Vivian Vande Velde Books In Order

User Unfriendly Books In Order

  1. User Unfriendly (1991)
  2. Heir Apparent (2002)
  3. Deadly Pink (2012)

Twitch the Squirrel Books In Order

  1. Squirrel in the House (2016)
  2. Squirrel in the Museum (2019)
  3. Squirrel on Stage (2022)

Novels

  1. A Hidden Magic (1985)
  2. A Well-Timed Enchantment (1990)
  3. Dragon’s Bait (1992)
  4. Companions of the Night (1995)
  5. The Conjurer Princess (1997)
  6. The Changeling Prince (1998)
  7. Ghost of a Hanged Man (1998)
  8. Smart Dog (1998)
  9. A Coming Evil (1998)
  10. Spellbound (1998)
  11. Never Trust a Dead Man (1999)
  12. There’s a Dead Person Following My Sister Around (1999)
  13. The Rumpelstiltskin Problem (2000)
  14. Magic Can be Murder (2000)
  15. Alison, Who Went Away (2001)
  16. Wizard at Work (2003)
  17. Witch’s Wishes (2003)
  18. Now You See It . . . (2004)
  19. The Book of Mordred (2005)
  20. Three Good Deeds (2005)
  21. Witch Dreams (2005)
  22. Remembering Raquel (2007)
  23. Stolen (2008)
  24. Cloaked in Red (2010)
  25. 8 Class Pets 1 Squirrel / 1 Dog = Chaos (2011)
  26. Frogged (2013)
  27. 23 Minutes (2016)
  28. The Princess Imposter (2017)
  29. The Prince Problem (2018)

Collections

  1. Once upon a Test (1984)
  2. Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird (1995)
  3. Curses, INC. (1997)
  4. Tales from the Homeplace (1999)
  5. Being Dead (2001)
  6. All Hallow’s Eve (2006)

Picture Books

  1. Troll Teacher (2000)

User Unfriendly Book Covers

Twitch the Squirrel Book Covers

Novels Book Covers

Collections Book Covers

Picture Books Book Covers

Vivian Vande Velde Books Overview

User Unfriendly

It’s the most advanced computer role playing game ever: When you play you re really there in a dark dream teeming with evil creatures, danger filled fortresses, and malevolent sorceries.
The game plugs directly into your brain no keyboard, no modem, no monitor. And for game hacker Arvin Rizalli and his friends, no cash up front, no questions asked…
and no hope of rescue when the game goes horribly, deathly wrong.

Heir Apparent

In Heir Apparent there are as many ways to win as there are to get killed.
Giannine can testify to how many ways there are to die it’s about all she’s been able to do since she started playing. Now all she has to do is get the magic ring, find the stolen treasure, answer the dwarf’s dumb riddles, come up with a poem for the head chopping statue, cope with the army of ghosts, outmaneuver her half brothers, and defeat the man eating dragon.
If she can do all of that, why, she just might save her own life!

A Hidden Magic

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. 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?

A Well-Timed Enchantment

It’s bad enough that Deanna has to waste her summer in France and her only friend is a mangy black cat, but now she’s staring hopelessly into a well, trying to figure out what in the world to wish for.

Before she can make a wish, the cat scratches her, her watch falls into the well, and then…
so has she! Except that now she’s in medieval France, the cat is a handsome young man, and her watch has the power to completely change history.

Maybe a quiet summer would have been nice?

Dragon’s Bait

Fifteen year old Alys is not a witch. But that doesn’t matter the villagers think she is and have staked her out on a hillside as a sacrifice to the local dragon.
It’s late, it’s cold, and it’s raining, and Alys can think of only one thing revenge. But first she’s got to escape, and even if she does, how can one girl possibly take on an entire town alone?
Then the dragon arrives a dragon that could quite possibly be the perfect ally…
.

Companions of the Night

When Kerry’s little brother forgets his stuffed bear at the laundry, Kerry ventures out at 11:00 p.m. to retrieve it for him. The laundry is deserted and kind of spooky, and while she s there three men burst in, dragging a bound and bloodied young man they insist is a vampire. Kerry helps him escape, only to be caught up in a desperate game between vampire hunters and their prey. Full of tension and familiar vampire lore and with a touch of romance this should find a wide YA audience. Booklist

The Conjurer Princess

A young princess, Lylene apprentices herself to a wizard in order to gain the power to rescue her older sister, kidnapped during her wedding by armed knights, and, armed with her new magic, she joins forces with a couple of handsome outlaw companions as she embarks on her quest.’

Ghost of a Hanged Man

An outlaw condemned to be hanged threatens to wreak vengeance from the grave on those responsible for his death.

Smart Dog

Amy Prochenko has spent most of fifth grade avoiding both the bully Katilyn Walker, whose bark is as bad as her bite, and Sean Gorman, the only kid less popular than Amy. As if life isn’t hard enough, along comes Sherlock. After escaping from a research laboratory, all Sherlock wants is to be an ordinary dog. But Sherlock is anything but normal: he can talk. And when he asks Amy for help, she says yes. But Amy may have bitten off more than she can chew! Soon she finds herself tangled up in dangerous schemes and hanging out with people she never would have before. For the first time, thanks to Sherlock, Amy’s popular!Even better, Sherlock is the best friend she’s wanted. But Amy’s not sure she can save him. Will this dog ever have his day?

A Coming Evil

This well written…
fast paced adventure raises some interesting issues. School Library Journal

Lisette Beaucaire was angry when her parents sent her away from Paris that September day in 1940. And although she knew that with the Na*zis occupying the city she d be safer at her aunt Josephine’s farm in the Dordogne Valley, Lisette resented her exile. She d miss her friends and the excitement of being thirteen and starting a new school. Instead, she d have nothing to do but amuse her little cousin Cecile.
That s what Lisette thought, but she soon found out that she wasn t the only visitor at the farmhouse. And then she encountered Gerard, a visitor from a long time ago, who proved to be a valiant ally at a crucial moment.

Never Trust a Dead Man

Life has suddenly become very difficult for Selwyn Roweson: First Anora broke his heart and decided to marry Farold, then Farold beat him up in front of the entire village, and finally he was accused of murder when Farold was found with a knife Selwyn’s knife hilt deep in his back. Which might not be so bad, except as punishment Selwyn is sealed in the village burial cave with Farold s moldering corpse, there to await starvation or worse. Worse comes along quickly in the form of a witch with a fast right hook and the ability to raise Farold from the dead. Selwyn thought he disliked Farold when he was alive, but that was nothing compared to having to work by the dead man s side as they search for the real killer.

There’s a Dead Person Following My Sister Around

When Ted’s five-year-old sister Vicki invents an imaginary friend, no one is too concerned…
until they realize that her friend can move things. Ted is sure that Vicki’s ‘friend’ Marella is a ghost. But why would a ghost haunt Vicki? And why does Marella seem to be terrified of another ghost-a dark figure that is haunting Ted? Edgar Award-winner Vivian Vande Velde’s blend of history, humor, and suspense is sure to keep middle readers turning the pages!

‘A fast-paced story that mixes scares and history for some can’t-put-it-down fun.’
Kirkus Reviews

The Rumpelstiltskin Problem

Have you ever wondered just what was going on when that odd little man with the long name stepped up and volunteered to spin straw into gold for the miller’s daughter? If you stop and think about it, there are some very peculiar and rather hard to explain components to the story.
Vivian Vande Velde has wondered too, and she’s come up with these six alternative versions of the old legend. A bevy of miller’s daughters confront their perilous situation in very different ways sometimes comic, sometimes scary. Most of the time, it’s the daughter who gets off safely, but sometimes, amazingly, Rumpelstiltskin himself wins the day. And in one tale, it is the
king who cleverly escapes a quite unexpected fate.

Magic Can be Murder

Nola’s not much of a witch she can work only a few useless spells, like the one that lets her spy on people. But there’s no spell for keeping her crazy mother who hears voices and is a magnet for witch hunters out of trouble. The two flee from town to town until the day Nola magically witnesses a murder. Which is bad enough, but worse is that the murderer may frame Nola and her mother for the crime. And then no amount of magic will save her.
And you think your teenage years are tough…
.

Alison, Who Went Away

Fourteen year old Susan or, as she prefers to be called, Sybil has been trying to reinvent herself ever since the mysterious disappearance of her older sister, Alison. Life has been very confusing since Alison left. Susan’s mother has become overly protective, fearful of losing another child. Her new school is not all bad, of course, but it is different and puzzling. Her best friend, Connie, has what could be a wonderful idea or maybe it has the makings of a disaster: if they sign up for the school play, they might end up with dates for the freshman dance. Readers will empathize with Susan s attempt to make sense of her confused world, the loss of her sister, a new school, turmoil at home, and the growing pains of adolescence. But Susan, despite all, remains bright, funny, and self aware with the help of a new and intelligently supportive stepfather and a lively group of school friends. The story is believable and touching and distinguished by the narrator s voice.

Wizard at Work

The wizard has big summer plans: To garden, fish, and nap. The only thing better would be if he had someone nice to share the days with. But the only people who show up want him to rescue yet another princess, lift the usual vile curse, confront a fearsome ghost, deal with a pack of magical hooligans, harvest a crop of golden cucumbers, and on and on…
.
With everything he has to do, it’s no wonder the wizard is all by himself! Who’d want to help him do all of that?

Witch’s Wishes

It’s Halloween and Sarah helps out a witch who is in trouble. The witch repays Sarah’s kindness by offering to make all her wishes in one night come true. Hilarious chaos ensues in this story about what happens when you’re not careful what you wish for.

Now You See It . . .

Wendy isn’t as blind as a bat there are bats that can see better than she can. Which is why, when her new glas*ses break, she’s all too happy to wear the dorky pair of sunglas*ses she finds on the lawn. They seem to match her prescription, and that’s all that matters if she’s going to be able to make it through her school day.

But the glas*ses correct her vision too much. She begins to see things that no one else can see: cheerful corpses, frightening crones disguised as teenyboppers, and portals to other worlds places where people are all too aware of the magical properties of her new shades…
and will do anything to get them.

The Book of Mordred

Dark forces are taking hold in the kingdom of Camelot: King Arthur struggles to keep his knights in line as they steadily divide themselves into factions; the great Merlin has vanished at the hands of his lover and pupil, Nimue; wizards all over the countryside battle for whatever measures of power they can find. At the center of the maelstrom stands Keira, an innocent girl who possesses the ability to foretell the fate of her world. When Keira is kidnapped from her village home, her mother, Alayna, flees to Camelot and finds Mordred, an enigmatic knight who will ultimately become Keira’s greatest champion, Alayna s greatest love, and King Arthur s greatest enemy.

In the long tradition of Arthurian legend, Mordred has been characterized as a buffoon, a false knight, and a bloodthirsty traitor. The Book of Mordred reveals a mysterious man through the eyes of three women who love him.

Three Good Deeds

If Howard had known the old hag was a witch, he never would have taunted her. But he did, and she did what witches do cursed him and now he’s a goose, which to tell you the truth, is not as serene and peaceful as it might look from the shore. People try to kill geese, for crying out loud, and the other geese are none too nice to newcomers. Howard is desperate to become a human again so he can show that old witch a thing or two.

But the only way to break the curse is to do Three Good Deeds and how can you help others when you’ve got webbed feet, wings for hands, and can’t say anything but ‘Honk‘?

Witch Dreams

Sixteen year old Nyssa can enter into people’s dreams. Although the authorities of the medieval town of Lindenwolde would put her to death if they realized she was a witch, she feels compelled to practice her unique brand of witchcraft to answer the biggest question of her life: who broke into her father’s woodworking shop and killed her parents? Six years after the murder, Nyssa finally gets her chance to enter the dreams of the man she suspects is responsible. Suddenly she finds herself on a reckless, relentless journey that leads her through a maze of adventures both in the real world and in the world of the unconscious. Nyssa risks death as she finally identifies the murderer in a shocking and unexpected climax.

Remembering Raquel

Fifteen year old Raquel Falcone is, as one of her classmates puts it, the kind of kid who has a tendency to be invisible. That is until the night she’s hit by a car and killed while walking home from the movies. In brief, moving chapters, we hear about Raquel from her classmates, her best friend, her family and the woman who was driving the car that struck her. The loss of this seemingly invisible girl deeply affects her entire community, proving just how interconnected and similar we all really are.

Stolen

The old witch steals children, but did she steal Isabelle?

Cloaked in Red

So you think you know the story of Little Red Riding Hood, the girl with the unfortunate name and the inability to tell the difference between her grandmother and a member of a different species? Well, then, try your hand at answering these questions: Which character not including Little Red herself is the most fashion challenged? Who not including the wolf is the scariest? Who not including Granny is the most easily scared? Who is the strangest notice we’re not ‘not including’ anyone, because they’re all a little off.? Who no fair saying ‘the author’ has stuffing for brains? Master storyteller Vivian Vande Velde crafts eight new stories involving one of the world’s most beloved and mixed up characters in literature. You may never look at fairy tales in quite the same way again.

Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird

Welcome to the fairy tale world where Hansel and Gretel are horrible children who deserve to be baked and where Beauty is dismayed when her beloved Beast turns human. In the world of the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird, when the sky really does fall, Chicken Little becomes the leader of her own religious movement, gets her own TV show, collects millions of dollars to build a theme park, and then makes off with the money. These tongue in cheek interpretations of some of the best known fairy tales will have readers in stitches.

Curses, INC.

Vivian Vande Velde’s spellbinding short stories are filled with magic and mayhem. Witness the boy who breaks his dance date because he’s too cheap to spend money on her. He learns about spells the hard way in Curses, INC. What happens when a woman brings her son back from the dead in ‘The Witch’s Son’? Many folks go to Granny Orilla for remedies. Does a cure or a curse await in ‘Cypress Swamp Granny’? Beware: These haunting stories will put you under their spell.

Being Dead

A sixteen year old will give anything to be with her true love even though he died two hundred years ago…
. A sopping wet little dead girl stalks a teen who had nothing to do with her death honest!…
A heartless man dances with his wife after she’s passed away. From the hilarious to the horrific, master storyteller Vivian Vande Velde explores the world of the dead and the undead in this surprisingly moving collection of unnerving tales.

All Hallow’s Eve

A boy is trapped in a possessed car that has stalled in the path of an oncoming train. A girl is dragged into a crypt during a field trip to an eighteenth century cemetery. A group of friends meet their fate after an unsettling visit with a backwoods psychic. And that’s just the beginning. Celebrated author Vivian Vande Velde is at her spine tingling best in this collection of thirteen scary stories, all of which take place on Halloween night. With tales that range from the disturbing to the downright gruesome, this is one collection that teens will want to read with the lights on…
and the doors locked.

Troll Teacher

Elizabeth tries to tell her family that there is something wrong with her new teacher, but they cannot see it, even though Miss Turtledove has orange eyes, eats desks, and throws fruit at the students.

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