A Gift of Magic (Laurel-Leaf Books) [Library Binding]

Lois Duncan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 2008 | Series: Laurel-Leaf Books

When the old woman died, she left each of her grandchildren something very special. For Kirby, the gift of dance. For Brendon, the gift of music. And for Nancy, the most extraordinary gift of all . . . the gift of magic.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 230 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439521085
• ISBN-13: 978-1439521083
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,138,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lois Duncan was born in Philadelphia, PA, and grew up in Sarasota, FL.
She knew from early childhood that she wanted to be a writer. She submitted her first story to a magazine at age 10 and became published at 13. Throughout her high school years she wrote regularly for young people's publications, particularly Seventeen.

As an adult, Lois moved to Albuquerque, NM, where she taught magazine writing for the Journalism Department at the University of New Mexico and continued to write for magazines. Over 300 of her articles and stories appeared in such publications as Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's, Good Housekeeping, and Reader's Digest, and for many years she was a contributing editor for Woman's Day.

Lois is the author of over 50 books, ranging from children's picture books to poetry to adult non-fiction, but is best known for her young adult suspense novels, which have received Young Readers Awards in 16 states and three foreign countries. In 1992, Lois was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award, presented by the School Library Journal and the ALA Young Adult Library Services Association for "a distinguished body of adolescent literature." In 2009, she received the Katharine Drexel Award, awarded by the Catholic Library Association "to recognize an outstanding contribution by an individual to the growth of high school and young adult librarianship and literature."

Six of her novels -- SUMMER OF FEAR, KILLING MR. GRIFFIN, GALLOWS HILL, RANSOM, DON'T LOOK BEHIND YOU and STRANGER WITH MY FACE -- were made-for-TV movies. I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER and HOTEL FOR DOGS were box office hits.

Although young people are most familiar with Lois Duncan's fictional suspense novels, adults may know her best as the author of WHO KILLED MY DAUGHTER?, the true story of the murder of Kaitlyn Arquette, the youngest of Lois's five children. Kait's heartbreaking story has been featured on such TV shows as Unsolved Mysteries, Good Morning America, Larry King Live, Sally Jessy Raphael and Inside Edition. A full account of the family's on-going personal investigation of this still unsolved homicide can be found on the Internet at http://kaitarquette.arquettes.com.

Lois Duncan's personal web page is at http://loisduncan.arquettes.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Gift of Magic by Lois Duncan, April 12, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Gift of Magic (Laurel-Leaf Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

Flashback

To the oldest girl I give the gift of dance. To the boy I give the gift of music,
and to the girl, the one that looks like me, I give the gift of...

Nancy is furious. Her parents just got divorced and she and the rest of her family had to move to Florida, her mother's hometown. She is miserable. Her mother is spending all of her time with Tom Duncan, a boyfriend she used to have, and her only friend, her sister, spends all of her time at the dance studio. Nancy has nothing to do with her time and is a complete loaner, until she predicts the answers on the social studies quiz before they were even asked. That's when she finds out she, too, has a special gift. Now, all she needs to find out, is if she will use her powers for good or evil.

Mystery, suspense, and action are blended together to make this magical book, a heart-stopping adventure. I think this is not one of my favorite books that I have read by her, but Lois Duncan really describes everything in great detail so I had a large picture of the book when I was done reading. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in ESP, or just likes a good, fast, read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gifts, May 13, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Gift of Magic (Laurel-Leaf Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is great because it makes you want to have ESP (extrasensory perception) too. It is a special gift the main character, Nancy has, which lets her see in to the future and past. The story is short and gets right to the point. Perfect for girls ages 9-15.

Nancy has ESP, which she got from her grandmother. Her mom and dad get divorced and her brother, Brendon and sister, Kirby move to their grandma's old house in Florida. Nancy hates leaving her father. She hates Kirby dancing all the time and not being a normal teenager. She hates that her mom is talking to other men. She knows everything that is going on and knows who is at the door or on the telephone before there is a knock or a ring. She gets in trouble from her teacher because she was thought to be cheating when it was her ESP.

What will she do next? Will she get over everything she hates or will something go terribly wrong. How will you find out these answers? Just read "A Gift of Magic."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Annas Reviewe, January 21, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Gift of Magic (Laurel-Leaf Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this book, it was exciting, and I never wanted to put it down. It's the best story I've read in years (other than the other Lois Duncan books.) The characters seem so real; I can picture everything that is going on.

In a Gift of Magic, Nancy has a special gift. She has ESP. She can go into other people's minds, and she knows who is on the phone, before it even rings! But now she can move things with her mind, and she's using it to get things her way. She doesn't want her sister Kirby, to go to Atlanta to become a professional dancer, so she sets her mind, and then she gets her way!

I think anybody who is 8-14 will like this book. It has some tough words in it, but it may be a little too childish for some adults.