Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, retold by Joe Rhatigan & Charles Nurnberg, illustrated by Eric Puybaret (Koala Books for Scholastic)

HB RRP $24.99

ISBN 978-1-74276-141-1

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Alice is a bold girl with a curious nature. Intrigued by a white rabbit with a pocket watch, she follows him down his rabbit hole and finds herself in a magical land full of strange and wonderful creatures.

This modern retelling of Alice in Wonderland pares back the story into a simplified version appropriate to a picture book format. It captures Alice’s mood of careless casualness beautifully.

‘Alice was sitting by the river having an oh-so-ordinary afternoon, when a White Rabbit ran by.’

Rather than attempt to tell the whole story, we are given a slice of Alice’s adventures to follow. We meet the increasingly, urgently late White Rabbit, the Dodo, Mouse, Bill the Lizard and the blue caterpillar sitting on a giant mushroom. But no Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter, or Queen and cards. Perhaps there are more books to come.

The vibrant, bold, luminescent and curious illustrations match the zany storyline well. The glossy pages glow with colour. Wide-eyed Alice is surrounded by, not only the creatures mentioned in the text, but also weird and wonderful insects, birds, monkeys. The strange environment of Wonderland is subtle, but if you pay close attention you can make out the faces in the trees and clouds, the appearance of a seal in the island in the lake of tears, and the carrot forest.

As in all good picture books, the text changes in font and size, becoming part of the page layout, emphasising the reading of certain words. 

Alice in Wonderland is a literary classic. Read and loved over the years by countless children and adults, this fun version is the 150^th anniversary edition. Join Alice in her own bizarre world where she shrinks, grows and explores the wonders of an afternoon which turns out to be ‘not ordinary at all’.

The Looking Glass Wars Bk 3: Arch Enemy

The Looking Glass Wars Bk 3: Arch Enemy by Frank Beddor (Egmont Press)

PB RRP $16.95

ISBN 9781405251938

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Imagination of all kind has been wiped out with the attack by Redd who has united with the Borderland tribes against King Arch. The detonation of WILMA, Arch’s Weapon of Inconceivable Loss and Massive Annihilation has left the Heart Crystal weak. Redd too, has lost her imagination. Hatter has sent word that he is returning with Molly, still grieving for her mother, who had left Alyss in shame because of her impulsive act that damaged the Crystal Continuum, Wonderland’s public transport system.

Wonderland unprepared, is again attacked by the Club soldiers who are kidnapping Wonderlanders and imprisoning them in limbo coops – areas of little space and no escape. Alyss and Dodge witness the treachery of Lord and Lady of Clubs’ after they travel incognito to attend the anti-imagination rally. They are recognised and trapped, only to be rescued by Dumphy, a tinker who hides them in a wagon full of imaginists headed for the limbo camp. There they learn that imagination is slowly returning.

Arch takes advantage of Redd’s diminished powers and reclaims control over the Borderland tribes. He is determined to kill Redd and become the first king of Wonderland. Meanwhile, Redd’s forces have stopped retreating and have gained positions all over Wonderland.

Here the longest and hardest battles of all kinds ensue. Redd is fiercely determined to reign. Her indomitable and forceful character allows no room for defeat. Many battles between good and evil will be fought. Alyss and Dogde’s courage and love will be tested. Lives will be lost and cities destroyed. Strange liaisons are sought for the welfare of the Wonderlanders regardless of the suspicion and mistrust that weaves in and out of each group. Travel between worlds will see all the characters move towards a satisfying resolution regarding their personal dilemmas.  The final climax is stupendous and rewarding for the reader. This trilogy will stay in the mind long after the last word is read. All three books are currently available.

The Looking Glass Wars BK 1

The Looking Glass Wars BK 1 by Frank Beddor (Egmont Press)

PB RRP $16.95

ISBN 9781405219761

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

The Looking Glass Wars begins an outstanding fantasy trilogy. It creates new lands and uses the characters of Alice in Wonderland in an exciting and different way. Wonderland is the place where the imagination is the most powerful tool powered by the Heart Crystal which is the power source of all the cosmos; where the deck of cards become transformed into soldiers as are the chessboard characters.

The story begins in Wonderland on Princess Alyss’ seventh birthday. Celebrations are underway at Heart Palace. Twelve years have passed since civil war raged between good and evil; between the White and Dark Imagination. Princess Redd was banished because of her evil practices and denied her lawful succession to the throne, leaving her sister Genevieve to be crowned Queen of Wonderland.

  

Alyss’ future intended is the ambitious and obnoxious Jack of Diamonds but it is her lifelong playmate, the commoner Dodge that is her soul-mate.  Bibwit Harte, the royal tutor, is grooming Alyss to be future queen. Hatter Madigan is the leader of the queen’s security force and Alyss’ protector. These wonderful characters are alive on the page, as you love and detest, empathise with or dismiss them through every new adventure fraught with tension as the story is propelled forward.

Alyss’ father is absent on a visit to King Arch of Borderland trying to establish an alliance between the two nations against Redd, who is rumoured to have planned an attack on Wonderland. Alyss’ life is shattered when her parents are murdered by Redd in a perfectly planned attack. She escapes with Hatter through the Pool of Tears, but they are separated and Alyss comes out alone on Earth, into an England of the late 1800s. Taken in by a group of homeless orphans, she uses her unrefined powers of imagination to survive, until they unexpectedly dwindle, then disappear. 

Adopted by the Liddell family from an orphanage where she is cast after being arrested for stealing, Alyss finds it difficult to adapt to normal life and lives in the past with her memories, which she relives by relating them to the Reverend Dodgson. He has befriended Alyss and is using her fantastic stories of Wonderland as material for a book which becomes a best seller.

Meanwhile, Hatter spends every waking moment searching for his princess. He travels the world, in and out of puddle portals, experiencing amazing adventures. We view what is happening to all the characters elsewhere: the cruelty, destruction and decay of the leaders, the populace and the Queendom. The story covers a thirteen year time span. Hatter finally finds Alyss and they jump into a puddle and exit through the Pool of Tears to Wonderland. But she is faced with the vicious, vengeful Redd on her return.

The tale is told in perfect, flowing chapters which move back and forth from the point of view of the characters in Alyss’ current life to the characters in Wonderland. It incorporates a lot of brilliantly set up backstory.