Now You See It...
By Vivian Vande Velde
Harcourt Childrens Books, 2004
Now You See It... is a children's fantasy novel written for kids about 12-16. It is, however, comparatively light reading for this age range.
Wendy is a self-centered high school student who spends a lot of time complaining and feeling put-upon. She would be pretty boring, except that she happens to find a pair of pink magic sunglasses that let her see dead people, fairy folk, and magic gateways... which she quickly stumbles through. It isn't long before she has picked up a rude witch, a puckish sprite, a dog, and her grandmother-as-a-young-girl as travelling companions. They find themselves responsible for saving an eleven prince, correcting a time-travel paradox, and helping Wendy become a bit less of a git.
Unfortunately, this is not a particularly good book. It reads like a story written for 8-year-olds with some references to sex and dating to make it a YA novel, and it wouldn't be particularly compelling even as a children's story. It takes a lot of nice, but very familiar, plot elements and mashes them together to make a nice, but not particularly interesting, story.
Velde is a competent writer (often a great one), so the story isn't a complete train wreck. Most of the characters are likable (although Wendy less so), and the overdone fantasy tropes are at least good tropes, that are explored in enough detail that you can see how this might have been a good book. One aspect that is done well is the sub-plot of Wendy's grandmother, who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. We get to meet her in both the advanced stages of the disease and as a young girl (thanks to the magic of time travel). Not only is she one of the most developed characters in the book, she does a good job of helping Wendy, and the reader, come to better terms with the effects of Alzheimer's.
If you are looking for some good fantasy, Velde is not a bad place to start -- but try Heir Apparent or Never Trust a Dead Man, and give this book a pass.