LOVED both the book & the audiobook!
585917
Felicity Pickle is a word collector, and she's just come into Midnight Gulch, Tennessee with her mother and sister. They are a family that tends to move around a lot - they get comfortable somewhere, and their mother decides to up and move again because she is cursed with a wandering heart. Usually Felicity feels a little out of place wherever they live because of her ability to see and collect words - she doesn't exactly fit in. Not everyone has magic in them, you know. But something really wonderful happens when they get to Midnight Gulch: Felicity realizes that this town is special. It's special because it has magic in it. Or it used to.

Certainly if Midnight Gulch is a town that has magic in it, it's a place she is meant to be, right? The thing is, the people of Midnight Gulch think that the magic is gone from their town. Well, most of the people do - the majority of the people don't feel the magic like Felicity does, and they don't believe in it anymore. Jonah Pickett still believes, and there are a couple of others that do too. When Jonah realizes that Felicity has magic in her - that she can see words and collect them and make things out of them - he realizes that there may be hope for Midnight Gulch and if they work together, they might be able to bring the magic back and make people believe again.

Felicity Pickle is such a fun character. She BELIEVES. She sees words floating around in the air, curling around and floating above. She can grab those words and make stories or rhymes with them. She loves to hang onto them and say them and they just feel wonderful floating off of her tongue. Spindiddly. Swankified. Factofabulous. And of course there are some regular words floating around too. Sometimes the words that surround a person tell what they are thinking or feeling. Sometimes the words that float around a building give hints about what secrets that building holds or what may have happened there in times past. In Midnight Gulch, Felicity is able to use the words she sees and collects to learn so much about the people and places around her. Words mean so much more than we think they do, you see.

Felicity takes the time to dig deep in Midnight Gulch and find out the story behind WHY the town lost its magic. And then she does something about it...with the help of a few friends. Along the way, there are street dances, tons of magic ice cream, lots of stories about her aunts and uncles, and words everywhere. I loved Felicity as the main character, and the secondary characters are pretty special too.

I love how the book ends.

I read this book and listened to the audiobook at the same time. Since the book was set in Tennessee, the narrator read with a Southern accent, and it was really fun for me. The entire book had a magical tone, just like the town in which it was set, and I can't get over how great the cover is.

Audiobook Notes: The audiobook format of A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd is published by Scholastic Audio and is 8 hours, 12 minutes, Unabridged. It is narrated by Cassandra Morris who did a fantastic job reading this book. It was not necessarily how well Cassandra Morris read Felicity's character and the other characters -- it was how well she took the town of Midnight Gulch and its magic, and added the Southern sound of a Tennessee town. It was perfection in the form of a middle grade audiobook. It was really a joy to listen to. I highly recommend it to readers that enjoy middle grade books and readers that love FUN audiobooks. I also think reluctant readers might enjoy listening to this book because HEARING the words that the main character "collects" read in a whimsical tone really added to the overall story the author was trying to tell.

I recommend A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd to readers that love middle grade stories, magic and mystery, and words. I'm thinking that this book will be a big deal and I hope to see it in classrooms and libraries and on the shelves of many homes.

Full review on intothehallofbooks.com.
1505866
Great Book!  A Long Way Gone receives a lot of criticsm as book b/c the author, whose second language is Englsih, wrote the book at a "low and simple" level.  As an audio book, the author's native accent and culture shine through really adding to the power, message, and personal connection you make with the story.  I loved it, and could not be happier that I purchased this audio book.  It's sad yet hopeful, and will twist your emotions.  Great book for just about anyone!
488962
I loved the story!!  I bought the book for my daughter and have listened to the audio (unabridged) 3 times, and enjoyed it each time.  I highly recommend it for anyone, any age.  Enjoy!!!
4381758
Having listened to the audible version of "the Hairy Legged Mystery, my expectation was very high for Ruby Allure and Lisa Hicks' next audio book partnership project, Elora, The One Winged Fairy. I was pleased to find the book just as good, if not even better, than the last one. The charming tale of Elora has all the vitality, wit, humor and pleasing prose as Hairy Legged Mystery had, but with the added value of featuring many more delightfully entertaining characters and a Hero(ine) Quest element. It's also a much longer book with greater plot development than her last one. One which kept me hooked for the entire 4 hours (I listened for an entire evening and finished the book!) Lisa Hicks once again shows her amazing vocal command of expressively colorful narrative technique as well as her delightful vocal acting ability when voicing the various characters and creatures who inhabit the "Earth Realm." Dippy the Dog was a particular favorite- absolutely hilarious! I'm looking forward to more and more from this dynamic duo of audio book producing talent!
2457942
This was both a fun book and a full of history and perspective. The readers on this audio-- Abilene in particular--- added so much to the experience. I highly reacommend as an audio book.
It just amazed me how white people treated their maids, and how they did not realize they were wrong. It makes you wonder, 30 to 50 years from now, what will people say about us and our society?
A few things were a bit contrived-- I found Hilly to be such an evil queen bee that she couldn't be for real, and Skeeter such a goody goody and the only good white person on earth. But the book was so good I still give it five stars.
3986054
Great audio book with absolutely awesome narrators.
My first book by this author and def. not my last because I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style.

Indie and Camden made me laugh and swoon  and I rooted for them from the beginning.

Refreshing, passionate and emotional, endearing characters and vivid dialogues  loved it!
473000
(This refers to the audiobook.) When I see that a book is being read by the author, I usually shy away. Some authors have RUINED the audio version of their books because they insist on reading it themselves and that just DO NOT HAVE the gift. Not true of Mr. Delaney. He is exquisite in his expression, voices, accents, and brogues!! I was enthralled and I felt I was learning something at the same time. I think that was his plan all along.

I loved the "people story" - it was very fresh and unpredictable - I was never sure how it would turn out and the way it finally did made me so happy for all the characters. They were all that alive to me. Mr. Delaney did, indeed, fashion this story of a storyteller, in a most delightful way.

When I find myself inside a wonderful book, I hate for it to end. That is how I felt when this book drew to a close. I wanted it to go on and on...and if Mr. Delaney has a sequel, I will be readin' it, and you can be sure of that!
3206235
I got the Audible version and I just loved the narrator!  The story was hilarious and weird and fabulous!
3794082
I really enjoyed listening to this book being read by Andrew Sachs.  He did a wonderful job distinguishing between the different characters with slight alterations of his voice.  Oftentimes, you never know what you're going to get when you listen to an audiobook--will the narrator simply read the book with little to no expression, or will s/he take it to the next level and read as one would "hear" it in ones' head?  Sachs does the latter to a wonderful degree of simplicity and subtlety.

As for the actal plot, I enjoyed it quite throughly.  The characters were enjoyable, though the supporting characters simply disappear.  It is the three main chacacters--Mr. Sutterthwaite (excuse me if I spell his name wrong as I've only heard it pronounced), "Egg"  Liton Gore, and Sir Charles--that drive along the action, instigating the investigation into the mysterious murders.  M. Poirot appears sporadically until about 2/3 of the way through the book where he comes in as a stronger force.  What I found engaging was that Christie was able to get me interested in the mystery, despite the fact that I had picked up this particular audiobook due to the presence of Poirot within the novel.  (Definately a marketing tool for Christie.  It also seemed as if she wanted to further Poirot's character without completely connecting him to any particular story, as evidenced by his few final comments at the end.)  As another reviewer noted, I guessed the murderer early on in the story--however, it was a passing notion of my to think that this particular character might have done it.  It was the motive that remained semi-elusive, as well as how the murderer pulled it all off.  That is what always makes Christie fascinating as an author--her ability to construct a case that seems impossible, yet, at the same time, can become so clear when one sees the facts.  In the end, I found it to be a very good listen and would definately recommend it to anyone interested in a lighthearted, fun, and interesting mystery.  And since Poirot isn't a huge player, it can probably be accessible to people who are not familiar with the Belgian detective and don't want to have to rely heavily on previous knowledge of the character.
717037
Wonderful characters and a delightful story! The audiobook version is superbly read. I hope that becomes available again because it adds a lot to an already enjoyable book. I listened to a  library copy, but will buy my own copy right away if I ever see it available!
410474
Excellent audiobook!  My son and I are listening to it for the second time!!
3361903
So much has already been written about this book that if you've managed to get to this review you surely know what it's all about. I just wanted to give my opinion of the audio version with the author as narrator. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and have found that the author of a book is not necessarily the best choice to read the book aloud. Elizabeth Gilbert, however, does a great job. She brings her story to life with entertaining characters; complete with accents. As I listened I felt like I was hearing her have a conversation about her experience more that just reading her own book. Her voice is soft and soothing. The quality of the audio is excellent so it's very easy on the ears. If you've read the book I think you'll really enjoy the audio version.  If you haven't read it yet, I think the audiobook is definitely the way to go.
1236892
Thanks to Polly for allowing me to walk around the world from the comfort of my home.  Her book was hard to put down as she relays her numerous varied experiences (both good and bad) with humor. I enjoyed the book so much that I also listened to the audiobook which Polly narrates herself.  Nobody could have done it better as she able to put the emotions from her experiences into her storytelling.  I highly recommend this book and audiobook.  Looking forward to the next book by this author.
3200577
Loved this book so much I got it in audio too so I can listen to it again while I'm driving!!!!
Reading it was a delight...Listening to it a joy!
1272388
Loved it! I listened to the audio version and was thoroughly entertained. I loved the premise and family dynamic. I am really looking forward to this author's next book! Highly recommend!
3376266
I loved reading the book and took some time to listen to the entire audio version.
I really looked forward to the accents of the different characters.
It was a fun way to experience a novel.
If only I were still commuting I could do this more often.
Love, love, love Tanya's stories!
2722011
Just amazing! Plus, a great narrator. So glad I purchased this book on audio. Now, I really want to find the previous books in the series on audio for keeps.