Rhianna and the Wild Magic by Dave Luckett (Book on CD by Bolinda Publishing)
Rhianna has always had trouble learning magic in the local school. She doesn’t understand why everything has to be so precise and why her teacher can’t explain the reason behind the complicated gestures and words. Rhianna’s entire society relies on magic. They use it to make bread rise, make cloth stronger, and prevent damage to crops. But then one day, the local magic starts to fail. A master mage is sent in to see what is happening and he discovers Rhianna’s disastrous attempt at magic. What he realizes when he sees Rhianna’s mistake is that she is a wild mage who uses magic naturally and draws it from the countryside. So Rhianna is blamed for the loss of magic and must take lessons to try to control her magic and wear a pendant to absorb the magic she is taking from the land so that each week it can be returned to be reused.
This is a creative fantasy read aloud by a gifted reader with a strong Australian accent. The book is well-paced and the character of Rhianna is a wonderful female protagonist. The book is filled with humor and magic. This fantasy should be recommended to families traveling on car trips. Both adults and children alike will enjoy the book. For my eight-year-old and me, it kept us wanting our drives to be just a little longer, so we could hear more of the story: the hallmark of a great audio book.