Written by the best selling author of I Know What You Did Last Summer, Lois Duncan, A Gift of Magic is another one of her works. A Gift of Magic is written in third person telling the story of Nancy and her two siblings Kirby and Brendon. Before Kirby, Nancy and Brendon where born, their grandmother told her daughter that each one of the children will have a gift- Brendon given the gift of music; Kirby with the gift of dancing and awarding Nancy the gift of magic. Unlike Brendon who can play the piano without even being taught or having to go to daily practice to improve Kirby’s dancing, Nancy was unaware of her gift until their mother remember the incident with the conversation between their grandmother. At first, Nancy thought her gift was a curse, getting herself into trouble and being accused of cheating on a pop quiz by a teacher. This event earned Nancy a trip to the principle’s office where she learned more about what Nancy is dealing with. When I started this book, I expected it to be told through Nancy’s point of view and primarily focused on her. However, when I read further into the book, it was not the case. The author starts to trail off to talking about Kirby and Brendon along with their connection to Nancy. Yet, I felt that the connection was somewhat vague due to the indirect impact of the actions of the characters. In addition, the book was not as interesting as I would have thought, more exciting and adventurous. Furthermore, the ending was unexpected and was not well developed. The author ended with a happy ended but it was, in a way, rushed by summarizing the aftermath and Nancy’s mother having another child (which to me, makes no sense at all and does not connect to the plot of the story).
The plot of A Gift of Magic is much more straightforward than Stranger with my Face and comparatively mundane, allowing for the inclusion of middle child Nancy discovering at 12 that she has multiple psychic abilities despite the family never suspecting that such things ran in the family. Did none of the family wonder how Nancy's grandmother knew her daughter would have a third child, a son, two years before his birth? much less that he'd have a gift for music? The family simply accepts Nancy for what she is--able to guess who's on the telephone as it rings, read her siblings' minds and so on--and get on with their lives. I suppose that what I like about it is that if the supernatural element is removed, there remains a decent story: the mother of these three children has just divorced their jet setting war correspondent father for basic incompatibility reasons, and returned home to her (now deceased) mother's home in Florida, left her in her mother's will. The kids are thrown into what is, for them, an alien world but one which is increasingly patently obviously their mother's natural environment; they've grown up moving through Europe, living in a string of hotels, homeschooled by their mother and must now settle into one place, attend public school and learn to accept that not only will their mother not return to their father, both parents have moved on to people whom they prefer.Looked at in this light, it's a bit reminiscent of Cleary or Blume's work...and it definitely helps that I read the book when I was the age group for which it is intended.
What do You think about A Gift Of Magic (1999)?
This was one of the most boring paranormal books I've every read. It was SO boring. There could have been so much more done. It was a wonderful concept, but Lois Duncan went nowhere with it. There could have been someone trying to get them because of their gifts, or some more contact with the late grandmother, or SOMETHING more! It was so cheesy in some parts (the "can't let mother marry somone other then dad"). There was a happy sappy ending (I hate those). So you can guess that I really didn't like this book. It was boring and cheesy and the sad thing is that it had so much potential! Sad really......
—Violet
Nancy's grown up a little afraid of herself because she's the only one of her siblings with a gift she doesn't understand. Her older sister was given the gift of dance by their grandmother. Her younger brother has the gift of music. Hers is some other kind of gift, and it means she knows things before they happen and experiences odd knowledge of other people's inner lives. As she explores what she's capable of--trying to lose her fear and increase her understanding--she finds that it's awfully easy to let her abilities control her rather than controlling her abilities, and then she has to face what she's built.In general I don't like that so many stories about "ordinary-world" people with extraordinary gifts almost always suggest that there's a necessary "cost" to being talented, so that aspect bothered me, and there are some simplistic and sensationalistic aspects of the story that turn me off today (though they just made me a little uncomfortable as a kid). But I felt very close to Nancy while reading the story and felt some kinship with her, and was very interested in her everyday experience. I am not sure I would enjoy the book as an adult as much as I did as a child, but I recommend it.
—Julie Decker
I read this when I was eleven and it was an instant favorite. I believed so much of Nancy's experiences with ESP. I remember the book giving me chills and I would stay up late on summer nights unable to put the book down. I read it at least five times when i was a child. I re-read it recently and found it just as wonderful. Obviously its meant for a young reader audience, and it was written awhile back, so some of the language is a bit corny but I loved it still. It reaffirmed my beliefs in our human intuition and ways of communicating that aren't necessarily quantifiable.
—Chelsea
