In the virtual reality gameHeir Apparent,there arewaytoo many ways to get killed--and Giannine seems to be finding them all. Which is a darn shame, because unless she can get the magic ring, locate the stolen treasure, answer the dwarf's dumb riddles, impress the head-chopping statue, charm the army of ghosts, fend off the barbarians, and defeat the man-eating dragon, she'llneverwin.
And she has to, because losing means she'll die--for realthis time.
From Edgar Award–winning author Vivian Vande Velde comes a rollicking story that puts a high-tech twist on the classic medieval fantasy-adventure
Consistently entertaining. —Publishers Weekly
A testament to Vande Velde's storytelling magic. —The Horn Book
A stylish tale [that] addresses both fantasy gaming and censorship.
—The New York Times Book Review
Plausible, suspenseful. . . . Hilarious. . . . It's riveting reading for
experienced gamers and tyros alike. —Kirkus Reviews(starred review)
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
Vivian Vande Velde has written many books for teen and middle grade readers, including All
Hallow’s Eve: 13 Stories, Three Good Deeds, Now You See It . . ., and the Edgar Award–winning
Never Trust a Dead Man. She lives in Rochester, New York.
www.vivianvandevelde.comChapter one
Happy Birthday to Me
It was my fourteenth birthday, and I was arguing with a bus. How pathetic is that?
Even before the bus had started in on me, my mood wasn't exactly the best it's ever been. Birthdays do that to me. This year I didn't even have a good excuse: I had actually received my birthday gift from my father on time, which might have been a sign he was making an effort to be a more considerate and involved dad. Of course, l¢
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