Hidden Magic

Rescuing a sleeping prince takes quick wits, a bit of magic, and a princess who refuses to play by the rules.

Once upon a time there was a very nice but very plain princess named Jennifer, who, following proper fairy-tale protocol, fell for a very handsome but very conceited prince named Alexander.

A proper suitor might have courted her with polite conversation, but Alexander prefers complaining about her father’s drafty castle and boasting of his quest for a bride. Bored while waiting for the village blacksmith, he coaxes Jennifer through a locked iron gate into the enchanted woods.

The path vanishes, and the prince insists that royalty never gets lost. Instead, he marches into an empty cottage and decides a talking mirror will make a marvelous souvenir.

When Alexander offends a powerful witch, it falls to Jennifer to save him. In the course of doing so, she meets a wizard and soon wonders if she’s such a proper fairy-tale princess after all--a good little princess would love Alexander, but does she?

• Fractured Fairy Tale: Subverting classic storybook traditions, this comedic adventure features a down-to-earth princess who must rely on quick thinking and a jinni burdened with 983 strict rules.
• Unlikely Allies: Jennifer teams up with Norman, an anxious young sorcerer whose magic ring alters his appearance into an eagle or an old man without granting him a shred of extra power.
• Quest Adventure: Journeying into the Valley of Darkness and Despair, the pair must outwit a hungry potato-peeling giant and tongue-tie a fiery dragon before facing the ruthless enchantress Malveenya.
• Also by This Author: Heir Apparent, The Rumpelstiltskin Problem and Three Good Deeds.

Vivian Vande Velde has written many books for teen and middle grade readers, including Heir Apparent, User Unfriendly, All Hallow's Eve: 13 Stories, Three Good Deeds, Now You See It ..., and the Edgar Award–winning Never Trust a Dead Man. She lives in Rochester, New York. Visit her website at www.vivianvandevelde.com.