A Gift of Magic
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Books |
A Gift of Magic is a 1971 novel authored by Lois Duncan that tells the story of a grandmother who bestows distinctive talents upon her grandchildren: Brendon inherits musical ability, Kirby gains the gift of dance, and Nancy is given magical powers. Nancy’s magic manifests as extrasensory perception (ESP), enabling her to perceive events happening far away and to read others’ thoughts. The narrative delves into the advantages, difficulties, and duties that come with Nancy’s special abilities.
The ESP aspects in the book were inspired by research conducted by J. B. Rhine. The three main characters were modeled after Duncan’s own children at the time she wrote the novel. In 2012, an updated edition was released featuring contemporary details and adjustments to certain characters’ names and ages. Critics commended Duncan for seamlessly weaving Nancy’s magical powers into the storyline.
Plot
Prior to her passing, a grandmother grants unique gifts to her grandchildren: Brendon receives musical talent, Kirby is given the gift of dance, and Nancy obtains magical abilities that allow her to detect distant occurrences and read minds. Years later, the siblings reside with their mother Elizabeth in Florida. Elizabeth reveals that she is divorcing and growing closer to Tom Duncan, her childhood love and current high school counselor.
During a social studies quiz, Nancy correctly answers questions before they are posed. Suspicious of cheating, their teacher Ms. Green arranges for Nancy and Kirby to meet after class. During lunch, Kirby hints that Nancy must have read her thoughts. Tom Duncan suspects Nancy possesses ESP and consults Dr. Russo, a psychiatrist specializing in ESP research. To hide her gift, Nancy deliberately fails a card test but inadvertently confirms Tom’s suspicions by repeatedly misidentifying suits.
Kirby pursues dance lessons with professional ambitions but suffers a leg injury that damages a nerve. Meanwhile, Brendon and his friend Greg embark on a treasure hunt on a sandbar but become stranded as ocean currents pull their boat away. Nancy senses Brendon’s peril and contacts Mr. Duncan; together they use his motorboat to rescue him. Kirby’s nerve injury begins to heal, and Nancy becomes more accepting of her mother’s relationship with Mr. Duncan, who eventually marries Elizabeth. The couple later has a daughter named Lois, who inherits the gift of storytelling.
Background and publication history
A Gift of Magic was initially published in hardcover by Little, Brown and Company on September 23, 1971. During her studies at Duke University, Duncan participated in ESP experiments led by J. B. Rhine, which influenced the novel’s ESP themes. The manuscript faced rejection from seven publishers who doubted young readers’ interest in extrasensory perception.
The characters Kirby, Nancy, and Brendon were inspired by Duncan’s three children. Kirby mirrored her daughter’s abandoned dreams of becoming a ballerina, while Brendon was based on her son Brett, who played instruments by ear like the character. Duncan also included a character bearing her own name in the epilogue; this required retyping the manuscript to change Tom’s surname to Duncan.
On June 19, 2012, the novel was reissued with updated content reflecting modern times as well as revised character names and ages. This revision sought to align the book with Duncan’s other young adult works by raising Kirby and Nancy’s ages to fourteen to appeal to an older readership. Although originally suggested that Nancy be fourteen and Kirby sixteen, adjustments were made considering realistic ballet training ages. Additional updates involved modernizing slang with input from Duncan’s grandchildren and editors, along with changing a character’s last name from White to Wright to avoid repetition.
A 2012 audiobook version based on this updated edition was released by Hachette Audio, narrated by Casey Holloway. Amanda Raklovits of the School Library Journal commented that Holloway’s youthful tone matched the characters well but occasionally featured overly precise enunciation.
Major themes
A Gift of Magic marks Duncan's initial foray into featuring a protagonist endowed with a supernatural ability, a motif that recurs throughout her subsequent writings. The narrative delves into Nancy's experiences, highlighting both the benefits and difficulties associated with her ESP powers. For instance, her use of this ability to anticipate questions leads to complications at school. By the conclusion, Mr. Duncan emphasizes to Nancy the ethical significance of refraining from manipulating others through her gift. Distinct from Duncan’s other paranormal stories, this novel centers more on acceptance rather than suspense or enigma. Characters such as Kirby confront the need to come to terms with their physical identities, while Nancy herself learns to welcome transformation. The story also explores themes of power, demonstrating how Nancy’s development is influenced more by her mother’s divorce than by an unhappy marriage.
Reception
A 1971 critique in the School Library Journal commended how extrasensory perception was woven into the storyline. In Best Sellers, E. Carey Kenney noted that Nancy’s magical ability propels the narrative forward, culminating in a gripping finale where she supports her brother. Nonetheless, Kenney found Arvis Stewart’s original edition illustrations overly elaborate and inconsistent with the story’s straightforward realism. A 2014 review on Tor.com observed that the revised edition enhanced the novel, presenting a vivid depiction of innate talent alongside robust family relationships.