Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: 14 and up
# of Pages: 358 p.
Award Winner: Iowa Teen Award 2009-2010
This retelling of Alice in Wonderland follows a girl named Alyss, whose mother was queen of Wonderland until her evil sister, Redd, overthrew her on Alyss’s seventh birthday. In order to protect Alyss, her mother threw her and her personal bodyguard into a looking glass so that they could escape until Alyss could grow up and assume her rightful position as queen. Alyss ends up escaping into Victorian London where she is forced to grow up with people who do not believe any of her stories of Wonderland. She comes to wonder if she did make it all up or if it is as real as she thinks it is. Meanwhile, Wonderland is in squalor due to Redd’s tyrannical rule. Can Alyss revive Wonderland and take what is rightfully hers?
Fantasy readers will not want to miss this story. It is creative, imaginative, and full of adventure and suspense. It is the first in this series so there will be more and anyone who reads this story will be eager to read the next in the series. The characters are unique and memorable. Even people who didn’t necessarily enjoy the original Alice in Wonderland will be able to appreciate this story for the fun adventure that it is. Highly recommended.
Young Adult Book Reviews 