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The Key to Extraordinary Audiobook
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Publisher Description
The highly anticipated new stand alone novel from rising star Natalie Lloyd!
There's a lot Emma wants to tell her mother about: her job leading cemetery walking tours, her new drum set, and the fact that the town's most famous ghost, the Morning Glory, seems to be trying to send Emma a message.
But Emma can't share any of this, because Emma's mom is dead.
Luckily, there's a loophole. The women in Emma's family all have a special destiny that comes to them in the form of a dream, and when they finally achieve this destiny, they're rewarded with a vision of all their extraordinary ancestors. Emma has spent her whole life waiting to discover her destiny, and maybe see her mom again, even if just for a moment. But the dream never comes...
Just when she's about to give up, she learns that the Morning Glory IS sending her messages, hints about a secret in Emma's family that could change everything. But can she solve the mystery in time to prove her destiny . . . and say a final farewell to the mother who was was taken from her too soon?
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“Narrator Kate Simses’ portrayal of twelve-year-old Emma is youthful, spunky, and, at times, tinged with the sadness of ‘the Big Empty’… Simses’ southern accents give a sense of Black Bird Hollow and the Boneyard Café…Doing great justice to Lloyd’s colorful descriptions and flights of fancy, Simses skips through unique similes, heightens the tension of the haunted graveyard, and bursts into the songs embedded in the story. Her expression of the magical words and situations is as strong as her voicing of Emma’s confusion about the Destiny Dream that will steer her future. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
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“With the help of a small cast of quirky characters and magical flora, Emma finds her true destiny and eases her troubles through the journey. The prose is bubbly and light, with a cheerful, optimistic tone despite some of the seemingly darker elements…This novel will be appreciated by younger middle grade readers who enjoy mysteries with an ample dose of magic and whimsy.”
— School Library Journal -
“Despite ghosts and graves, the story avoids the macabre and instead focuses on the relationships among memory, sadness, and joy, especially as Emma’s still recovering from her mother’s death. The mystery’s as much fun as a treasure hunt should be, and the clues are augmented by magical flowers…A bouquet of quirks, whimsy, sweetness, and magic.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“Magic is woven throughout Blackbird Hollow, Tennessee, and Emma and her friends are determined to save it no matter what it takes…Written in first person from Emma’s point-of-view, readers learn about Emma’s family and the remarkable destinies they have had…The novel’s other characters are amazingly colorful and will appeal to young readers with an interest in history and magic.”
— Children’s Literature
Awards
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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About Natalie Lloyd
Natalie Lloyd writes books for teen girls (and guys who are brave enough to read books with hot pink covers). She is the author of three novels in the Problim Children series and four stand-alone novels, including A Snicker of Magic, which won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award.
About Kate Simses
Kate Simses is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and a film and television actresss best known for her roles in Confessions of a Shopaholic, Puccini for Beginners, and What’s Your Number?