Image of a magic show. Text, "Touch of Magic"
Art by Mora Vieytes
Fiction,

A Touch of Magic

Can the Amazing Amelia pull off her greatest trick yet?

By Wendy Mass | Art by Mora Vieytes
From the February 2024 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will analyze the plot of a realistic fiction story about the special relationship between a young girl and her grandfather. Amelia and Grandpa haven’t practiced magic tricks together since Grandpa got sick, but an unexpected performance brings magic back into their lives.

Complexity Factors
  • Levels of Meaning
    This realistic fiction story is about the relationship between a girl and her grandfather, who bond over practicing magic tricks, and what happens when the grandfather moves to an assisted living facility because of his worsening memory disorder. On another level, the story is about facing your fears and doing what you can to bring joy into other people’s lives.
  • Structure
    The first page of the story includes past-tense background about the girl and grandfather’s relationship and continues in the present tense.
  • Language
    The language is mostly conversational and includes dialogue, along with Amelia’s internal reflections. It contains some figurative language, such as the title phrase, “a touch of magic.”
  • Knowledge Demands
    Students will need to make several inferences to fully understand the story. Knowledge of language related to magic and common magic tricks, such as the coin-in-the-ear trick, “Pick a card, any card,”“Now you see it, now you don’t,” and “Ta-da!” will be helpful—as will familiarity with what an assisted living facility is. Pierogies are mentioned.
Lexile: 600L-700L
Featured Skill: Plot,
Other Key Skills: character’s motivation, key idea, key details, character, cause and effect, figurative language, inference, compare and contrast, how a character changes, making connections, narrative writing
Topic: SEL,
Standards
  • Common Core
    Anchor Standards: R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, W.3, SL.1, SL.2, L.4, L.5, L.6 Grade 4: RL.4.1, RL.4.2, RL.4.3, RL.4.4, W.4.3, SL.4.1, SL.4.2, L.4.4, L.4.5, L.4.6 Grade 5: RL.5.1, RL.5.2, RL.5.3, RL.5.4, W.5.3, SL.5.1, SL.5.2, L.5.4, L.5.5, L.5.6 Grade 6: RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.3, RL.6.4, W.6.3, SL.6.1, SL.6.2, L.6.4, L.6.5, L.6.6
  • TEKS
    Grade 4: 4.1a, c, d; 4.3a, b; 4.6; 4.7; 4.8b, c; 4.9f; 4.10a, b, c, d, f; 4.12a Grade 5: 5.1a, c, d; 5.3a, b; 5.6; 5.7; 5.8b, c; 5.9f; 5.10a, b, c, d, f; 5.12a Grade 6: 6.1a, c, d; 6.2a, b; 6.5; 6.6; 6.7b, c; 6.8; 6.9a, b, c, d, f; 6.11a

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UP CLOSE: Plot

As you read, pay attention to how Amelia and Grandpa feel about magic throughout the story. What events change how they feel?

I race to my best friend Leila’s apartment, my gym bag bouncing against my back. She opens the door, and her little brother, Omar, sticks out his arm, blocking her way. 

We’re already late for basketball practice. 

“Can’t I come with you?” he begs. 

“You’re banned after snatching the ball last week,” Leila says. 

His face falls, but he won’t budge.

“If I do the trick, will that make you feel better?” I ask. 

“Maybe,” he says, tilting his head.

I reach behind his ear and pull out a quarter. “Ta-da! You should clean your ears better.” 

He grins up at me and pockets the quarter. He always pockets the quarter. He waves goodbye, running back to his room.

Leila laughs. “The Amazing Amelia.”

That’s the stage name my grandfather gave me. He taught me everything I know about magic, including that coin-in-the-ear trick. Grandpa is Polish and doesn’t speak much English, but that never mattered to me, because magic is its own language. 

Grandpa knows all the words for magic tricks: “Pick a card, any card,” “Now you see it, now you don’t,” and of course, “Ta-da!” 

His face would always light up when I figured out how to do a new trick. “The Amazing Amelia,” he’d say in a booming voice. 

“You’re really good at magic,” Leila says as we hurry to practice. “You’ve got to try out for the school talent show.”

I shake my head. “I haven’t practiced since Grandpa moved out. It’d be awful to mess up in front of everybody.”

And anyway, I’ll never be as good at magic as Grandpa is. Or as good as he used to be. 

For my whole life, it was just Grandpa, Mom, and me. Every day after school, he would fix me a snack of cheesy pierogies and teach me magic tricks. But a year ago, he started leaving the stove on and getting lost on his daily walks. Then he started forgetting his tricks, and that got him so upset he wouldn’t come out of his room. Now he’s at Green Acres Assisted Living, where nurses can watch over him. 

He hasn’t done magic in a long time . . . which means I haven’t either. 

On Monday, when Mom gets home from work, we go visit Grandpa. Nurse Millie meets us in the lobby at Green Acres. 

“I’m so glad you came, Amelia,” Millie says. “Your grandpa is feeling a little down. See if you can get him to play cards with his friends.”

She leads us to the big yellow activity room. Grandpa is sitting in his wheelchair near a table, staring at his lap. 

“Hi, Grandpa!” I say, more cheerfully than I actually feel. “Are you playing cards?”

He gives me a little smile, but the deck stays on the table. 

“We’re waiting for him to deal,” says a woman with thick glasses.

“Why don’t you show them a trick, Grandpa?” I ask softly. He doesn’t respond.

I lift the deck and put it in his hands. As if by instinct, Grandpa starts to shuffle. But then his fingers slip, and cards scatter all over the floor. 

“It’s OK,” I tell him, quickly scooping them up.

“No good, no good,” Grandpa mutters, frowning. My mom rubs his back.

I don’t even realize that my hands are spreading the deck until the woman with glasses says, “Ooooh! Can you do a card trick?”

I hesitate, glancing at Grandpa. I don’t want to bring up bad memories for him. But he doesn’t seem to be paying attention, and now a small group has formed. 

“Go ahead, honey,” my mom says.

I shuffle a few times, cut the deck, then fan the cards. Beside me, Grandpa lifts his head. 

“Pick a card, any card,” I say. The woman with glasses draws a card. “Show it to your friends,” I tell her, “then put it in the middle of the deck.” 

She does and I cut the deck several times, then flip over the top card. Gasps all around. “That’s my card!” she cries. “The queen of hearts!”

I’d forgotten how fun it is to do magic.

Now Grandpa turns to look at me. His eyes sparkle.

“How did you do that?” someone asks.

“My grandpa taught me,” I say.

The next day, as Leila and I are walking home from school, my phone rings. It’s Mom. “Amelia, Nurse Millie just called me. A comedian was supposed to perform at Green Acres on Saturday, and he just canceled. The residents are really bummed.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” I say, not sure where this is going. 

It doesn’t take long to figure it out, though. “Millie says everybody loved your card trick yesterday,” Mom continues. “She’s wondering if you could put on a little magic show for them.” 

“ME? A magic show?” I look at Leila in alarm.

“You can do it!” Leila whispers excitedly.

“But I don’t remember enough for a whole show,” I tell Mom. “And Grandpa can’t show me tricks anymore. What if I mess up?”

“Remember what Grandpa used to say when a trick didn’t work?” she asks.

Together we imitate his deep voice, “It’s all part of the act, folks.”

“So what do you think?”

“I don’t know . . .”

But then I think of the bright look in Grandpa’s eyes yesterday . . . a distant reminder of our afternoons doing magic tricks over a steaming plate of pierogies. And I know the residents could really use a touch of magic in their lives.

Before I can stop her, Leila grabs the phone and shouts, “The Amazing Amelia will do it!”

Hands on my hips, I announce: “Well, if I go down, Leila, you’re going down with me. You’re my brand-new assistant.”

I have only three days to get ready. I spend every spare minute practicing my old tricks. The cards feel like long-lost friends, but I fumble when I try to pull the flower out of my sleeve. 

Mom finds Grandpa’s old top hat and puts it on my head as I’m practicing in the kitchen. It’s a little too big for me. It keeps sliding down my face. 

Grandpa should be the one in the hat, not me.

Then a quarter falls off my elbow where I’d stuck it with double-sided tape—clearly not well enough—and rolls under the fridge.

This is going to be a disaster! 

Too soon, it’s Saturday, and we’re all at Green Acres: me, Mom, Leila, and Omar. Leila reminds me to breathe as I pace the hallway. I’m wearing Grandpa’s top hat, which I secured with a hair clip.

The residents start filling the big yellow room, waving at me. Grandpa is the last one to arrive. He smiles when he sees his top hat, and he gives my hand the biggest squeeze as my mom pushes his wheelchair into the room. 

My breathing gets a little easier until Nurse Millie introduces me. Suddenly, I freeze. 

I’d planned to start with a simple disappearing coin routine, but I can’t seem to loosen my death grip on the coin. I feel like I’m about to pass out. Then I catch sight of Grandpa. He nods and touches his head. 

At first, I don’t understand, but then I remember something. 

The hat! The hat has its own magic.

I take Grandpa’s top hat off my head and show the crowd the black inside. “Just a hat, an empty hat,” I say. Then I tap it with my wand, turn it over, and reach inside. Out comes a long, silky red scarf! The crowd cheers.

“I think this is my grandpa’s,” I say, looping the scarf around his neck. 

He beams. I fan the deck of cards in front of him. “Pick a card, any card.”

Mom helps him draw one and shows it to the crowd while I turn around. After they slide the card back into the deck, I tap it with my wand. I point to a woman three rows away and say, “Leila, would you please see if there’s something under her chair?”  

Leila reaches down to find Grandpa’s card stuck to the bottom of the woman’s chair! Applause, applause.

I glance at Grandpa. He’s clapping loudest of all. 

The rest of the show goes pretty well, even if I do drop a ball and mix up which sleeve is hiding the flower. “All part of the act, folks,” I say, just like Grandpa taught me. 

“And now for my final trick, my assistant will step behind that screen.” I point to the folding screen in front of the room. Leila steps behind it, out of view. She then grabs the edges of the screen so her hands remain in sight.  

“Time is a strange thing,” I tell the audience. “When you’re having fun, time passes in the blink of an eye. Three . . . two . . . one!” 

Leila’s hands lift off the screen at the same second that she appears at the far back of the room. 

“Ta-da!” she shouts.

All the residents turn in their seats and gasp. “How did that girl move so fast?” someone shouts.

I take a deep bow as the whole room bursts into applause.

Grandpa thumps his chest. “My granddaughter!” he says. “The Amazing Amelia!” 

I hug him tightly. “I learned from the best.”

As I start folding up the screen, Leila and Omar run over. 

“That was awesome!” Omar shouts. 

“Well, I had a lot of help!” I whisper. “You did great holding the screen so Leila could slip out the door. Do you think anyone suspected those were really your fingers?”

Omar shakes his head. “No way.” 

We all glance at Grandpa, sitting nearby. He winks. We laugh. “OK, maybe one person,” I say.

“You have to perform in the talent show now,” Leila says.

I smile at them. Maybe I will . . . or maybe I won’t.

Either way, I’ve already worked some magic right here. 

Write to Win

Imagine you’re Amelia. Write a journal entry that tells how putting on a magic show made you and Grandpa feel better about performing magic. Use details from the story. Entries must be submitted to “Magic Contest” by a teacher, parent, or legal guardian.* Five winners will each receive a copy of Lo and Behold by Wendy Mass. 

*Entries must be written by a student in grades 2-8 and submitted by their teacher, parent, or legal guardian, who will be the entrant and must be a legal resident of the U.S. age 18 or older. Visit the Storyworks Contests page for more information.

This story was originally published in the February 2024 issue.

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Activities (9)
Core Skills Workout
  • The Core Skills Workout is a series of skill-based activities that will help your students "bulk up" in the comprehension skills they need most to become strong, analytical readers. The Core Skills Workout comes with every issue and will support your reading program no matter what your scope and sequence.
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
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Activities (9) Download All Activities
Core Skills Workout
  • The Core Skills Workout is a series of skill-based activities that will help your students "bulk up" in the comprehension skills they need most to become strong, analytical readers. The Core Skills Workout comes with every issue and will support your reading program no matter what your scope and sequence.
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Table of Contents

1. Preparing to Read

2. Reading and Discussing

Close Reading, Critical Thinking

3. Skill Building and Writing

4. Differentiate and Customize

Striving Readers, Advanced Readers, Multilingual Learners

5. Can’t-Miss Teaching Extras

6. Literature Connection

 

1. Preparing to Read

Build Engagement, Preview Vocabulary, Set a Purpose for Reading

  • Build engagement and activate understanding of the story’s main characters by asking students if they have ever shared a special interest, hobby, or activity with a family member or friend. Ask students how this shared interest affected their relationship with their family member or friend.
  • Distribute or digitally assign the Vocabulary Skill Builder to preview challenging words. Vocabulary words include fumble, instinct, mutters, residents, and routine. Students will be able to add other unfamiliar words from the story as well.
  • Invite a volunteer to read aloud the Up Close box on page 11. Point out the questions in the margins and the arrows that connect them to lines in bold in the story. Preview the questions together.

2. Reading and Discussing

First Read: Get to Know the Text 

  • Ask students to read the story independently or in small groups. They can also listen to our Immersive Read-Aloud, in which author Wendy Mass reads the story!

Second Read: Unpack the Text

  • Put students in small groups. Ask them to discuss the close-reading questions in the margins of the story. Answers to the questions are below. Go over the critical-thinking questions together as a class.

Close-Reading Questions

 

  1. Why does Amelia decide to do a trick? What does this tell us about her personality? (character, p. 11) Leila’s younger brother, Omar, is banned from joining Amelia and Leila at basketball practice. Amelia does a magic trick to make Omar feel better. This tells us that Amelia is kind and considerate. She cares enough about others to try to bring them joy or help them feel better.
  2. Why is magic important to Amelia and Grandpa’s relationship? (key idea, p. 11) Magic is an important part of the special bond that Amelia and Grandpa share. The fact that Grandpa doesn’t speak much English didn’t matter to Amelia because practicing magic connected them. Amelia and Grandpa could happily spend time together by doing an activity they both loved, using words related to magic tricks.
  3. Why doesn’t Amelia want to try out for the school talent show? (key details, p. 11) Amelia hasn’t practiced magic since her grandfather moved out, and she’s afraid she’ll make mistakes. She’s also concerned that she’s not as skilled at magic as her grandfather was. She seems to think she’ll disappoint others—and maybe herself too.
  4. Why does Amelia act more cheerful than she feels? (character, p. 12) She learns that her grandfather is feeling “a little down.” Amelia loves Grandpa and wants to help him feel happy, so she puts aside any worries she might have to try to bring joy to their time together.
  5. How does Amelia’s visit make a difference at Green Acres? (cause and effect, p. 12) Amelia brightens the day of the residents at Green Acres by entertaining them with a card trick. They gather together to watch, engaged and excited by her trick. Grandpa, who seemed unhappy before, perks up too: “His eyes sparkle.” Performing the card trick also allows Amelia to remember how fun it is to do magic.
  6. Why is the news that the comedian canceled his show an important moment in the story? (plot, p. 12) When the comedian cancels his show at Green Acres, it gives Amelia a chance to get over her fears and perform a magic show.
  7. What do you think a touch of magic means? Why does Amelia think the residents need it? (figurative language, p. 13) “A touch of magic” means adding something special, exciting, or surprising. Amelia believes the residents need “a touch of magic” to brighten their day. She probably thinks they might be feeling sad, like her grandfather was. And a magic show could bring them joy and help them forget about their worries for a while.
  8. Why does Mom put Grandpa’s old hat on Amelia while she practices? (inference, p. 13) The hat is a reminder of Amelia and Grandpa’s special connection. Mom probably puts it on Amelia’s head to help her feel closer to her grandfather and help her get in the right mood for the magic show.
  9. How do you think the scarf makes Grandpa and Amelia feel during the magic show? (how characters interact, p. 13) The scarf makes them feel happy and connected. Grandpa reminds her that it’s in the hat by touching his head, and this helps Amelia get over her frozen moment during the magic show. It’s a special secret the two of them share and probably brings back happy memories of their times practicing magic together.
  10. How has Amelia’s thinking about making mistakes changed since the beginning of the story? (compare and contrast, p. 14) At the beginning of the story, Amelia doesn’t want to be in the talent show because she might make a mistake. By the end of the story, she is less concerned about making mistakes. She makes several during her show at Green Acres but simply says what Grandpa taught her: “All part of the act, folks.” Despite the mistakes, Amelia enjoys herself and is very pleased with the show she put on.
  11. How do Amelia’s and Grandpa’s attitudes toward magic change after the magic show? (plot, p. 14) Both Grandpa and Amelia are more positive about magic after the show. Amelia feels more confident about performing in front of others. Grandpa has been sad that he couldn’t do magic like he used to, but he becomes excited about Amelia’s performance and is very proud of her. The magic show helps them feel connected again.
  12. Write your own question about the line “Either way, I’ve already worked some magic right here.” (p. 14) Answers will vary.

 

Critical-Thinking Questions

 

  • How does Amelia change from the beginning of the story to the end? (how a character changes) At the beginning of the story, Amelia is worried and unsure about showing her magic skills to others in the school talent show. By the end of the story, she becomes more confident and brave. She decides to perform a magic show at Green Acres to make the residents happy, even though she’s afraid of messing up. Amelia changes from being hesitant to being more confident and willing to use her magic to bring joy to people. She learns that she can make a difference with her talent.
  • Amelia’s magic show brings joy to the residents of Green Acres. Can you think of a time when you helped make someone's day better, like Amelia did? How did it make you feel, and what effect did it have on the person or people you helped? (making connections) Answers will vary.

 

3. Skill Building and Writing

Featured Skill: Plot
 
  • Distribute or digitally assign the Plot Skill Builder, which will help students identify the key plot points of the story.
  • Ask students to respond to the writing prompt at the end of the story. When they’re done, you can submit their responses to our writing contest (see page 2 of the magazine for details).

Differentiate and Customize
For Striving Readers

If students are unfamiliar with (or need a refresher on) the featured skill for this story, plot, share a fun animated video about plot from our Skills Collection. Afterward, work with students on the Plot Skill Builder, referring to what they learned in the video.

For Advanced Readers

At the end of the story, Amelia hasn’t decided whether or not she’ll perform in the school talent show. Ask students to write the next section of the story that picks up where “A Touch of Magic” ends and answers the question of whether Amelia chooses to be in the talent show.

For Multilingual Learners

This story includes several colloquial words and phrases. Before reading, introduce students to these words and phrases: light up, feeling down, not sure where this is going, a touch of magic, long-lost friends, I freeze, in the blink of an eye, worked some magic. Point them out as you read the story together, and define as needed.

Can't-Miss Teaching Extras
Explore the Storyworks Archive

Explore another Storyworks fiction story that features a child’s special relationship with their grandparent, such as The Save, The Message, or Silver Dollar Dreams. Ask students to choose (or assign) one of these stories to read. Then have students compare and contrast the story they chose with “A Touch of Magic.” Encourage students to pay attention to the similarities and differences in the relationships between each child and their grandparent: How do they spend time together? What do they learn from one another? How do they help one another?

Make a Connection

Read Emily Dickinson’s poem “If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking” alongside Wendy Mass’s fiction story “A Touch of Magic.” (Find both in our February 2024 issue!) Point out that Amelia and the speaker of Dickinson’s poem do what they can to help others feel better. Discuss what makes their goal to help others both challenging and important.

Learn Some Magic

The website Magic Tricks for Kids is designed for kids 6-14 years old and is a great resource for any young person who wants to learn how to do magic or find out about its history.

Watch a Video

This five-minute animated video from Mental Health Center Kids shares 10 tips for building self-esteem and self-confidence. (Note: Video starts after a short ad.)

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