Customer Reviews

Now You See It . . . (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What would you think if the sunglasses you found on your lawn not only matched your prescription perfectly, but were also enchanted--allowing you to glimpse magic at work? This is the imaginative premise of Now You See It...

Wendy, the 15-year-old main character, suffers from typical teenage worries and woes such as family, popularity, and fitting in. While wearing the sunglasses she finds on her front lawn, she realizes that she can see things that are obviously not of this world...a popular cheerleader in her class resembles an ancient hag, the new boy suddenly sprouts pointy ears, and a little blue man is on the loose who wreaks havoc wherever he goes.

During a visit to her grandmother (who suffers from Alzheimer's), Wendy stumbles through a gateway into another world where she learns that an Elvin prince is in danger and only she can save him. Through a mix-up, she then travels back through time and meets her lively and kind 18-year-old grandmother who she enlists in her attempt to save the prince.

Dragons, witches and evil elves ensue, and Wendy learns a valuable lesson in appearances, bravery and loyalty.

Overall, Now You See It... is a Young Adult book that seems a bit confused over who its target audience actually is. Although the story features a 15-year-old heroine with older teen issues, it appears to be written for a much younger target audience, perhaps in the 10-12 year range. The humor is mostly of the slapstick variety--little blue men called Spreenies who enjoy eating socks seem more the type of character that a pre-teen would find engaging.

Armchair Interviews says: Young adult book that seems to be written for youngest in that age range.

There are some books I read like medicine -- because they're good for me. And there are some that take me on such a wonderful ride that I'm sad to see it end. Now You See It is a fast, funny ride that leaves you longing for more. Wendy is a perfectly normal teen thrown into totally bizarre circumstances and her reactions ring true every time. We believe she sees dead people and we believe she slips into a magical land that completely freaks her out. The humor, the voice, and the story work together to catch you up and sweep you along with Wendy. You too will believe you finally know where those disappearing socks really go! I only wish I could read it for the first time again and again.

If anything, "Now you see it . . ." is a good-time adventure focused on a girl named Wendy, who doesn't have the best life in the world. Her grandmother suffers from the mental disorder Alzheimer, while she visits every day in hopes that maybe she will remember her, Wendy's life with her family isn't all that it's cracked up to be either. She has a sister she barely communicates with, and a mother who doesn't seem to notice her troubles (though I cannot remember if the mother chose favorites or not). Life at school isn't wonderful either; Wendy has just lost her glasses and doesn't want to wear goggles as a substitute. Isn't she lucky that she happens to stumble across a pair of sunglasses that are exactly her prescription (though she isn't thrilled about wearing them at first). Wendy is on her way to school one day, the bus is stopped because of an accident. The entire student body proceeds to school on foot and that's when Wendy notices something she never noticed before; She could two of the deceased that were involved in the accident. Even worse she starts to see the popular school cheerleader as a decrepit looking hag trying pass off as a teenager, the school nerd appears to have pointed ears (like an elf) and Imp like creatures climbing out of a girl's bag hiding her lucky pen. From t here Wendy's so called bad luck only gets worse. "Now you see it . . ." is a book that I really got into from start to finish, thus completing it in 3-days. The character Wendy's adventures are just the kind of thing I look forward to in a book for teens, the characters she meets are quite interesting (especially the sock-eating Spreenie) and have diverse personalities, if not quirks. I loved the way the author incorporated the subplot concerning the glasses that Wendy found and the strange supernatural powers it possesses. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read out of an unlikely source. [a 5 out of 5]

Now you see it is one of my favorite books, it kept me going and I found I couldn't put it down. It was somewhat short though and I found myself a little dissapointed that it ended so suddenly but I would gladly read it over again.

It is of a girl Wendy who discovers a pair of sun glasses that let her see an unknown world of great adventure and in which she discovers new friends and learns not to judge someone on their looks.

Originally Posted at: [...]

Imagine being able to see things through a magical pair of glasses... things you never expected to see come alive, right before your eyes. You'd be living Wendy's life in the book Now You See It....

I liked the idea of this story... she sees things and has to deal with a past that isn't her own. Ms. Vande Velde writes in such a fashion that I didn't realize I'd read the whole story until I closed the book two hours later. The characters came alive and I felt like I was part of the story immediately.

Wendy is an interesting character. She feels like she doesn't exist within her family. She's relatable because lots of people feel invisible and only grow into themselves when they realize their powers or special abilities. Wendy meets her grandmother at a time when Gram isn't stricken with Alzheimer's. I liked the idea that she can connect and help even if she's not totally sure of what she sees.

Although there are times when I had to read and reread sections to make sure I kept up, I liked that Wendy always exhibited emotions I could understand and feel right along with her. Doesn't hurt that the elven prince was handsome. I enjoyed that Wendy got the chance to really know Elise as a person, not a frail older woman stuck in a bed.

If you want a story that's a little left of center, but fun, a story that makes you think, then you need to read Now You See It.... I give this book 4 suns.

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?

Written in the first person our Wendy is a smart, jaded 2007 girl who knows how to deal! But being a tennager she ISN'T dealing with her feelings of lose and isolation, simply put her Family. Being a normal teenager she is instead sublimating all her problems into her looks.. she hates her glasses. In an act of pure tennage vanity she accidentally breaks her normal glasses and being blind, replaces them with the only other ones at hand- a pair of seemingly perscription sunglasses found on her front lawn. And the world starts looking pretty different through them! Or should I say PEOPLE do! Entering into a world of faerie our Wendy is about to have an adveture that will change how she sees the world ^ ^
Simply put I loved this book. I was proud when Wendy was on her home turf and smartly sensing danger. I was alittle annoyed by her teenaged selfishness, but that's only to be expected. And I cried at the end. If there are any sequels I'm already in line!
I'm already looking into the author's other series/books.
I'd recommend this book to any veteran fantasy fan, and any new one for that matter!

We are on dangerous ground. What if I did or said something that changed history? Hello. I'm Wendy, and I'm your granddaughter, and I accidentally came bac to the 1950s, and now I'm looking for a way back. It might be enough to scare her out of ever having children, and then I'd never be born. As Wendy said this, she thought of her grandmother and how distant she had become since her childhood years. Wendy Selmeyer was in for an adventure when she found a random pair of sunglasses, that she later finds out enables her to see certain people differently, on her front lawn. These glasses later become the reason why she is being stalked by the two people who appear differently form behind the lenses of the glasses, Tiffanie and Julian. When Wendy realizes she is the cause of Julian being trapped by an elf relative of his, she, her grandmother as a teenager, a dog, Tiffanie, and a Kazaran Dahaani crature called a spreenie. This book is definitely recommendation worthy.

This book was one of a kind because it makes you use your imagination to actually get what is going on. When Wendy wears the glasses she sees things that naturally she couldn't see before, especially since she has nowhere near perfect vision. She sees people with different facial features, people at a different age, and even the famous "dead" people. It was really interesting to read this and picture what she saw as if it were yourself seeing these things.

Another reason is because it was a mystery and fantasy, but still a real-life thing at the same time. It dealt with topics that people deal with everyday. In the book Wendy refers back to her absent father and her mother's current husband Bill, and his daughter, her stepsister, Gia. She also shares her feelings with the readers about how she missed her grandmother how she used to be, without the loss of her memory. It was really a good way to connect with the readers since a lot of them might be in some way or another experiencing the same pain and feelings that she was.

I also really liked this book because it made me laugh. There were at least 10 different parts in the book where I laughed out loud or just smiled at the thought of something that had happened in the book actually happening. For instance, Wendy's little spreenie pal, Larry, did some pretty out there stunts throughout the book, some of which were Laugh-Out-Loud worthy.

Now You See It... by Vivian Vande Velde was a great book in more ways than one. It was funny, relevant to real-life situations, and very imaginative. This is one of those books that you might even think of going back to read it again, just for the thrill.

J. Moss

Wendy has terrible eyesight. Her mother insists on buying the cheapest ugly glasses for her. But one day she finds some mirrored sunglasses on her front lawn and tries them on. They seem to be a perfect match for her prescription. Her mother is against them as they might have germs but she washes them. Then Wendy's regular glasses are broken so she wears the sunglasses to school.

These glasses are odd. They don't seem to make it darker when indoors. They also seem to let Wendy see dead people. Then she discovers that some of the kids at school look different through the glasses. The school beauty looks like a withered hag and one of the boys has pointed ears. Then the two seem to take notice of Wendy and her new ability. Wendy being a little paranoid, runs when they come after her. In fact she runs to another world by accident and learns the truth of what is going on. Add a little time travel and you have the basis for a very fun book.

This one was really fun. While I have always enjoyed this author it is always nice to be reminded why. Wendy is not popular and does not fit in well. She is not a great student and does not always think clearly. She really acts like the teen she is. I was also happy that some of the subtlety of the story was not over explained and that the obvious easy out was not taken by the author. All in all a very entertaining book about a teen how experiences some real magic.

Now You See It... by Vivian Vande Velde

"I couldn't hear Julian anymore, so I glanced over my shoulder. Not a sign of him. Of course, not a sign of the arch, either. Or the wall. Or the nursing home. And there were a lot of trees. A whole lot. I was in a forest," main character, Wendy, said to herself as she crossed into another world. In this novel, Wendy, a fifteen year old girl who is very insecure stumbles onto a pair of mirrored sunglasses that enable you to see people from a different world disguised as humans. Wendy realizes that two of her classmates, Tiffanie and Julian, are from another world called Kazaran Dahaani, and want to steal her glasses. When Julian, the elf prince, was chasing her she ran into the portal to Kazaran Dahaani and he followed her not knowing that he was going to be captured by his jealous uncle. Wendy rescued him with the help of her grandmother as a teenager, a spreenie, Tiffanie, and a dog. I enjoyed this book because it showed that some things can't be fought.

One reason I liked Now You See It... is because of the great story line. At the beginning of the book Wendy was insecure about everything. She was also holding grudges with her grandmother, Gia, her step- sister, and Bill, her step- father. In this story Wendy grew up so much during the course of those two days. She learned to forgive everyone, especially, her grandmother for leaving her mentally. When she went back to her grandmother's life as a teenager, she learned how brave, strong, how beautiful she was, and most importantly how much of her grandmother was in her. Wendy learned to get over her insecurities, and just fight the battles she could fight.

Another reason I liked this novel is because of the way that Wendy tries to be the person her grandmother expects her to be. Wendy wasn't brave and always second-guessed herself. When she went through a portal she went to 1953 she met her grandmother, Eleni, as a teenager. Wendy explained the whole story: the glasses, Julian's troubles, and that she needed to go back home. Her grandmother said she needed to help Julian, but Wendy had no intention of doing that. Because she didn't want Eleni to think she was a "wimp", and she wanted to be just like her grandmother so she agreed to help him.

Also, I liked Now You See It... is because of the way Wendy showed courage by helping to rescue Julian. The plan that Tiffanie, Julian's mother, thought up was a great one, and it involved all of them. Tiffanie had to cast a glamour spell on Wendy to make her a 3-D shadow as a disguise. Wendy had to sneak by six elves to talk to a dragon that was supposedly guarding Julian's cage. The dragon immediately saw Wendy, but didn't draw attention to her. The dragon also did things to show he was friendly by pointing out Julian for her. She then had to dodge a dagger heading towards her when she was discovered. The dragon breathed fire at the knife's owner while she set the dragon and Julian free.

This book was interesting because Wendy is a person that a lot of people can relate to. I think there is a Wendy in all of us, and most people like books that you can identify with the main character. Most people have at least one insecurity that might limit the things they do just like Wendy. Also, everyone has fears like Wendy that you want to overcome.

By S.Moore