A New Book by Award-winning Author Natalie Lloyd: HUMMINGBIRD

I just finished reading an extraordinary book by former Smack Dab contributor and award-winning author NATALIE LLOYD. 

 Here is the blurb from Amazon:

 A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book

From the bestselling author of A Snicker of Magic comes a heartfelt story about a girl who -- armed with her trusty, snazzy wheelchair -- refuses to let her brittle bone disease stand in the way of adventure

Twelve-year-old homeschooled Olive is tired of being seen as "fragile" just because she has osteogenesis imperfecta (otherwise known as brittle bone disease) so she's thrilled when she finally convinces her parents to let her attend Macklemore Elementary. Olive can't wait to go to a traditional school and make the friends she's always longed for, until a disastrous first day dashes her hopes of ever fitting in.

Then Olive hears whispers about a magical, wish-granting hummingbird that supposedly lives near Macklemore. It’ll be the solution to all her problems! If she can find the bird and prove herself worthy, the creature will make her most desperate, secret wish come true.

When it becomes clear that she can't solve the mystery on her own, Olive teams up with some unlikely allies who help her learn the truth about the bird. And on the way, she just might learn that our fragile places lead us to the most wonderful magic of all...

 

My review:

This is a heartfelt middle grade tale of hope, courage, adventure, and discovery. The lyrical language and fresh metaphors sing from the pages as Olive sets out to live her dreams and forge new friendships along the way. Soaring, taking flight, singing, and other “bird” metaphors give a poetic and ethereal quality to the prose, making us cheer for Olive’s efforts and discoveries about herself and the world around her. I love her intelligence and indomitable spirit. I also love the quirky names and personalities of supporting players: Jupiter, Hatch, Uncle Dash, Kester. One of my favorite quotes: “My dad, Jupiter, is his own planet, his own universe, and we all orbit around his weird and wonderful light.”

A story with humor, heart., and a bit of magic.

 

Darlene Beck Jacobson loves discovering secret places and new things. She believes in wishes coming true and that magic happens when we least expect it. She writes her stories from her home in NJ.