Natalie Lloyd Visit Was More Than Just a "Snicker" of Awesome!

I love it when I'm in the right place at the right time!  It doesn't happen often, but when it does the pay off is almost always perfect.  Shortly after I posted about A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd, I was at the Dublin Literacy Conference.  Our main book seller at the conference is Fundamentals Book Store in Delaware, OH.  The owner, Tami and I were having a conversation about Snicker and I noticed that Natalie Lloyd would be coming to the public library in Delaware and I commented that I would have to put that on my calendar.  That's when the kiddie lit gods smiled on me!

Tami said, "You know, she would like to visit and elementary school, are you interested?"

WHAT!?  YES! WHERE DO I SIGN UP!?


 So Tuesday, we welcomed author Natalie Lloyd to Bailey.  What a treat!  We crowded, and I mean crowded, all 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders into the library with kids sitting on tables and standing in the aisles.  She presented for 15 or 20 minutes and then opened the floor to questions.  The kids were awesome and their un-coached questions were very well thought out.  It was obvious that they had either read the book closely or their amazing classroom teachers shared it with them.


I was fascinated with how much of the book actually mirrors Natalie's life.  Family and friends were the  inspiration for many of the characters.  She share photos of her grandparent, parents and pet dog, Biscuit.  The musical piece in the story was inspired by her grandfather and the photo of his well loved guitar and banjo was beautiful.  It really drove home the fact that if you write about what you know, you will never lack for ideas or authenticity.   She admitted to me that she was nervous to be in front of such a large group, it was only her fourth presentation, but I told her not to worry, the kids would love her because she wrote a great book that they love.  As expected, she was a natural and warm in front of them, and they loved her.

She signed autographs carrying on smooth conversations with the kids as the stood at the table and many of them commented on how much they liked listening to her Tennessee accent.  I'll admit, I did too!  She finished a whirl wind visit by signing the wall in THE PIT and that was it.

I love that we get these opportunities to host authors sort of last minute and quick, and what a memory for our kids.  Thank you Natalie Lloyd and Tami for making this happen.

Snicker of Magic is an AMAZING Book Fair Find

We just closed out our second Scholastic Book Fair for the year, and as always, I discovered a wonderful surprise on the shelves.  Actually, I can't take credit for it, it was Lauren, a 5th grade super reader and Newbery Club member.  She brought A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd to the counter to purchase because it reminded her of books by another of her favorite authors, Wendy Mass.  I read the back and some reviews on line and decided it was a must read for me too.  I wasn't disappointed!

Felicity Juniper Pickle, her sister Frannie and their mom don't stay in one place too long.  Their mother has the urge to roam.  She paints murals for towns and this allows her to travel a lot.  Felicity doesn't enjoy the life style and longs for a home.  The story begins with them returning to Midnight Gulch, TN, the town where Mom grew up.  It's the home of Aunt Cleo who gives them a place to stay.  That's where the magic of this book begins.

Midnight Gulch used to be magical, people could make themselves disappear, bake secrets into pies and sing down the rain.  Now, though, the magic seems to be missing, or at least not so powerful, there is just a snicker of magic left.  Felicity believes that if she can solve the mystery of what happened to the magic, her mom will want to stay and their traveling days will be over.  With the help of her friend Jonah, they begin investigating the mystery.  Using Jonah's knowledge of the town history and the people who live there and Felicity's power to see and collect words, Natalie Lloyd weaves a wonderful tale.

The characters all wind around each other, just like in any small town, everyone knows everyone else's business and everyone is related to someone in the town.  The story just keeps weaving in and out with twists and surprises in each chapter.  Natalie Lloyd's creative use of language and detail is simply amazing.  I found myself wanting to highlight lines and phrases because of the artistic beauty of the words she put together.  In addition to the words she chooses, Natalie Lloyd's characters form one of the best book casts I've read in a long time.  Her characters came to life for me, and as I read it, I heard their voices in my head, just like when I find a great read aloud picture book.  Natalie Lloyd is an artist who puts her reader right in the middle of Midnight Gulch, TN with the mountains surrounding them.

I'm recommending A Snicker of Magic to all of my 4th and 5th graders and to any teacher who is looking for a great class read aloud, or just a book to enjoy for themselves.  I love this book!