Hidden Magic [Hardcover]

Vivian Vande Velde (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 1985 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Lost in a magic forest and separated from her prince, Princess Jennifer seeks help from a kindly young sorcerer in battling an evil witch.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A plain princess, a conceited prince and a rejected marriage proposal are just a few of the elements in this imaginative parody of traditional fairytales. Ages 9-11.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6 An original and delightful parody of the classic fairy tale genre. Velde uses humorous contemporary dialogue to tell the story of the quite ordinary but spirited princess-heroine Jennifer, who finds herself in the position of saving the life of a spoiled prince and dealing with a most unconventional young sorcerer. Velde has tackled a difficult idea. The fairy tale genre has been parodied on many occasions, and parodies have the potential of becoming wearisome in their inevitable use of cliches. However, despite a wicked witch, a magic mirror, a dark forest and a handsome prince, Velde's approach remains fresh and definitely amusing. Characters have unusual twists to their personalities and become individuals rather than stereotypes. Children will secretly cheer when, at the end of the story, Jennifer turns down the marriage offer of the vain Prince Alexander and finds herself drawn to the sorcerer instead. Hyman has chosen a lush, semi-Romantic style for her ten black-and-white illustrations, done with her usual flair for detail. Readers may decide that these lovely drawings are a bit too serious for the subject matter, but nonetheless, they are a definite visual asset. Karen P. Smith, Yonkers Board of Education, N.Y.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 117 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (September 18, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517555344
• ISBN-13: 978-0517555347
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,796,412 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Read, August 10, 2001

By 

John (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Hidden Magic (Paperback)

This is the first book I've read by Vivian Vande Velde, and I'm sure I will return to her. A Hidden Magic by her was utterly delightful. It is a rich parody of the fantasy genre. The plot follows Jennifer. She is a princess, but certainly not the usual type. Her country is so poor that she is basically a peasant. One day the most handsome prince ever comes through her country looking for a wife. They're going to fall in love, right? He is rich and handsome, but he is also arrogent and dumb. Together one day, the prince and Jennifer wander into the magical forest of her country. The prince, being his usual brilliant self, falls under a spell of the evil sorceress Malveenya. Jennifer is forced to try to save the prince. She eventually happens upon Norman, a sorcerer. He's young and not overly powerful, but he is smart and a friend. Together, Jennifer and Norman set out to confront Malveenya and save the prince.

A Hidden Magic is a pretty exciting story. The greatest thing about the book though is its humor. Vande Velde uses a lot of word-play which works very well. The scene with the dragon is the best in the book. A Hidden Magic is a very entertaining novel. Other books in this vein are the Dealing With Dragons series by Patricia Wrede, of course the Harry Potter books, Smith of Wooten Major and Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Princess Bride by William Goldman (though this one is for older readers), and also everything by Lloyd Alexander.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Princess Jennifer......, December 12, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Hidden Magic (Audio Cassette)

A not so ordinarily perfect princess named Jennifer meets snobby ego-packed prince named Alexander. He makes themgi into an Enchanted Forest, where he falls under a spell. Jennifer goes off to find a way to save him. she meets, Witches, Sorcerers, Dragons, and the occasional Giant along with many others.

This book is for all ages and I recomend it to everyone. I would rate this book a 100. I think it's a must read and you should definatly get it, it's a good cassette as well as book, and the company is really good because they have different people doing the different characters, if you like this one you should look at The Arkadians and Dealing with Dragons. I hope you found this helpful and thanks for reading it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I 've read since "Running Out Of Time", January 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Hidden Magic (Paperback)

If you enjoy books about princesses (the strong, good kind that don't make you puke) and books about sourcerers (the kind that do unexpected things that are awsomely powerful and can change into things) or if you like stories about witches (but not the kind that eat their worts off their own faces)then this is the book for you. Jennifer(the princess) has to save Alexander (the prince) from an evil spell. She gets help from Norman (the sorcerer) and escapes from a dragon and a giant's house. In the end she gets married but that's a surprise. It's a fantastic book and I know you'll love it! It even has great pictures!