The Bookshelf: Abby Garnelia’s One & Only Magical Power

“Abby Carnelia’s One and Only Magical Power” by David Pogue is a fantasy novel, written in the form of a biography. The story follows Abby Carnelia as she tries to learn about her magical power, the ability to spin a hardboiled egg by tugging her earlobes. With her seemingly useless and extremely specific power, Abby’s travels to a magic summer camp with hope to find answers. What first appeared to be a camp specifically for teaching magic tricks is soon revealed to be part of a bigger plot.

Along the way, Abby meets a few more kids with useless powers, a young magician who tricks the camp into thinking he has a power, and some suspicious camp counselors. As Abby continues her journey, some of her questions about her power are answered. But as she digs deeper, Abby and her new friends discover a conspiracy that threatens the wellbeing of the campers with powers.

Perhaps one of the more unusual things about “Abby Carnelia’s One and Only Magical Power” is that we never find out the origins of the characters’ powers. Although Abby does come up with a theory, it is never officially proven. This is disappointing, as Abby spends so much time trying to learn about these little magic powers. Despite the fascination people eventually have with trying to find their own power, it still seems like the readers were cheated out of the truth.

“Abby Carnelia’s One and Only Magical Power” is an interesting story for readers who love magic, tricks and powers. With a unique take on magical powers, a compelling mystery and some things remaining unsolved, this novel is certainly a different kind of fantasy story.