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Abby Carnelia's One and Only Magical Power
SILLY MAGICAL POWERS, KIDS ON THE RUN.
One day, Abby Carnelia, ordinary sixth grader, realizes she has a magical power. Okay, it's not a fancy one (she can make a hard-boiled egg spin by tugging on her ears). But it's the only one she has, and it's enough to launch her into an adventure where she meets a host of kids with similarly silly powers, becomes a potential guinea pig for a drug company, and hatches a daring plan for escape.
Kids will be dying to unearth their own magical powers after reading this whimsical debut by tech personality David Pogue.
One day, Abby Carnelia, ordinary sixth grader, realizes she has a magical power. Okay, it's not a fancy one (she can make a hard-boiled egg spin by tugging on her ears). But it's the only one she has, and it's enough to launch her into an adventure where she meets a host of kids with similarly silly powers, becomes a potential guinea pig for a drug company, and hatches a daring plan for escape.
Kids will be dying to unearth their own magical powers after reading this whimsical debut by tech personality David Pogue.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2010
16 people are currently reading
349 people want to read
About the author
David Pogue
230 books86 followersDavid Pogue, Yale '85, is the weekly personal-technology columnist for the New York Times and an Emmy award-winning tech correspondent for CBS News. His funny tech videos appear weekly on CNBC. And with 3 million books in print, he is also one of the world's bestselling how- to authors. He wrote or co-wrote seven books in the "For Dummies" series (including Macs, Magic, Opera, and Classical Music). In 1999, he launched his own series of amusing, practical, and user-friendly computer books called Missing Manuals, which now includes 100 titles.
David and his wife, Jennifer Pogue, MD, live in Connecticut with their three young children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
March 30, 2010
One of the sweetest, most thought provoking middlegrade novels I've read in a long time! The premise is that we all have some magic power however dumb and completely useless. Like saaaay spinning an egg with earlobe tugs or maybe even levitating a quarter of an inch, but ONLY if we are thinking about Bison....walking backwards...wearing...um...diapers? Most people never find their magical power...but this book is about a group of kids who do. A devouring read. Each chapter ended with a sentence that firmly hit me in the gutt or funny bone, which were then perfectly matched by an amazing opening sentence to start off the next. This really is a gem and it wasn't just the fantastic premise or creepy intriguing cover, though those helped. I'm so glad David Pogue took time to put away the toys for a bit and prove that he isn't just gadgets and gizmos but is REALLY one heck of a good writer. Oh and yes, if you noticed that extra bookshelf-category I put this in, it did make me cry, but not for any of the reasons you may be guessing.
Okay MAYBE one of the reasons you are guessing, at least if you are guessing "backwards Bison in diapers." I have a feeling I won't be the only reader laughing at that part.
Okay MAYBE one of the reasons you are guessing, at least if you are guessing "backwards Bison in diapers." I have a feeling I won't be the only reader laughing at that part.
September 5, 2010
The boys seemed to like this one, and it planted an early seed of corporate distrust, assuming they did not take this as a pity party for Big Pharma and their struggles to make billions off pills.
Anyways, its hard to argue with the idea that all kids are special, and having it set loosely against a back drop of magic (I wouldn't read this strictly for a kid who is fascinated by magic, as that is a small part of the story). Pogue's humor got a few chortles out of the boys, but keep in mind they are easy marks at this age and see Dave Pilkey's talents as limitless.
Fans of Pogue's tech column will find that he mostly kept his inner geek in check, although we do have some simple cryptography and talk of piezo- and motion- sensors (and powers calculated to by pass them). So in that way Abby Cadabra's band of renegades are a gang of hackers, perhaps?
An aside to fellow parents, if you are going to read it aloud then practice a little Kermit the Frog for when Phil Shutters shows up. Oh and one other comment, it was fascinating to me how towards the end, as Pogue writes himself into the story, the boys were so certain this was a "true story." It shows how lovingly trusting young kids are, and how they are ready to accept the strange, wonderful and indeed magical, into their lives.
Just keep them away from telemarketers and Soylent Green.
Anyways, its hard to argue with the idea that all kids are special, and having it set loosely against a back drop of magic (I wouldn't read this strictly for a kid who is fascinated by magic, as that is a small part of the story). Pogue's humor got a few chortles out of the boys, but keep in mind they are easy marks at this age and see Dave Pilkey's talents as limitless.
Fans of Pogue's tech column will find that he mostly kept his inner geek in check, although we do have some simple cryptography and talk of piezo- and motion- sensors (and powers calculated to by pass them). So in that way Abby Cadabra's band of renegades are a gang of hackers, perhaps?
An aside to fellow parents, if you are going to read it aloud then practice a little Kermit the Frog for when Phil Shutters shows up. Oh and one other comment, it was fascinating to me how towards the end, as Pogue writes himself into the story, the boys were so certain this was a "true story." It shows how lovingly trusting young kids are, and how they are ready to accept the strange, wonderful and indeed magical, into their lives.
Just keep them away from telemarketers and Soylent Green.
August 16, 2023
This is a fun book with some lovable characters! The plot gets a little grim, and it isn’t the best thing I’ve read for this age group, but it wasn’t a bad book to pick up at the elementary school book fair!
August 31, 2020
All I remember from reading this was the letter she sent to her family with the secret message. I thought that was the coolest thing. 8/10 would recommend.
April 19, 2025
Read this back in fifth grade- remembered it almost six years later today and I want to reread it!
August 3, 2011
What a odd but nice little story... Reminded me in the second half of the limit... What a great message and what a great activity you could do with this book with an elementary class as a brainbreak... Maybe even as a science experiment...
October 20, 2014
Actual rating: 3.5
Great concept. The ending and explanation of the framing device saved it from being a straight 3, but it still felt a bit flat in many places.
Great concept. The ending and explanation of the framing device saved it from being a straight 3, but it still felt a bit flat in many places.
July 17, 2015
Actually really, really, really good. Very unpredictable. I liked it, totally recommend it. :)
February 29, 2016
A great book about friendship. It isn't as dumb as you would think
September 3, 2010
This is a good story with some beginner writing problems, but I'm going to spend a few paragraphs saying what I just said. It'll be fun!
Now, first things first, let me, uh, disclaim that I have an advance reader's copy. It says right on the back that this is an "uncorrected proof" that "should not be quoted without comparison with the finished book". Fair enough. I don't *have* a copy of the finished book, so I'm going to just go ahead and quote from this one anyway. It's possible that everything I point out has been fixed, and if so I'll be more than happy to edit this review if corrected.
So, the story goes that here's Abby, and one day she discovers she has the world's stupidest magical power. (Actually, it's not, but we don't know that yet.) She can make a hard-boiled egg twirl by looking at it and pulling on both her earlobes. It is absolutely and utterly useless. There is exactly one use for this skill that I can think of, and the only reason I can think of it is because it was used in the book.
You know, a lot of people, when they find out they have a stupid little skill like that, they'd just forget about it. They'd file it away in their mind under all the other useless things they know how to do, like singing the alphabet backwards or patting their head while rubbing their tummy. But if Abby did that I guess we wouldn't have a book, so she spends a few chapters trying to find out more and being frustrated, and eventually ends up at summer camp where - to her surprise! - she finds that somebody DOES know about kids like her. Yeah, she's not the only one with a weird, stupid, and useless skill.
Anyway, you, as a reader of books, will be utterly unsurprised to find out that there's a dastardly plot afoot regarding these kids and it's up to them (and their, uh, powers!) to stop it.
The story is great, it's funny, it's a little exciting, and it's just a fun book. I would be glad to give this book five stars. (Well, four and a half, but I'd round up.)
Except that there are some very, as I said, amateurish errors in the writing, things that yank me out of the story and remind me that I'm reading a book. I'm not going to list every last one of them, because they're almost all the SAME error, but with different words:
The author breaks the cardinal rule of "show, don't tell", almost always while doing a massive and random Point of View switch and for little background information instead of anything crucial to the plot.
He does this repeatedly, and it's really annoying. Once or twice, sure, but this is popping up every chapter. I'll give one example, a conversation, that's indicative of the whole problem. (You might not think it's a problem, I guess. After seeing it so often in the same book, I certainly do.) My comments are in the brackets.
"So, I mean..." Abby began. "Do you guys all have - "
She looked hopefully from face to face, hoping that somebody would start explaining what was going on there. But she didn't want to dive right in and start talking about how she had a true magical power. That hadn't worked out so great the last time she told someone. [We know this. We spent the past 12 or so chapters reading about it. It doesn't need to be spelled out for us, though one incident like this in a scene is hardly glaring. Let's keep going.]
"Special talents?" It was Ricky, finishing her sentence. [Again, we can tell what Ricky's doing.]
She turned. "Yeah!" she said. "Do you?"
"Kinda," he said. He looked around at the others, nervously.
"Tell us!" said Eliza.
Ricky looked down at his lap, too embarrassed to speak. [First of all, this book is almost always from Abby's point of view, and it certainly was only a few lines ago. Why are we now in Ricky's thoughts? Secondly, we can tell from how he spoke "nervously" and how he's looking in his lap that he's embarrassed. Pointing this out highlights that we're reading a book, not witnessing actual events. If it's so important to spell it out, why not just say he was blushing?]
[We have a few lines of chatter, let's skip ahead slightly.]
"I have a rat."
"A rat?" said Eliza.
"Yeah, a pet," said Ricky. "What's wrong with that?"
"It's just gross," said Eliza.
"How is it any grosser than a mouse?" asked Ricky, annoyed. "It's just a big mouse." [Try taking out the word "annoyed" in this sentence. Can you still tell how Ricky feels at having to defend his pet? If so - and I think you can! - the sentence is probably stronger without the adjective. If you can't, the dialog should be changed to reflect his feelings.]
Ben, who was still new to the concept that there might be people with actual supernatural powers, was leaning forward and listening hard. [Again, the PoV shift! Why are we in Ben's thoughts? No, really, WHY are we in Ben's thoughts? We know what Ben thinks, we were there when he found out about Abby's little gift! Plus, we can tell his feelings by his actions, which is as it should be.]
[More dialog, and then....]
Abby wasn't especially thrilled about going first; she had grown so use to keeping her freakishness a secret that it was almost second nature to hide it. Still, she'd had a little practice, she'd told Morgan, and Ben, and Ferd, and the world hadn't ended. [This is 41 words of we-already-knew-that. The reader didn't forget the events of the past 12 chapters. Really. We can tell that Abby feels reluctant by how she acts, and we can guess why because we're not stupid.]
Anyway, it goes on like this for the entire conversation. The worst part is when Eliza brushes back her hair, "a habit of hers when she was nervous". Funnily enough, all the times she has to feel uncomfortable or nervous in the book, we never see her push back her hair, which would've been a better way to show this particular character quirk.
It doesn't seem so annoying to you now, but try a whole book of this sort of narration and you'll see why I bothered to spend 5 minutes typing that part out!
In a similar vein, the author repeatedly breaks his own suspense. Here we are, the kids are in danger - and he's stopping to tell us that "years later" Abby did this or that. Huh? It's usually pretty much off-topic, and, well, it keeps anybody from worrying about any of them, because we know they get out okay.
The problem isn't a few instances of these sorts of problems. You could (and probably would) overlook that. The problem is that they fill the whole book. When I glanced at the author's bibliography at Amazon, I saw that this is his first foray into fiction. He's got a talent, he just needs to work on these little things a bit more so that I'm not sitting there looking at the book wondering, again, why I can't just lose myself in the story. Frankly, I don't know why the editor didn't catch most of these. (But then again, maybe the editor did, and the published novel is perfect. If so, somebody please tell me so I can fix this!)
Now, first things first, let me, uh, disclaim that I have an advance reader's copy. It says right on the back that this is an "uncorrected proof" that "should not be quoted without comparison with the finished book". Fair enough. I don't *have* a copy of the finished book, so I'm going to just go ahead and quote from this one anyway. It's possible that everything I point out has been fixed, and if so I'll be more than happy to edit this review if corrected.
So, the story goes that here's Abby, and one day she discovers she has the world's stupidest magical power. (Actually, it's not, but we don't know that yet.) She can make a hard-boiled egg twirl by looking at it and pulling on both her earlobes. It is absolutely and utterly useless. There is exactly one use for this skill that I can think of, and the only reason I can think of it is because it was used in the book.
You know, a lot of people, when they find out they have a stupid little skill like that, they'd just forget about it. They'd file it away in their mind under all the other useless things they know how to do, like singing the alphabet backwards or patting their head while rubbing their tummy. But if Abby did that I guess we wouldn't have a book, so she spends a few chapters trying to find out more and being frustrated, and eventually ends up at summer camp where - to her surprise! - she finds that somebody DOES know about kids like her. Yeah, she's not the only one with a weird, stupid, and useless skill.
Anyway, you, as a reader of books, will be utterly unsurprised to find out that there's a dastardly plot afoot regarding these kids and it's up to them (and their, uh, powers!) to stop it.
The story is great, it's funny, it's a little exciting, and it's just a fun book. I would be glad to give this book five stars. (Well, four and a half, but I'd round up.)
Except that there are some very, as I said, amateurish errors in the writing, things that yank me out of the story and remind me that I'm reading a book. I'm not going to list every last one of them, because they're almost all the SAME error, but with different words:
The author breaks the cardinal rule of "show, don't tell", almost always while doing a massive and random Point of View switch and for little background information instead of anything crucial to the plot.
He does this repeatedly, and it's really annoying. Once or twice, sure, but this is popping up every chapter. I'll give one example, a conversation, that's indicative of the whole problem. (You might not think it's a problem, I guess. After seeing it so often in the same book, I certainly do.) My comments are in the brackets.
"So, I mean..." Abby began. "Do you guys all have - "
She looked hopefully from face to face, hoping that somebody would start explaining what was going on there. But she didn't want to dive right in and start talking about how she had a true magical power. That hadn't worked out so great the last time she told someone. [We know this. We spent the past 12 or so chapters reading about it. It doesn't need to be spelled out for us, though one incident like this in a scene is hardly glaring. Let's keep going.]
"Special talents?" It was Ricky, finishing her sentence. [Again, we can tell what Ricky's doing.]
She turned. "Yeah!" she said. "Do you?"
"Kinda," he said. He looked around at the others, nervously.
"Tell us!" said Eliza.
Ricky looked down at his lap, too embarrassed to speak. [First of all, this book is almost always from Abby's point of view, and it certainly was only a few lines ago. Why are we now in Ricky's thoughts? Secondly, we can tell from how he spoke "nervously" and how he's looking in his lap that he's embarrassed. Pointing this out highlights that we're reading a book, not witnessing actual events. If it's so important to spell it out, why not just say he was blushing?]
[We have a few lines of chatter, let's skip ahead slightly.]
"I have a rat."
"A rat?" said Eliza.
"Yeah, a pet," said Ricky. "What's wrong with that?"
"It's just gross," said Eliza.
"How is it any grosser than a mouse?" asked Ricky, annoyed. "It's just a big mouse." [Try taking out the word "annoyed" in this sentence. Can you still tell how Ricky feels at having to defend his pet? If so - and I think you can! - the sentence is probably stronger without the adjective. If you can't, the dialog should be changed to reflect his feelings.]
Ben, who was still new to the concept that there might be people with actual supernatural powers, was leaning forward and listening hard. [Again, the PoV shift! Why are we in Ben's thoughts? No, really, WHY are we in Ben's thoughts? We know what Ben thinks, we were there when he found out about Abby's little gift! Plus, we can tell his feelings by his actions, which is as it should be.]
[More dialog, and then....]
Abby wasn't especially thrilled about going first; she had grown so use to keeping her freakishness a secret that it was almost second nature to hide it. Still, she'd had a little practice, she'd told Morgan, and Ben, and Ferd, and the world hadn't ended. [This is 41 words of we-already-knew-that. The reader didn't forget the events of the past 12 chapters. Really. We can tell that Abby feels reluctant by how she acts, and we can guess why because we're not stupid.]
Anyway, it goes on like this for the entire conversation. The worst part is when Eliza brushes back her hair, "a habit of hers when she was nervous". Funnily enough, all the times she has to feel uncomfortable or nervous in the book, we never see her push back her hair, which would've been a better way to show this particular character quirk.
It doesn't seem so annoying to you now, but try a whole book of this sort of narration and you'll see why I bothered to spend 5 minutes typing that part out!
In a similar vein, the author repeatedly breaks his own suspense. Here we are, the kids are in danger - and he's stopping to tell us that "years later" Abby did this or that. Huh? It's usually pretty much off-topic, and, well, it keeps anybody from worrying about any of them, because we know they get out okay.
The problem isn't a few instances of these sorts of problems. You could (and probably would) overlook that. The problem is that they fill the whole book. When I glanced at the author's bibliography at Amazon, I saw that this is his first foray into fiction. He's got a talent, he just needs to work on these little things a bit more so that I'm not sitting there looking at the book wondering, again, why I can't just lose myself in the story. Frankly, I don't know why the editor didn't catch most of these. (But then again, maybe the editor did, and the published novel is perfect. If so, somebody please tell me so I can fix this!)
February 7, 2018
5th to 7th grade level
Abby finds that she has a magic power and she goes cra-cra. She decides to go to a magic camp to see if anybody else has powers. Once she gets to Camp Abracadabra, she finds that she is not the only one with powers. She transfers to a creepy place where her life becomes a bore as instrucors are more enthusiastic than she is about her egg spining magic. Suddenly, she and her friends have a suspision and she gets involved into a lot more drama than she hoped. Plz read the book to find out more and i wont say any more cause' it would spoil the book!!!!!
Abby finds that she has a magic power and she goes cra-cra. She decides to go to a magic camp to see if anybody else has powers. Once she gets to Camp Abracadabra, she finds that she is not the only one with powers. She transfers to a creepy place where her life becomes a bore as instrucors are more enthusiastic than she is about her egg spining magic. Suddenly, she and her friends have a suspision and she gets involved into a lot more drama than she hoped. Plz read the book to find out more and i wont say any more cause' it would spoil the book!!!!!
March 28, 2018
This was a very fun read. Abby is an every day girl with every day reactions. I really enjoyed how Abby seemed so normal. You could picture her as a friend, neighbor, yourself or a student. This is a story about magic that seems realist. It is well worth the time and energy!
November 27, 2024
Recommended by my daughter. This was really enjoyable from start to finish. A unique topic about the most bizarre and useless superpowers. The story kept moving throughout and all the characters were believable and likable. And a creative ending. Also, adults were present and realistic.
December 17, 2022
It was OK but I am I was thinking like what was the purpose of the book and one of my favorite part was when the place that was running the camp turned out to be the bad guys and then they escaped
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2024
Third book given by a friend. Got me so excited from start to finish. Thanks, bis!
December 30, 2016
Better for its intended YA audience than for me.
February 7, 2017
I read it for my fourth-grader's book club. It was cute and a quick read.
November 25, 2014
I have read several of David Pogue’s technology and computer books, as well as many of his articles. He is a good writer who provides useful information in a very readable and sometimes humorous format. Still, who knew that he could write a decent children’s book, too?
In this book, Abby Carnelia discovers that she has a special power, although a seemingly useless one. She goes to a ritzy magic camp to try to learn more about her power, and eventually ends up in a super camp with campers that have similar, seemingly useless powers. Only, Abby and her friends learn that it is not a camp at all, and that they may be guinea pigs for a pharmaceutical company!
I read this book with my nine and eleven year old nieces. The content was appropriate for their ages. Abby and her friends are funny characters, and the premise is an interesting one. My nieces really enjoyed the book, and I did, as well. Knowing the author even had a tiny payoff in the book.
This was not the best children’s book around, but it was a good, enjoyable read for the age group and more than tolerable for an adult that might read it with a child. I bought two copies of this book, so that we all could read it together, and I do not regret the purchase.
In this book, Abby Carnelia discovers that she has a special power, although a seemingly useless one. She goes to a ritzy magic camp to try to learn more about her power, and eventually ends up in a super camp with campers that have similar, seemingly useless powers. Only, Abby and her friends learn that it is not a camp at all, and that they may be guinea pigs for a pharmaceutical company!
I read this book with my nine and eleven year old nieces. The content was appropriate for their ages. Abby and her friends are funny characters, and the premise is an interesting one. My nieces really enjoyed the book, and I did, as well. Knowing the author even had a tiny payoff in the book.
This was not the best children’s book around, but it was a good, enjoyable read for the age group and more than tolerable for an adult that might read it with a child. I bought two copies of this book, so that we all could read it together, and I do not regret the purchase.
April 7, 2011
I listened to the audio book read by David Pogue himself and found it to be pretty enjoyable. He isn't the best reader I've come across but he does a pretty god job of doing voices and conveying the story in an interesting way.
In her kitchen, while helping her mother make a salad, Abby Carnelia discovers her one and only magical power. Her power isn't something exciting or useful and she really can't believe that she has it. After a few days, she comes to terms with her new found "power" but feels pretty alone. After her parents spot an advertisement for a magic camp, Abby starts to feel like maybe she'll find other kids with powers at camp. After arriving at Camp Cadabra, Abby meets Ben, a camper with a great magic trick. When Abby and Ben are both transferred to a super camp for very talented kids, they start to realize that something about this camp is not right and they need to act quickly before they become participants in something much bigger and more sinister than a simple summer magic camp.
In her kitchen, while helping her mother make a salad, Abby Carnelia discovers her one and only magical power. Her power isn't something exciting or useful and she really can't believe that she has it. After a few days, she comes to terms with her new found "power" but feels pretty alone. After her parents spot an advertisement for a magic camp, Abby starts to feel like maybe she'll find other kids with powers at camp. After arriving at Camp Cadabra, Abby meets Ben, a camper with a great magic trick. When Abby and Ben are both transferred to a super camp for very talented kids, they start to realize that something about this camp is not right and they need to act quickly before they become participants in something much bigger and more sinister than a simple summer magic camp.
May 30, 2013
Maybe this review isn't entirely objective because I didn't finish the book. But since I am reviewing the audiobook version, I think it's only fair to warn potential listeners: good grief, is this insufferable. Pogue should never have performed this himself; it is read gratingly, in an overdramatic tone of voice, and it doesn't help that Pogue's natural speaking voice is a bit hard to listen to. Abby's father's voice and her camp counselor's in particular were brutal to listen to.
I took this audiobook out from the library, ran some errands around town, and returned it on my way home after suffering through most of the first CD. It was that bad. The writing was terrible with tons of purple prose and unrealistic dialogue (what 11-year-old girl greets her friends with "HEY DAWG!" or refers to "firing up Google"?), and nothing at all was happening by the time I'd gotten through the first of five CDs. Maybe it's more bearable in written word form, but as an audiobook, I found it absolutely intolerable.
I took this audiobook out from the library, ran some errands around town, and returned it on my way home after suffering through most of the first CD. It was that bad. The writing was terrible with tons of purple prose and unrealistic dialogue (what 11-year-old girl greets her friends with "HEY DAWG!" or refers to "firing up Google"?), and nothing at all was happening by the time I'd gotten through the first of five CDs. Maybe it's more bearable in written word form, but as an audiobook, I found it absolutely intolerable.
March 25, 2010
Abby Carnelia is a special kid. While helping her mother make lunch one day, she discovers she can make a hard-boiled egg spin simply by tugging on her ears. In support of this new talent, her parents send her to the prestigious Camp Cadabra to learn more about magic. Once there, she meets other kids just like her. But it soon becomes clear that something at the camp is not quite right. Abby and her new friends need to figure out exactly what is going on... before it's too late!
This book is totally super cute. It is full of age appropriate pop-culture references, fun and interesting little tid-bits about magic, and has a fun "summer camp" atmosphere. The kids' dialogue is true to life, the story is believable, and the writing does not condescend to the reader. David Pogue has written a whimsical story about coming into your own, and kids all over will be racing to find their unique power!
This book is totally super cute. It is full of age appropriate pop-culture references, fun and interesting little tid-bits about magic, and has a fun "summer camp" atmosphere. The kids' dialogue is true to life, the story is believable, and the writing does not condescend to the reader. David Pogue has written a whimsical story about coming into your own, and kids all over will be racing to find their unique power!
Read
April 1, 2010One of the sweetest, most thought provoking middlegrade novels I've read in a long time! The premise is that we all have some magic power however dumb and completely useless. Like saaaay spinning an egg with earlobe tugs or maybe even levitating a quarter of an inch, but ONLY if we are thinking about Bison....walking backwards...wearing...um...diapers? Most people never find their magical power...but this book is about a group of kids who do. A devouring read. Each chapter ended with a sentence that firmly hit me in the gutt or funny bone, which were then perfectly matched by an amazing opening sentence to start off the next. This really is a gem and it wasn't just the fantastic premise or creepy intriguing cover, though those helped. I'm so glad David Pogue took time to put away the toys for a bit and prove that he isn't just gadgets and gizmos but is REALLY one heck of a good writer. This book feels like bright orange.
May 9, 2011
Abby Carnelia wasn't looking for magic. It appeared before with a simple tug of an earlobe. After tugging her earlobe, a hard boiled egg spun around. It's different, it's freaky. Did other kids have such powers?
Abby's journey is amusing. If readers enjoy everyday magic, this would be an excellent read to pass along. If readers are more into fantasy magic, this selection would be easy to pass up. The best part of the book would be the author's notes at the end of the story. I wish his notes would have been at the beginning. I would have enjoyed this story with the extra background knowledge.
David Pogue writes for the New York Times. He also appears on television and blogs. As a reader, his rendition was all right. It felt a bit over the top to me. At times, his enunciation was not clear. It was rather amusing to hear a magic camp called, "Abra Cadaver." As I stated earlier, if a child is interested in reality based magic, this book is for you.
Abby's journey is amusing. If readers enjoy everyday magic, this would be an excellent read to pass along. If readers are more into fantasy magic, this selection would be easy to pass up. The best part of the book would be the author's notes at the end of the story. I wish his notes would have been at the beginning. I would have enjoyed this story with the extra background knowledge.
David Pogue writes for the New York Times. He also appears on television and blogs. As a reader, his rendition was all right. It felt a bit over the top to me. At times, his enunciation was not clear. It was rather amusing to hear a magic camp called, "Abra Cadaver." As I stated earlier, if a child is interested in reality based magic, this book is for you.
July 25, 2011
Things I Liked:
This book was a lot of fun to read. Abby was a regular girl, until she discovers her power. But, she still felt very much like your average tween looking to figure stuff out. The magical aspect of the book will appeal to fans of Savvy and The Girl Who Could Fly and the humor and fun will appeal to everyone else. A sweet and silly book that will have kids wishing they could figure out what their odd power is.
Things I Didn't Like:
I have to admit, the book seemed pretty forgettable (despite its silly premise) and it certainly lacked the personality and spunk of the two books mentioned above, possibly because of the adult narrator aspect. It also was a bit predictable in the story, as I was quite sure of a few things almost from the start. Still, it will make for a fun fantasy read for younger tweens.
Full review at One Librarian's Book Reviews.
This book was a lot of fun to read. Abby was a regular girl, until she discovers her power. But, she still felt very much like your average tween looking to figure stuff out. The magical aspect of the book will appeal to fans of Savvy and The Girl Who Could Fly and the humor and fun will appeal to everyone else. A sweet and silly book that will have kids wishing they could figure out what their odd power is.
Things I Didn't Like:
I have to admit, the book seemed pretty forgettable (despite its silly premise) and it certainly lacked the personality and spunk of the two books mentioned above, possibly because of the adult narrator aspect. It also was a bit predictable in the story, as I was quite sure of a few things almost from the start. Still, it will make for a fun fantasy read for younger tweens.
Full review at One Librarian's Book Reviews.
September 18, 2010
Girl discovers she has a useless power mainly she can make only hard boiled eggs spin by pulling back her earlobes. She attends a magic camp to find people like her with useless powers, she gets noticed by one of the workers there when she performs in front of the camp. She and her friend Ben who helped her with the trick get sent away to a special camp for kids just like them, luxurious yet there's something off about it. Naturally there are guards, doors that unlock only from the outside, and the people working there have them perform the trick many times studying them. Of course, it's a conspiracy by a pharmaceutical company to exploit the kids for their powers, namely see what makes them different and try to replicate it in medicine. Not a very intriguing book, considering the twist is easy to see.
August 23, 2010
Ages 10+.
A fun and "safe" read for kids. Abby Carnelia discovers that she has a magical ability, unfortunately it's not a terribly impressive one. She can make a hard boiled egg spin if she pulls on both her earlobes.
She soon finds out she's not alone, there are other kids out there with magical abilities but they all seem to be as unspectacular as her own.
There are bad guys, challenges and finally a big finish that proves that no matter how small you think your abilities are they can make a difference (group hug everybody!).
Ok, snarkiness aside, the book was actually quite enjoyable and Abby is well fleshed out and you find yourself rooting for her. She's clever, brave and funny. Just the kind of character I like my 10 year old daughter reading about.
A fun and "safe" read for kids. Abby Carnelia discovers that she has a magical ability, unfortunately it's not a terribly impressive one. She can make a hard boiled egg spin if she pulls on both her earlobes.
She soon finds out she's not alone, there are other kids out there with magical abilities but they all seem to be as unspectacular as her own.
There are bad guys, challenges and finally a big finish that proves that no matter how small you think your abilities are they can make a difference (group hug everybody!).
Ok, snarkiness aside, the book was actually quite enjoyable and Abby is well fleshed out and you find yourself rooting for her. She's clever, brave and funny. Just the kind of character I like my 10 year old daughter reading about.
March 9, 2011
I loved the idea of kids having magical powers. In fact, it makes me wonder if everyone has some sort of magical power inside of them just waiting to be found. Abby had to tug on her ears while looking at a hard-boiled egg to make the egg spin. The funniest one was a girl who had to think of a bison walking backwards in a diaper to make her power appear. All of the powers were pretty useless, but that is part of what made the story so fun to read.
The story turned more serious when the drug company came into play. I didn’t like the idea of a drug company doing tests on the kids. It was disturbing to think about. I did, however, like to read about Abby and her friends plotting their escape.
The story turned more serious when the drug company came into play. I didn’t like the idea of a drug company doing tests on the kids. It was disturbing to think about. I did, however, like to read about Abby and her friends plotting their escape.
July 5, 2010
I was expecting something cute and fluffy when I picked up this book. It's not cute and fluffy. I was, in fact, horrified. This is not a children's book like The Penderwicks is a children's book. It's more like Harry Potter is a children's book, Harry Potter references not withstanding.
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