A Gift of Magic

A GIFT OF MAGIC lacks the suspense Lois Duncan has become so well known for. At the opening of the story, a grandmother bequeaths each of her grandchildren a special gift: Kirby has the gift of dance; Nancy, the gift of ESP; and Brendan, the gift of music. Nancy's magical gift is the catalyst for the action and suspense in this story, but narrator Casey Holloway never fully delivers the goose bumps. Her voice has little modulation, so there's no chance for the suspense to build. Further, the characters, especially Nancy, are selfish, arrogant, and mean spirited. As she copes with the author's unappealing characters and stilted language, Holloway is unable to bring the story to life. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

January 1, 2013

Gr 7-10-After spending their lives following their journalist father around the world, the Garrett family moves to their mother's childhood home in Florida. Of the three siblings, Nancy has the hardest time accepting the reality of her parents' divorce and is convinced that they will be getting back together. Each sibling displays a different talent or gift courtesy of their maternal grandmother. Brendan, the youngest, has a gift for music, though he is not inclined to pursue his talent. Ballet is the most important thing in Kirby's life. Nancy, Kirby's fraternal twin, has the gift of magic and displays telepathy as well as pre- and retro-cognition. Casey Holloway delivers an adequate performance of Duncan's paranormal tale (Little, Brown, 1971). Her youthful voice is appropriate for the main characters' ages, though she has a tendency to over-enunciate at times. Despite the story's brevity, plot development is slow. The action picks up once Nancy discovers that she may be able to influence the actions of others. This measure of control to a teen who feels the rest of her life is out of her control is at the heart of the story and will likely resonate with listeners.-Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL

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