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 [Published: JUNE 2012]