Vivian Van Velde

There should be a saying in the book world, something equivalent to "Better late to the party than never to have attended." I've seen Vivian Van Velde's name slung around in different places, but hadn't really paid attention, often because when it comes to book recommendations, I have the attention span of a gnat.

Thankfully, her name stood out to me again when I was perusing my little library's bookshelves, desperately trying to scratch the current literary itch (still urban fantasy, thanks).

My wandering hands jumped to this book, Heir Apparent, and the description seemed like it fit my needs, so I gave it a shot.

From Goodreads: "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 darn 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."

First of all, I love playing point and tap games on my tablet. I'm in the middle of Steve Jackson's Sorcery! and loving it--and reading this book was a lot like watching someone else play the adventure for me. BUT BETTER. Why? Because I loved Giannine's voice. She was level-headed and stubborn but willing to learn and NOT an inexplicable genius at this one thing (bonus points!). The game itself was intriguing and compelling. The story was adorable and superior--the intertwining of the virtual world and the real world was well-played. I was rooting so hard for that girl to make it through! All in all, I found Heir Apparent to be a very satisfying read--as have both my daughters, who are 10 and 12. (Gentle Reader Alert: I found nothing of concern.)

Since it was such a favorable experience, I picked up Deadly Pink the very next week.

Same world as Heir Apparent, but the players are much different, and the tone is a bit heavier. Not darker, necessarily, but heavier.

From Goodreads: "Grace Pizzelli is the average one, nothing like her brilliant older sister, Emily, who works for Rasmussem, creators of the world’s best virtual reality games. The games aren’t real, though—or at least they weren’t. Now Emily has hidden herself inside a pink and sparkly game meant for little girls. No one knows why, or how to convince her to come back out, and the technology can’t keep her safe for much longer. Grace may consider herself average, but she’s the only one who can save Emily. So Grace enters the game, hoping to talk her sister out of virtual suicide before time runs out. Otherwise Emily will die—for real."

Yep, suicide. However, I found this to be a great springboard book--the threat of suicide isn't violent or imminent, and it will give me a chance to talk to my daughter about why people sometimes think ending their lives is the right choice, and what we can do about it. My 12-year-old has eaten this up, partly due to the video game world that the Pizzelli sisters have to conquer (I love the bits with the angry pixies--they made me laugh), but partly because as she gets older, she's beginning to understand that people are complex and make decisions for many reasons, not just one. Ms. Van Velde handles the situation with dexterity and grace and compassion, much as Grace herself does. (Gentle Reader Alert: There's no swearing or sex, but one of the main characters is trying to commit suicide by video game--a pink and purple video game filled with fantasy characters....)

And since I was having such a good time with Van Velde's stories, I picked up Stolen too, despite the horror-centric cover. The 10-year-old is into mild horror, so I thought I'd preview this one for her. I didn't expect to LOVE it.

From Goodreads: "The same day that the villagers of Thornstowe finally hunt down a witch with a reputation for stealing children, a 12-year-old appears in the woods with no memory of her past. Is there a connection between Isabelle, the girl who doesn't know who she is, and the girl the witch stole six years earlier?

One of the few things Isabelle remembers is a chant that keeps running through her head: Old as dirt, dirty as dirt. Ugly as sin, mean as sin. Don't let the old witch catch you!

 Could Isabelle have been stolen by the old witch of the woods, or has she lost her memory as the result of an accident? And what about the baby the witch stole right before the villagers attacked? Did either the witch or the baby survive the fire the villagers set?"

There is so much twistiness to the plot of this story--I did NOT see the end coming--and the characterization is spot-on. Absolutely adored it and have NO qualms about handing it off to the 10-year-old. I think she'll really enjoy it too. (Gentle Reader Alert: I found nothing of concern, but I would definitely keep it for more mature middle-grade readers. Trust me.)

Do yourself a favor. Pick up a story by Vivian Van Velde sometime soon and get lost in it. You'll enjoy the adventure.