I really enjoyed this book. Velde's books in general please me, but this particular book I felt connected to Wendy moreso then any other. My own grandmother's gradual slide into Alzheimer's began when I was about 13 and I clearly remember the feelings of confusion and frustration. Intellectually I knew it wasn't her fault she couldn't remember our favorite games or stories anymore, but emotionally it became harder and harder to watch her slip from this reality. By the time she passed away ten years later it felt like I had more 'bad' memories then good.

I would give my soul to have the chance that Wendy had--to visit and spend time with my grandmother as a young woman.

Moving past that storyline however, the fantasy element is fun and the not so subtle lesson that appearances aren't everything is driven home well. Not that I blame Wendy for her assumptions--if a wicked witch like crone suddenly replaced the head cheerleader in appearance I'd be understandably shocked and wary. And good looking or not an elf prince as a classmate would be alarming as well (imagine going to school with someone who resembles Legolas all the time!).

Thankfully by the end of the story things are set straight, Wendy learns a valuable lesson and hey a dragon shows up. Can't ask for more then that in a fantasy can you? ( )

Now You See It... starts with a very interesting premise. Wendy, who has worn glasses most of her life and is nearly blind without them, accidentally breaks hers while trying to impress a boy. She finds a pair of sunglasses that fix her eyes but also allow her to see dead people. I was intrigued until Wendy starts seeing pointy earred elves and tiny blue men. At that point, I lost interest. Wendy has a wonderful, sarcastic voice in the book, but it wasn't enough to make me want to complete this disappointing story. ( )

I do love all of Vande Velde's work. This is representative of her more typical (iow, it's not one of the outliers). ( )

Now You See It... starts with a very interesting premise. Wendy, who has worn glasses most of her life and is nearly blind without them, accidentally breaks hers while trying to impress a boy. She finds a pair of sunglasses that fix her eyes but also allow her to see dead people. I was intrigued until Wendy starts seeing pointy earred elves and tiny blue men. At that point, I lost interest. Wendy has a wonderful, sarcastic voice in the book, but it wasn't enough to make me want to complete this disappointing story. ( )

Wendy is practically blind without her glasses, so when her normal pair breaks she gratefully turns to a pair she randomly finds by the side of the road. Weirdly, the glasses are exactly her prescription--and even stranger, she sees ghosts, fairies, and even magical portals through them. After running through one of these portals, she accidentally finds herself embroiled in a quest to save an elvin prince, assisted by a lecherous spreenie, a rambunctious dog, her time-travelling grandmother, and the coolest girl in school (who is actully an ancient hag when seen through the glasses).

Oh Vivian Vande Velde, how could you do this to me? You have always written the most wonderful YA, full of unexpected twists and gender play and trope reversals. And yet this book is so bland and boring! Wendy is a terrible character: cowardly, not particularly bright, not particularly kind or empathic, and whose main concern is looking cute for popular boys. In the end, her main concern is *still* looking cute for boys. She is the most unlikable character ever. She's not even detestable, like Uriah Heep or the Bastard of Bolton. She's just very, very mediocre. There's a kernal of an interesting story here: Wendy gets to meet her grandmother when she was young, before she started suffering from Alzheimer's. And her grandmother is a fantastic person in every way...but making her interact with bland Wendy drove down my enjoyment.

I am definitely not the target age group for this book--think tweens--but still, it was so disappointing! ( )