Alice with a Why

Gr 4-7–In 1919 after the Great War, Alyce lives with her grandmother (Alice with an “i”) in a lonely house, with only her grandmother’s stories and cats to keep her company. When a strange invitation blows her way, she accidentally accepts–by falling into a pond and not surfacing til she’s made her way to Wonderland. Now, Alyce is faced with navigating a world with bizarre rules, made stranger still by the war between the Sun King and the Moon Queen. Day switches abruptly to night and back, no one can go anywhere without papers, and it’s up to Alyce–the wrong Alice, she feels–to set it all right again, along with some help from a Sailor Fox, the Mad Hatter, and a book-munching Caterpillar. James has proven her talent at reimagining classic stories and characters, and this book is no exception. She deftly navigates the bizarre realities of Wonderland, paying homage to Lewis Carroll while expanding with new characters, places, and problems. Land’s black-and-white illustrations enhance the novel’s classic feel and connection to its predecessor. Alyce feels perhaps a bit more relatable than Alice, struggling to understand how she’s supposed to help an entire world while wanting to do right by her new friends. The ending will tug at readers’ heartstrings too.