Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Graphia (2006), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 288 pages
Description
With Wendy's new glasses, she begins to see cheerful corpses, old crones disguised as teeny-boppers, and portals to another world--a place where everyone knows of the glasses' powers and will do anything they can to get them.
User reviews
LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
Wendy is practically blind without her glasses, so when her normal pair breaks she gratefully turns to a pair she randomly finds by the side of the road. Weirdly, the glasses are exactly her prescription--and even stranger, she sees ghosts, fairies, and even magical portals through them. After
Oh Vivian Vande Velde, how could you do this to me? You have always written the most wonderful YA, full of unexpected twists and gender play and trope reversals. And yet this book is so bland and boring! Wendy is a terrible character: cowardly, not particularly bright, not particularly kind or empathic, and whose main concern is looking cute for popular boys. In the end, her main concern is *still* looking cute for boys. She is the most unlikable character ever. She's not even detestable, like Uriah Heep or the Bastard of Bolton. She's just very, very mediocre. There's a kernal of an interesting story here: Wendy gets to meet her grandmother when she was young, before she started suffering from Alzheimer's. And her grandmother is a fantastic person in every way...but making her interact with bland Wendy drove down my enjoyment.
I am definitely not the target age group for this book--think tweens--but still, it was so disappointing!
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running through one of these portals, she accidentally finds herself embroiled in a quest to save an elvin prince, assisted by a lecherous spreenie, a rambunctious dog, her time-travelling grandmother, and the coolest girl in school (who is actully an ancient hag when seen through the glasses). Oh Vivian Vande Velde, how could you do this to me? You have always written the most wonderful YA, full of unexpected twists and gender play and trope reversals. And yet this book is so bland and boring! Wendy is a terrible character: cowardly, not particularly bright, not particularly kind or empathic, and whose main concern is looking cute for popular boys. In the end, her main concern is *still* looking cute for boys. She is the most unlikable character ever. She's not even detestable, like Uriah Heep or the Bastard of Bolton. She's just very, very mediocre. There's a kernal of an interesting story here: Wendy gets to meet her grandmother when she was young, before she started suffering from Alzheimer's. And her grandmother is a fantastic person in every way...but making her interact with bland Wendy drove down my enjoyment.
I am definitely not the target age group for this book--think tweens--but still, it was so disappointing!
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LibraryThing member aperrigo
This was really fun--a more lighthearted fantasy story than some. One of the characters is a very amusing tiny blue man. Quite entertaining!
LibraryThing member allify
Wendy can't see farther than a foot without her glasses yet she still whips them off the moment her crush gets into sight. Unfortunately for her, some boys jostle her and her glasses get smashed. Luckily (or maybe, not so luckily), she's got her handy-dandy pink glasses that she found the day
Now You See It... is narrated in the first-person by Wendy, a smart aleck-y heroine fifteen-year-old who is very much the whiny drama queen, just with glasses. Her flaws are great and many and the only shining quality she has is her love for her grandmother. That really doesn't save her character for me.
As for Wendy's grandma Eleni, she's everything Wendy isn't and is thus very much a MARY SUE. Yes, I speak of the Mary Sue you normally see in fanfiction. Who on earth let this Mary Sue out in real fiction?! She's level-headed, brave, kind, generous - really, she has no weak points other than having a lame friend.
I liked the concept - there was great potential for an interesting story about Wendy meeting her grandmother who's the same age as her - but it was poorly executed. There seemed to be more plot than character going on, which might've been fine if the plot hadn't been so thin.
I do give kudos for that one surprise at the end but other than that, Now You See It... is best suited for young audiences only. It doesn't translate well to older audiences. If you're after a snarky, light, one-sitting read, then this book is it.
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before. When she puts them on, she starts to see strange things that lead to great adventure and danger. Now You See It... is narrated in the first-person by Wendy, a smart aleck-y heroine fifteen-year-old who is very much the whiny drama queen, just with glasses. Her flaws are great and many and the only shining quality she has is her love for her grandmother. That really doesn't save her character for me.
As for Wendy's grandma Eleni, she's everything Wendy isn't and is thus very much a MARY SUE. Yes, I speak of the Mary Sue you normally see in fanfiction. Who on earth let this Mary Sue out in real fiction?! She's level-headed, brave, kind, generous - really, she has no weak points other than having a lame friend.
I liked the concept - there was great potential for an interesting story about Wendy meeting her grandmother who's the same age as her - but it was poorly executed. There seemed to be more plot than character going on, which might've been fine if the plot hadn't been so thin.
I do give kudos for that one surprise at the end but other than that, Now You See It... is best suited for young audiences only. It doesn't translate well to older audiences. If you're after a snarky, light, one-sitting read, then this book is it.
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LibraryThing member sara_k
I had to wrestle Now You See It... away from the next reader in line. She took it before I could blog it and I think she was trying to smuggle it into bed. (wrestle,wrestle) I got it back for a few hours.
This book is a lot of fun! Wendy has issues. Her parents are divorced and remarried, she has a
One day Wendy finds a pair of sunglasses on the lawn. She tries them on and not only are they her prescription (yeah, right) but she can see newly dead people leaving their bodies, weird arches, and some of her classmates look totally different when viewed through the sunglasses. Of course, these are not your average sunglasses from the mall store and much hilarity and true courage follow.
This book is a lot of fun! Wendy has issues. Her parents are divorced and remarried, she has a
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stepsister who is not evil but is more beautiful and popular than Wendy, and her beloved Grandmother has alzheimers. Wendy hates her glasses and dreams of a relationship with her Kindergarten crush.One day Wendy finds a pair of sunglasses on the lawn. She tries them on and not only are they her prescription (yeah, right) but she can see newly dead people leaving their bodies, weird arches, and some of her classmates look totally different when viewed through the sunglasses. Of course, these are not your average sunglasses from the mall store and much hilarity and true courage follow.
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LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
That's good. I've had this author recommended to me before, but I think this is the first of hers I've actually read. Interesting situation - normal teenager (with the normal belief that she's an outsider) finds a pair of magic sunglasses that let her see through magic. Turns out a couple students
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at her school are under glamours to change their appearances - and then things get interesting. There is a moral - it is a teen story - but it's not particularly anvilicious, and there's a really good story and an interesting universe wrapped around it. So what else do I have by Van Velde? Show Less
LibraryThing member edspicer
This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is so funny from having little blue people to when they turn brave heart into a sheep. It kept my interest unlike most books I couldn’t put it down. The book’s cover and desertion on the back, both grabbed my attention.
LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV
I do love all of Vande Velde's work. This is representative of her more typical (iow, it's not one of the outliers).
LibraryThing member Mrslabraden
Now You See It... starts with a very interesting premise. Wendy, who has worn glasses most of her life and is nearly blind without them, accidentally breaks hers while trying to impress a boy. She finds a pair of sunglasses that fix her eyes but also allow her to see dead people. I was intrigued
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until Wendy starts seeing pointy earred elves and tiny blue men. At that point, I lost interest. Wendy has a wonderful, sarcastic voice in the book, but it wasn't enough to make me want to complete this disappointing story. Show Less
LibraryThing member ftbooklover
Now You See It... starts with a very interesting premise. Wendy, who has worn glasses most of her life and is nearly blind without them, accidentally breaks hers while trying to impress a boy. She finds a pair of sunglasses that fix her eyes but also allow her to see dead people. I was intrigued
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until Wendy starts seeing pointy earred elves and tiny blue men. At that point, I lost interest. Wendy has a wonderful, sarcastic voice in the book, but it wasn't enough to make me want to complete this disappointing story. Show Less
LibraryThing member lexilewords
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
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?
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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?
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Subjects
Awards
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2008)
Physical description
288 p.; 4.49 inches
ISBN
0152054618 / 9780152054618