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    Wizard at Work
    Wizard at Work
    Wizard at Work
    Ebook87 pages1 hour

    Wizard at Work

    By Vivian Vande Velde

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    The wizard has big summer plans: to garden, to fish, and to 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. . . .

    A wizard's work is never done!
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateAug 1, 2004
    ISBN9780547351568
    Wizard at Work
    Author

    Vivian Vande Velde

    Vivian Vande Velde has written many books for teen and middle grade readers, including Heir Apparent, User Unfriendly, 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. Visit her website at www.vivianvandevelde.com.

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    Reviews for Wizard at Work

    4.5/5

    20 ratings2 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Fun - not deep, but several nice stories. And a moral, of sorts, though I don't really understand where the witch comes in to it. If she's got such great perception, why are her kids spoiled brats? The first story, with the ugly stepsister, is neat. I don't much like the dragon one - poor dragon. Or the ghost one - poor ghost, and the rest of the castle inhabitants. The end was clever, though. And I do like the last story - the wizard got exactly what he deserved, and so did the princess. Proper happy ending. It's a little young/simple for me - I doubt I'll read it again - but I'm pleased to have read it.
    • 5/5
      Oh...now I so enjoyed this one!! A light, humorous and well written book of related (by the main character) short stories. The main character, a young wizard instructor on his summer vacation (who incidentally disguises himself during the school year and occasionally at other times as an aged wizard, because as he says, no one believes that a young man can be a wizard). Throughout the story, we find this wizard just trying to get some gardening done and enjoy his vacation...but he is dragged away from home over and over again in what amounts to some very slyly told adventures! I think this author is one we will definitely be reading again! Both my kids enjoyed it and it was a nice twist on some of the better known fairy tales and even a little bit about the origins of the Lock Ness Monster...very cute! I laughed out loud in a couple of places...but mostly it was sly in way that kids can relate to if they've already heard all the standard tales. A few illustrations would have been nice, but the cover provides enough of a beginning visual and while this intended audience is kids and teens from about 8-14, the language is vivid and expressive enough to pull off a good telling even to younger kids, if you do the voices and tell it in an expressive way. Heck, as an adult I certainly enjoyed it...maybe more than I should have. I give this one an A+ and both the kids gave it two thumbs up! This is a keeper!

    Book preview

    Wizard at Work - Vivian Vande Velde

    How It All Starts

    The wizard was minding his own business—well, mostly—when the witch either put a hex on him or didn't.

    It happened like this: The wizard was a young man who often magically disguised himself to look like an old man because that was how people expected a wizard to look. Because he ran a school for young wizards, he spent the school year looking like an old man, for he figured he'd get little respect from his students if they guessed he was only a bit older than they. So once school was over for the year, it was a relief to take off his magical disguise and relax—sort of like taking off shoes that are too tight and fancy clothes that you've been worried about catching on something or spilling something on.

    After what seemed an exceptionally harsh winter and a spring that surely had taken longer than usual to arrive, he had packed the last of his students off for home. On this, the first day of summer vacation, he magically transported himself to the village of Saint Wayne the Stutterer. Saint Wayne was not one of the major saints, and the village was a small one. The wizard knew most of the people there, and most of them knew him in his true form. He needed to buy supplies for his garden, including a new hoe, and he was waiting in line at the blacksmith's shop when the witch—whom he did not know—suddenly appeared with her three children.

    Magically appeared.

    As in: One moment, not there—the next, there.

    Appeared directly in front of him about five seconds before the blacksmith finished with the previous customer, looked up, and asked, Who's next?

    That would be me, the witch said, stepping up to the counter.

    The wizard was willing to give the woman the benefit of the doubt, to believe that she had magically transported herself to where she wanted to be, and that she hadn't intentionally cut in front of him. He was even willing to let her get waited on first, for he was in no rush. He was ready for warm, leisurely days of peace and quiet.

    The witch's children, two boys and a girl, were poking, bumping, taunting, and teasing one another. The older boy was a bully, the younger boy was a sniveler, and the girl was a whiner. All three of the children called Ma! in shrill, annoying, insistent voices—as in, Ma, he's doing it again! and Ma, she started it! and Ma, aren't you through here yet?

    The witch ignored them while she explained to the blacksmith about the gate latch she wanted repaired.

    The wizard didn't have children of his own, but he thought that having students was almost like having children. He thought to himself, I would never let my children misbehave like this. Of course, the youngest of his students was twelve, and the oldest of these children was seven, but that was no excuse.

    The older boy knocked the younger boy backward so that he stepped on the wizard's toes.

    Careful, the wizard said, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder, for the boy gave no sign of recognizing that he wasn't, in fact, standing on the simple ground anymore.

    The boy glanced over his shoulder to give the wizard a well-what-are-your-feet-doing-under-my-feet? look, and his brother took the opportunity to smack him on the back of the head. Ma! the younger boy sniveled, elbowing his sister for good measure.

    Ma, the girl whined.

    Ma! the older boy said as though he were the victim.

    The blacksmith was working on the latch, and the witch turned and glared at the wizard. What? she asked, somewhere between a snarl and a snap.

    The wizard wasn't willing to get into a fight, so he just shook his head to indicate he had nothing to say, and he inspected that part of the smithy where the ceiling met the back wall.

    The witch glowered for a long moment before returning her attention to the blacksmith.

    The children got louder and louder.

    The witch didn't seem to hear them.

    She did, however, hear the wizard sigh.

    She turned around a second time and asked, Do you have a problem with my children?

    No, he assured her. He couldn't resist asking, Do you?

    How dare you? she demanded. How dare you criticize when you know nothing about us? Do you find my children annoying? Well, did you ever stop to consider whether there might be a reason for their misbehaving? Would you excuse them for being noisy and out of sorts if I told you they've been cooped up in the house for the past two weeks with illness? How about if I told, you their father may not recover, and their little sister just died?

    I'm so sorry, the wizard said, for though he had a tendency to get impatient quickly, he didn't wish ill on anyone. I had no idea.

    The witch snorted and turned back to the blacksmith, who had finished repairing the latch.

    The wizard felt terrible for finding the family irksome when they'd been through so much hardship. Under the circumstances, he was willing to forgive them, even the little girl, who was sticking her tongue out at him.

    The smaller boy was still sniveling, but now the wizard realized it was because he had a cold. He realized this when the boy, who had his finger stuck up his nose, withdrew that finger to wipe it on his brother's sleeve. The older boy didn't notice because he was surreptitiously tying his sister's braids together.

    The witch paid the blacksmith, then said, Come, children, now we're off to speak to the miller.

    The wizard wanted her to know he regretted looking down on her and her children, so he stood where he was and repeated, I am truly sorry.

    The witch was cross for his being in the way. Why? What have you done now?

    Nothing, he stammered. I meant I'm sorry for all that's happened to you.

    The witch glanced around suspiciously. What happened? she demanded.

    The wizard was becoming confused. The children's father, who's sick. The little girl who died.

    "I never said there was sickness and death, the witch snarled as though he'd intentionally misunderstood. I said, 'What if...' Actually, my children are the way they are because they're spoiled brats. She shook her head and pushed past him, muttering, Dumb twit of a wizard." She

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