This is one of the books that cemented my love for fantasy as a child. Despite reading the series a couple of times I only had a blurry memory of it, so I decided to give it another try as an adult. 
This is the story of Camille, a bright teenager who prefers not to be noticed, especially by her adoptive parents. One day, as she crossed a street, she misses death closely and instead of being hit by a truck she ends up in a clearing where a knight in shining armour is fighting a horrible, lizard-like creature. Camille may not be as unremarkable as she wishes, as it turns out. 
I remember the thick volumes I read as a child, but as an adult this was a very quick read. I'm sad to admit the magic didn't really operate, except that I was delighted to find so many black & brown characters in an otherwise very classic fantasy story. You've got your knights, your mentor, your cute animal and your apparently unbeatable, monstrous enemies, all wrapped up in a neat quest to save a kingdom and reunite the chosen-one-type heroine with her long-lost parents.