Shock of Fate

Vanessa Cross has never traveled anywhere by magical tree trunk. She's never used a wish-fulfilling bowl to create lunch, befriended gnomes, or confronted a troll. Her plans for summer break include lazing on the beach, shopping, and hitting the beauty salon-her usual way of coping with a hypercritical stepmother and an aloof father. Yet fifteen-year-old Van's hopes for summer fun drastically change when she is coerced through a portal to an alternate reality called the Living World. Once there, she discovers the only way to get home is by retrieving a relic called the Coin of Creation. Along the way, Van not only meets new friends, experiences her first love, and learns about the magic in life, but finds that a great destiny awaits her . . . if she can survive the treacherous journey.