNDERNEATH) for their contributions to the world of children's literature so a fan of Newbery season would be remiss not to include A SNICKER OF MAGIC by Natalie Lloyd in Mock Newbery conversations this year. Her novel fits right in with the trio of aforementioned books and it is dripping with the same kind of dreamy lyrical prose.

Felicity's mother has a difficult time staying in one place for too long. Because of this, Felicity has grown accustomed to life-on-the-go and making new friends in school. Something about Midnight Gulch feels like home though, and once Felicity befriends Jonah, "The Beedle," she doesn't want to leave. There's magic in the air and with a town history that draws her in, Felicity finds herself hoping that this is one place her mother won't want to run from again.

The problem with A SNICKER OF MAGIC is that I am not the ideal reader for this book. I understand that that is not really a problem with the book itself at all. Many of my 5th grade girls, who love to live in the clouds, are the ideal readers for this book. Being reminded of Appelt and Law's style of writing, made it really difficult for me to appreciate the language in the book, which I usually do not have a problem with despite not being a member of its ideal audience.

I do think Felicity is an interesting main character though. I can see a lot of 4-6 grade girls loving her voice. She collects words the same way boys collect baseball cards and bugs. The words she collects come from people and places and situations. It's similar to synesthesia in a way. In the following passages, she describes herself and this trait perfectly:

"Here's the thing: I see words everywhere, all around me, all the time. I collect them. I think about them. I say them fine if I'm talking to Mama or Frannie Jo or my aunt Cleo. But words are a mess when I try to say them to more than one person at a time. They melt on my tongue like snowflakes. They disappear right off the edge of my lips, and I end up standing there blinking, openmouthed, like the Queen of Dorkville."

And:

"I might have walked off and left it there if I hadn't looked down and seen so many words spinning around the paper, thin as wire rings around a clay planet. The paper had a noise to it, too. Most words don't sound until they hit the air. But the paper hummed like an electric wire, right up until the second I touched it." 

It's obvious that Lloyd has talent. You can see that in just those few examples. That text would be right at home in Ingrid Law's SAVVY. In fact, I almost picture Lloyd sitting at her computer, typing this story, with a copy of SAVVY open in her lap! 

Which is my biggest problem with the book, personally. The back of the jacket of this book boasts a quote from Natalie Standiford, author of The Secret Tree, calling this book "original." However, I feel as if I've read this story before. Maybe not "this story," but this style of writing. Books with this kind of voice are becoming commonplace in children's literature. 

There is a good story here, regarding the mystery surrounding the town history in Midnight Gulch, and the cast of quirky characters are loveable and fun throughout, but at 311 pages, I found myself looking ahead at the pages left and counting them down until the end. And not in a good way! 

All that being said, based on recent history, I wouldn't be surprised to see this one honored come February.

The Mostly True Story of Jack

"Is this Heaven. No, it's Iowa."

The above quote is not from the novel THE MOSTLY TRUE STORY OF JACK. It's from the movie The Field of Dreams. It's a quote Iowans know very well. For 29 years I've called Iowa home. I love my state. There's so much more to Iowa than pigs and cornfields and I am thankful for our understated way of life. However, it is always a little exciting when Iowa gets some play. I can probably count on my own two hands, the number of movies or books I've seen or read that feature Iowa as a prominent setting. Thanks to the rave reviews online and intriguing plot description, THE MOSTLY TRUE STORY OF JACK is a book I probably would have read anyway, but in discovering that it takes place in the fictional town of Hazelwood, Iowa, a bias was formed before I even opened to the first page! I just hoped author Kelly Barnhill (who lives in Minnesota) would do us proud.

Iowa is anything but Heaven for Jack. He is not excited about moving from San Francisco, CA to Hazelwood, IA to live with his aunt and uncle, and who could blame him? But Jack has no choice. His parents are splitting up and he and his younger brother Baxter are forced to stay with relatives while the mess gets figured out. From the first moment he arrives in Hazelwood, he can feel the electricity in the air. Things seem familiar to Jack, yet he knows he's never been to Hazelwood. The people of Hazelwood know Jack. Some respect him, some fear him. All this attention is foreign to Jack, who is used to being treated as if he's invisible. Even his family has always treated him as if he was invisible. Something strange appears to be brewing in Hazelwood, IA and soon, Jack realizes he may be at the center of it all.

THE MOSTLY TRUE STORY OF JACK is a surprisingly dark novel. It sneaks up on you. I couldn't help but feel sad as soon as I finished it, and not sad that it was over. Sad for the characters involved. The inside jacket flap of the book describes it as "a tale of magic, friendship, and sacrifice. It's about things broken and things put back together. Above all, it's about finding a place to fit in." The description could not be more on the mark. While reading, I couldn't possibly figure out how all these deeper themes were going to come to fruition, but they eventually did and not a single plot thread was left dangling (which is rather impressive given the amount of questions one will generate while reading this).

Jack has always felt invisible with his family in California. For as long as he can remember, no one has ever paid attention to him. It takes moving to Iowa for him to finally realize just how lonely he truly was in California. He doesn't know how to react to a bully in town because he's not used to the attention. And when a friendship is formed with a girl named Wendy, he suddenly understands what has been missing in his life. I liked the bond that was formed between the child characters, Jack, Wendy, her twin brother Frankie (who is physically scarred from a mysterious disappearance earlier in his life), and Anders. It seems as if these characters know that there is more in store for Jack, more that he has yet to realize, and so they grow protective of him.

Which makes the ending of this story so incredibly sad to me. Jack finally discovers where it is he belongs, and sacrifices plenty to return to that place, but I get the feeling it's not necessarily a decision Jack is happy about. I think he finally knows where he belongs, but he wants to belong somewhere else. He wants to belong with Wendy, and Frankie, and Anders. And Clive and Mabel. I don't get the feeling that Jack wants to be where he is in the end of the book. On top of it all, Wendy has lost a good friend and the outcome in general is very gloomy. I'm not sure what kind of children are going to stick this book out, trudge through the confusion, and be satisfied in the end.

Part of the problem may be that Barnhill (while showing incredible talent) is somewhat sloppy and inconsistent in her description of the magic at work in this story. For instance, these children are able to sneak around right under the nose of these magical beings, and go most of the novel undetected. That rang false to me because these same magical beings are incredibly powerful and all-knowing. How would they not be able to see, and know about, every single move made by the kids? If the magic here was more concrete, more believable (I know, it's still magic though!), if the reader was able to understand the magic better, maybe they would have at least understood Jack's decision in the end. As it is, I think most people will just feel bad for his character.

It's a challenging read. I literally spent 3/4 of the book in total and utter confusion. It wasn't because I was missing things. It was because Barnhill wants you to be confused. She waits to show her cards until near the end. There's enough leading up to keep interest, but all is not revealed until very late. This is incredibly risky when writing a children's book because a child's stamina is not quite what an adult reader's may be. Luckily, Barnhill hooked me on her writing and her mystery. I'm not sure younger readers would stay the course though.

All in all, I was fully engaged in THE MOSTLY TRUE STORY OF JACK and would recommend it to anyone willing. It's a complicated, heavy story, definitely not for everyone. But it's mystery and style appealed to me personally.

Final Grade: B

Small Persons With Wings

I'm a slow reader. Each year, dozens of books are released that I would love to read and I only get around to reading about two of them. What happens then is I spend the next year reading books from the previous year while more dozens of new books are released that I want to read as well. It's a vicious cycle and I always feel so behind. So this year I set a goal for myself, to read 10 books published in 2011. I can fill the rest of my time spent reading with whatever I want and this way, still feel current. The first book I could get my hands on this year was Ellen Booraem's SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS.

When she was young, Mellie Turpin's best friend was a fairy. A fairy named Fidius to be exact. After announcing this to her classmates at school she's made fun of and called Fairy Fat, a name that sticks throughout the years and turns her into a social outcast. Little does she know (and soon does she find out), that her family serves as protector of an ancient fairy artifact known as the Gemmaluna, a moonstone ring that stores all of the fairies most natural, true magic (Magic Vera). The fairy community wants to get back to their roots and become one with their ancient magic once again, but to do so they need the Gemmaluna. Mellie's family is ready to rid themselves of the responsibility, but someone in the fairy community wants the ring for themselves. And they'll stop at nothing to take it.

With multiple starred reviews, this book has already caught the eye of some folks making early 2012 Newbery Medal predictions. Without reading anything else the year has to offer yet, I can definitely see why. It's very strong in voice and language. Mellie is cynical and witty. She's an outcast because of her weight (something not often found in children's books) and her belief in fairies. She's a hard person to like because she's such a smart aleck and even when people reach out to her, she lashes out keeping them at bay. Because of the way she's been treated in the past she's hardened. But this is what makes her such an endearing character too. Despite the wise-cracks and the sarcastic tone, Mellie is a girl longing for attention. A girl seeking approval even from those closest to her. She's a scrappy fighter and makes for a great heroine, although I did wish she'd take herself, and the plot, a little more seriously.

The writing here is top notch as well. I loved the following description:

It's a Saturday in October, one of those fall days that makes you think summer is overrated. The sky is so blue you wouldn't believe it if you saw it in a painting. The air is warm and sweet, smelling like dead leaves and the good kind of mold, the kind that stays outdoors.

Broken down to its sentence level, writing like this will undoubtedly earn Booraem props. It's fresh and witty and found throughout the book.

Often times being pleasantly surprised by a book causes the material to stay with you longer and to appreciate it more. I've got to be honest, the rave reviews drew me to this book, but the subject matter (fairies) and the girlie, glittery cover brought out my skepticism. At the heart of this story is a coming-of-age tale about an overweight girl growing into her grandeur. But beneath even that are some truly terrifying ideas I was astonished to find. The description of the real Gigi Kramer is frightening and the idea that the fairies can alter the way humans see reality is a scary concept. The way Gigi Kramer messes with illusions may keep some younger readers up all night. Scary stuff, and a little unexpected.

Not everything in this book worked entirely for me though and one example would be the development of Booraem's plot. It's quick and suspenseful, sure. And the pacing is rather effortless. I found myself burning the midnight oil as soon as Gigi Kramer's true intentions were revealed. However, I also found myself flipping back to previous sections for clarification. The fairy world that Booraem has created is very intricate and complex. Often, it's too imposing.

From what I understand, the fairies initially possessed a very natural, organic magic known as Magic Vera. Over time some fairies became bored with this and came up with Magic Artifica, a more sinister kind of magic involving illusion. As the entire community of fairies moved further in the direction of Magic Artifica they captured their Magic Vera and contained it inside the Gemmaluna, so as to never lose it. A third magic, Magic Mala then came along, more sinister and dark even than Magic Artifica, and it requires the power of a Circulus. The Circulus is a group of fairies spinning around very quickly, supplying the entire fairy community with a source power to draw from. Like a generator. Some fairies are good enough to perform Magic Mala (the ability to manipulate and move inanimate objects) without the use of a Circulus and that idea becomes very frightening to many fairies. Thus, a campaign to return to the days of Magic Vera. But for that, they need the Gemmaluna, which has been given to the Turpin family to look after for all these years. It's all very clever, and something I wish I could be clever enough to think of myself, but it's also incredibly confusing. It took a lot of rereading to get all that down and I don't even know if I have it all right!

I enjoyed this book and I think among students bridging the space between elementary school and middle school, or junior high, this book will definitely find a home. It's snarky, it's hilarious, it's heartfelt, and it's exciting. Plus it's well-written and it stands on it's own without the promise of future installments!

Final Grade: B