Friday Memes - A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. 311 p. Scholastic Press, February 25, 2014. 9780545552707.

Publisher synopsis: Midnight Gulch used to be a magical place, a town where people could sing up thunderstorms and dance up sunflowers. But that was long ago, before a curse drove the magic away. Twelve-year-old Felicity knows all about things like that; her nomadic mother is cursed with a wandering heart.

But when she arrives in Midnight Gulch, Felicity thinks her luck's about to change. A "word collector," Felicity sees words everywhere---shining above strangers, tucked into church eves, and tangled up her dog's floppy ears---but Midnight Gulch is the first place she's ever seen the word "home." And then there's Jonah, a mysterious, spiky-haired do-gooder who shimmers with words Felicity's never seen before, words that make Felicity's heart beat a little faster.

Felicity wants to stay in Midnight Gulch more than anything, but first, she'll need to figure out how to bring back the magic, breaking the spell that's been cast over the town . . . and her mother's broken heart.

First line: "They say all the magic is gone up out of this place," said Mama.

Page 56: There were hundreds of words spinning through the church house. Then the light streamed golden and blue and red through the stained-glass windows and I saw the words plain: They shimmered like water. We had an entire ocean of words above us.

I had the pleasure of hearing this debut author read from her book at ALA MW and her voice is going to stick with me as I read.