Giannine is playing a virtual reality game that has way too many ways to get killed — and she seems to be finding them all. Unless she can get the magic ring, answer the dwarf's dumb riddles, fend off the barbarians, and defeat the man-eating dragon, she'll never win. And she has to, because losing means she'll die — for real this time.

Heir Apparent was read by Kaitlin O'Neal
Kaitlin O'Neal has appeared in more than twenty stage productions across the United States, most recently as Bella in the Triad Stage presentation of Angel Street. She holds an MFA from the Professional Theatre Training Program of the University of Delaware. Kaitlin has a number of special skills and interests, including crochet and T'ai Chi; but she truly impressed the Camel's Hump Radio crew with her skill at sounding like an angry beaver.

When Kaitlin was in 6th grade, she enjoyed reading the Chronicles of the Deryni series and the Legends of Camber of Culdi series, both by Katherine Kurtz. Kaitlin recommends looking for Deryni, High Deryni, Deryni Rising, Camber and Camber the King. She also loved reading The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright.

What do you think?

What part of the book did you like the best? Why?

Do you think Giannine changed over the course of the game? In what way?

What's your opinion of members of the Citizens to Protect Our Children? Do you agree with what they are doing? Why or Why not?

Heir Apparent has some great characters — like Saint Bruce, the statue that cuts off your head if he doesn't like your poem, or the dwarves that ask really bad riddles...and then there's the dragon... Which fantasy character was your favorite? Why?

What message do you think author Vivian Vande Velde wants you to take away from Heir Apparent?

How would you have played the game differently?

Do you think Giannine's attitude helped her or hurt her?

What genre does this book fit into? Is it fantasy? Is it science fiction? Does it combine both? What does it have in common with books of these genres?

Fun & Adventure Beyond the Book

Thirty-two publishers rejected author Vivian Vande Velde's first book. Luckily, the thirty-third publisher said yes! Vande Velde says she wanted to be a writer because she always loved stories, especially fantasy stories. She has some good advice to budding writers, and you can learn more about her from this interview.

Giannine found herself back in medieval times, having to make her way through a castle and her father's kingdom. Here's a fun page on what you'd typically see in such a castle.

Think of all that Giannine had to learn on the fly: how to dress, how to behave, who did what... It's too bad she wasn't part of this 5th grade class that researched life in the middle ages — it would have come in handy before she played the game!

Now that you've read about castles and taken a virtual tour of one, how about building one of your own?! Here are directions on how to build your own paper castle.

Intrigued by Giannine's life as a sheep herder? Here's everything you need to know about raising sheep.

Virtual reality uses your senses of sight, sound and touch to fool your brain into believing the experience you are having is real. It's used for more than just games — virtual reality gives people with physical disabilities another way to interact with people. You can also manipulate a test model in virtual reality before actually building a real model — think flight simulators for pilots and astronauts, and you'll see how it can be used to train workers without tying up actual equipment. Learn how to make your own virtual reality game, and more.



If You Like This Book, Check Out...

Grace Greene, from the Vermont Department of Libraries, says if you liked Heir Apparent, you’ll probably enjoy these books as well:

Other books by Vande Velde:

Being Dead: Stories. Harcourt, 2001.
Seven supernatural stories, all having something to do with death.

Never Trust a Dead Man. Harcourt, 1999.
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.

Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird. Harcourt, 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.

User Unfriendly. Harcourt, 1991.
Fourteen-year-old Arvin and his friends risk using a computer-controlled role-playing game to simulate a magical world in which they actually become fantasy characters, even though the computer program is a pirated one containing unpredictable errors.

Companion titles:

Rubinstein, Gillian. Space Demons. Dial, 1988.
Twelve-year-old Andrew, bored with life, becomes obsessed with a mysterious new computer game, which has the power to zap him and his friends into a dangerous world of menacing space warriors.

Skurzynski, Gloria. Virtual War. S&S, 1997.
In a future world where global contamination has necessitated limited human contact, three young people with unique genetically engineered abilities are teamed up to wage a war in virtual reality.

Sleator, William. Interstellar Pig. Dutton, 1984.
Barney's boring seaside vacation suddenly becomes more interesting when the cottage next door is occupied by three exotic neighbors who are addicted to a game they call "Interstellar Pig."