Terrific Authors on Tuesdays: Vivian Vande Velde

Vivian Vande Velde started her writing career in 1985 with her publication of her first book, A Hidden Magic. She is still writing to this day, releasing at least one book a year. Her books are typically (but not always) fantasy, and usually have some oddball humor in them. She always finds a way, though, to make sure everyone gets their comeuppance, which is always very satisfying. Her books are typically appropriate for Jr. High levels, but frequently can be found in teen because of scary situations, the age of the characters, or even some thematic scenes.
A list of books and my grades are below. Trackgeek has, to my knowledge, only read one of her books. Also, because I've only read a handful, descriptions are included (courtesy fantasticfiction.co.uk). A lot of her books are hard to find now since they are rarely reprinted, so check your local library, or expect to get a used copy from Amazon or your local used book store.

Novels
A Hidden Magic (1985)
Lost in a magic forest and separated from her prince, Princess Jennifer seeks help from a kindly young sorcerer in battling an evil witch.
A Well-Timed Enchantment (1990)
A girl and her cat disappear back in time to retrieve a lost watch.
User Unfriendly (1991)
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.
Dragon's Bait (1992) - Graded B-.
Falsely accused of witchcraft, 15-year-old Alys is staked out on a hillside and left as sacrificial bait for a hungry dragon. It's cold, dark, and raining, and Alys is completely alone. Even when she breaks free of her bindings, there's nowhere for her to go. Suddenly, Alys sees the shadow of the dragon coursing across the moon--does the dragon see her?
Companions of the Night (1995)
When sixteen-year-old Kerry Nowicki helps a young man escape from a group of men who claim he is a vampire, she finds herself faced with some bizarre and dangerous choices.
The Conjurer Princess (1997)
Young princess Lylene apprentices herself to a wizard in order to gain the power to rescue her older sister, who was kidnappped during her wedding, and armed with her new magic, Lylene joins forces with a couple of handsome outlaw companions as she embarks on her quest.
Smart Dog (1998)
Fifth grader Amy finds her life growing complicated when she meets and tries to hide an intelligent, talking dog who has escaped from a university lab.
A Coming Evil (1998)
During the German occupation of France in 1940, thirteen-year-old Lisette meets a ghost while living with her aunt who harbors Jewish and Gypsy children in the French countryside.
Ghost of a Hanged Man (1998)
An outlaw condemned to be hanged threatens to wreak vengeance from the grave on those responsible for his death.
That Changeling Prince (1998)
Weiland, a changeling who can assume many forms, is desperate to escape the sorceress who uses him and others as tools for her vengeance, until he meets a thief named Shile, who offers to help free him from the grasp of the sorceress.
Spellbound (1998)
- no summary available -
Never Trust a Dead Man (1999) Graded B+ (trackgeek) and a B (Raspberry).
Wrongly convicted of murder and punished by being sealed in the tomb with the dead man, seventeen-year-old Selwyn enlists the help of a witch and the resurrected victim to find the true killer.
There's a Dead Person Following My Sister Around (1999)
When Ted's five-year-old sister, Vicki, invents an imaginary friend, no one is too concerned...except that Vicki's friend has the never-popular name of Marella, and unlike most imaginary friends, Marella can move things. Ted might think Marella is a ghost, but why would a ghost haunt Vicki, of all people? And why would she suddenly move into a house Ted's family has lived in for ages? And why is Marella terrified of another ghost, a dark figure who seems to be hunting Ted?
The Rumpelstiltskin Problem (2000)
A collection of variations on the familiar story of a boastful miller and the daughter he claims can spin straw into gold.
Magic Can be Murder (2000)
Set apart from other people because of their unusual abilities, Nola, a teenage witch, and her mother find themselves in great danger when Nola uses her power to call up images and witnesses a murder.
Allison, Who Went Away (2001)
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.
Heir Apparent (2002) Graded a B+ (trackgeek), and graded a B (Raspberry).
In Heir Apparent there are as many ways to win as there are to get killed.
Wizard at Work (2003)
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 (2003)
On her way to the All Hallows' Eve Ghastly Gala A-go-go, a scatterbrained old witch avoids a collision with the Channel 12 air traffic report helicopter. Trick-or-treater Sarah, six, sees her fall from the sky and gives her a Band-Aid. The witch repays the kindness by turning the child's fairy-princess-costume wand into a magical one that grants wishes.
The Book of Mordred (2005)
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.
Three Good Dreams (2005)
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.
Witch Dreams (2005)
A teenage witch, enters other people's dreams to solve a murder.
Now You See It... (2005) Graded a B.
Wendy's new glasses give her a whole new way of seeing things . . . that aren't there.
Remembering Raquel (2007)
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.
Stolen (2008) Graded a B-.
The old witch steals children, but did she steal Isabelle?

Collections
Once Upon a Test (1984)
Three humorous fairy tales in which the princes and princesses behave in unconventional ways.
Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird (1995)
Presents thirteen twisted versions of such familiar fairy tales as Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Hansel and Gretel, and The Three Billy Goats Gruff.
Curses, Inc. (1997) Graded a B+.
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"?
Tales From the Homeplace (1999)
Eight stories capture the life of twelve-year-old Irene Hutto, growing up on a cotton farm in Texas in the 1930s, based on the life of Harriet Burandt's mother.
Being Dead (2001)
Seven supernatural stories, all having something to do with death.
All Hallows Eve (2006)
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.

For more information, visit her website, here.