In Heir Apparent there are as many ways to win as there are to get killed. 'A stylish tale [that] addresses both fantasy gaming and censorship.' (New York Times Book Review)
From Edgar Award–winning author Vivian Vande Velde comes a rollicking story that puts a high-tech twist on the classic medieval fantasy-adventure.
In the virtual reality game Heir Apparent, there are way too many ways to get killed—and Giannine seems to be finding them all. Which is a shame, because unless she can get the magic ring, locate the stolen treasure, answer the dwarf's dumb riddles, impress the head-chopping statue, charm the army of ghosts, fend off the barbarians, and defeat the man-eating dragon, she'll never win.
And she has to, because losing means she'll die—for real this time.
Junior Library Guild Selection * New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
A relentlessly delightful princess and her choleric fairy imposter switch places for three turbulent days in this magical yarn from Edgar Award-winning author Vivian Vande Velde.
An upbeat and hilarious fantasy about a prankster fairy and a perky princess who switch places for three days.
When a bet is made between squabbling fairy siblings, Princess Gabriella finds herself magically whisked from her perfect life and replaced by an imposter. Her princess training dictates that she make the best of her circumstances, but Gabriella has her work cut out for her when she's forced to join the chaotic fairy family.
Meanwhile, fairy Phleg enjoys the luxurious bedsheets and honeyed milk of royal life, but turns the castle upside down as she tries to pose as the princess. Phleg's plan for three days of sweets and comfort come to a crashing halt when she's introduced to an important visitor: Prince Fredrick, Gabriella's betrothed, has arrived. And their engagement is the key to an alliance between the two kingdoms.
Vivian Vande Velde is an Edgar Award-winning author of fiction for young adults. Heir Apparent, a Junior Library Guild Selection and winner of the Anne Spencer Lindbergh Prize for Best Children's Fantasy Novel, has been called "consistently entertaining" by Publishers Weekly. This clever and imaginative fantasy, featuring a marvelous reading from narrator Carine Montbertrand, will lure curious listeners into the virtual reality world of a medieval-styled arcade game that might just be deadly.
So you think you know the story of Little Red Riding Hood, the girl with the unfortunate name and the inability to tell the difference between her grandmother and a member of a different species? Well, then, try your hand at answering these questions:
Which character (not including Little Red herself) is the most fashion challenged?
Who (not including the wolf) is the scariest?
Who (not including Granny) is the most easily scared?
Who is the strangest? (Notice we're not "not including" anyone, because they're all a little off.)
Who (no fair saying "the author") has stuffing for brains?
Vivian Vande Velde has taken eight new looks at one of the world's most beloved (and mixed-up) stories. You may never look at fairy tales in quite the same way again.
