The wizard, the witch, and two girls from Jersey

by Papademetriou

The Wizard, the Witch, and Two Girls from Jersey
by Papademetriou, Lisa

Publishers Weekly :
Terms of Use:

Papademetriou (M or F? with Chris Tebbetts) sends up both teen chick lit and high fantasy in this comical page-turner. Bookish Veronica Lopez and vapid Heather Simms clash over the bookstore's last copy of an assigned novel, Queen of Twilight. Veronica's read it, but needs a new copy for reference; Heather needs it to pass. When the clerk's scanner misfires, the tussling girls literally tumble into the novel. Heather promptly, mistakenly dispatches Twilight's heroine, Princess Arabella, and the girls decide that their only hope of returning home rests with Heather assuming the Princess's role-she must free the peoples of Galma from the evil Queen's dominion. Papademetriou dabbles mischievously with stock fantasy characters and plotting. Other supporting characters joining the company: Strathorn, a Gandalfian wizard bent on restoring powers diminished by the Queen's stranglehold; Chattergee, a randy squirrel with an enlarged ego and a yen for Veronica; and Doggett, a stalwart "Kiblar" elf (who, lacking his clan's baking prowess, loyally serves Strathorn and Heather). These plus the Queen and her evil sisters, soldiering shrubberies, haughty but helpful Sylvan elves and more, jockey for readers' bemused attention as the company goes from one confrontation to another. Well-read Veronica namedrops furiously: Tolkien, Narnia and Redwall crop up as she (having read Twilight) helps Heather navigate the complex plot. And readers will appreciate watching shallow Heather grow up and into her role as "The One." Enjoyable as both spoof and tribute. Ages 12-up.

distributed by Syndetics Solutions, LLC.:
The Wizard, the Witch, and Two Girls from Jersey
by Papademetriou, Lisa

School Library Journal :
Terms of Use:

Gr 6 Up–When Veronica and Heather, two radically different sophomores, are transported into the midst of the high-fantasy novel that they're supposed to be writing papers about, they are compelled to find their way through the story. Veronica is a bookish introvert who already knows the plot backward and forward. Heather is a queen bee who knows nothing about the novel and wants only to get home with her nail polish intact. In her ignorance, she diverges from the story line and is mistaken for a princess, which forces Veronica to improvise, much against her natural inclinations. The girls' mutual animosity adds some further interest to a situation ripe for transformative, character-forming experiences among the elves, dwarves, wizard, witches, and whatnot. Papademetriou is playful with the genre, freely referring to Tolkien, Baum, Rowling, Lewis, and Claymation movies, etc., for shorthand descriptions of her settings and characters. For example, one of the elves says he's a Kibler, which readers realize should be pronounced like a well-known baking company after he produces a batch of cookies that he claims to have baked in a tree. The author simultaneously spoofs the genre while plundering it for her own ends. The result is hardly deep, but it's good fun.–Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

distributed by Syndetics Solutions, LLC.:
The Wizard, the Witch, and Two Girls from Jersey
by Papademetriou, Lisa

BookList :
From BookList, May 15, 2006, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
:
Terms of Use:
Gr. 6-9. When bookish Veronica and fashion-slave Heather scuffle over a copy of Queen of Twilight, which they both need for a high-school English assignment, they wind up inside its narrative. Locals in the novel's fantasy land believe Heather is Princess Arabelle (whom Heather accidentally shattered when she arrived in the story), and it falls to Veronica, who knows the book's plot, to figure out what to do about the situation. While Queen has elements recalling fantasies by Tolkien, Baum, Lewis, and Rowling, the girls' own adventure in literature is full of puns and allusions to contemporary culture (elves called Kiblar bake cookies). Not everything is cute or funny, though: horrible gargoyles fly through the air, and some creatures make a habit of chewing off rabbits' heads. In the end, the girls reveal their mortal natures, but only after long treks to wizard strongholds, battles with evil, and Heather's conversion from a shallow teen to a caring friend. Satisfying fare for fantasy lovers who appreciate broad humor laced with a sprinkling of grossness.
FranciscaGoldsmith.
:
distributed by Syndetics Solutions, LLC.: