From Wonderland with Love by Jeffrey Westhoff
Format: E-ARC
Number of pages: 261 pages
Publishing: November 5th, 2024
Source: Edelweiss+
Opening Line: "Alice sat alone beneath a tree on the bank and, with considerable envy, watched the people rowing past her on the river."
It has been five years since Alice's last adventures in Wonderland and Looking Glass Land, and she has yet to dream up a new adventure to share with her sister. Suddenly she receives an official visit from the White Rabbit. The Queen and King of Hearts have demanded her immediate presence in Wonderland for a special mission. They want Alice to retrieve the T.A.R.T.S (Totally Automatic Random Targeting System) that was stolen by the Knave of Hearts before he can put his sinister plans to instill chaos into motion. Alice is tasked with infiltrating Looking Glass Land, as the Queen and King of Hearts spy to track the Knave of Hearts, locate the device and return them all to Wonderland.
It has been five years since Alice's last adventures in Wonderland and Looking Glass Land, and she has yet to dream up a new adventure to share with her sister. Suddenly she receives an official visit from the White Rabbit. The Queen and King of Hearts have demanded her immediate presence in Wonderland for a special mission. They want Alice to retrieve the T.A.R.T.S (Totally Automatic Random Targeting System) that was stolen by the Knave of Hearts before he can put his sinister plans to instill chaos into motion. Alice is tasked with infiltrating Looking Glass Land, as the Queen and King of Hearts spy to track the Knave of Hearts, locate the device and return them all to Wonderland.
As a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland I try to read any new books that come along centered in the same world. It's always a treat to revisit the characters and see how the author will put a new spin on the classic stories. From Wonderland with Love continues where Lewis Carroll left off in his previous books, but Alice is now older and much wiser. Each character from Rabbit to the Cheshire Cat and the Caterpillar had the same personality as you would find in the classic story and it was especially fun reading Alice's interactions with Humpty Dumpty, who has been put in charge of C.H.E.S.S (the Consummate Headquarters for Espionage, Spying and Such). Yep, the acronyms abound.
I really appreciated Westhoff's take on the story, particularly envisioning Alice as a spy. Such fun. Learning about the various gadgets she used on her mission, such as the bag of holding, informant's brooch, and the mirror portals that enabled her to travel between Wonderland and Looking Glass Land. The narrative had thrilling moments, like when Alice was aboard a train, and it was very entertaining. I found myself quickly flipping pages. Overall, the story was well written, had similar vibes to the classic and has me eagerly awaiting the sequel, Tinker, Tailor, Hatter, Spy!
I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog HERE
I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog HERE
I've only read Alice in Wonderland, but this sounds like a fun story in Alice's future. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much.
ReplyDeleteOh, this sounds so fun! I love the play on spy novel titles, and the acronyms are hilarious. Alice in Wonderland just has so much scope for reimaginings, doesn't it!
ReplyDeleteI do love my Alice and Wonderland series. That second title has me really intrigued too. Tinker, Tailor, Hatter, Spy!
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