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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Okay, let's be honest - this genre is NOT for me anymore. I have been reading YA for three years, and this middle grade fantasy was just not my cup of tea.
However, for a late-elementary school, early-middle school kid, this book is the bomb.
So here's my summary:
A girl named Celia just moved to a new city (because her mom got a job as a librarian). Celia is dyslexic and has been made fun of at school. She bumps into a boy who is obsessed with reading (named Tyrus) and they become fast-friends. Then, they discover a box. They try to crack the gear code on it, and somehow open a door to Wonderland. They travel to Wonderland, which is more screwed up than normal. They go on an adventure and meet many of the classic "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" characters. All while trying to fix Wonderland (someone has been sucking all of the logic - which balances the crazy parts of Wonderland - and has made the creatures . . . kind of scary). They eventually do, making everything go back to normal in Wonderland, and then find a way home. The ending is really inspiring too.
However, for a late-elementary school, early-middle school kid, this book is the bomb.
So here's my summary:
A girl named Celia just moved to a new city (because her mom got a job as a librarian). Celia is dyslexic and has been made fun of at school. She bumps into a boy who is obsessed with reading (named Tyrus) and they become fast-friends. Then, they discover a box. They try to crack the gear code on it, and somehow open a door to Wonderland. They travel to Wonderland, which is more screwed up than normal. They go on an adventure and meet many of the classic "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" characters. All while trying to fix Wonderland (someone has been sucking all of the logic - which balances the crazy parts of Wonderland - and has made the creatures . . . kind of scary). They eventually do, making everything go back to normal in Wonderland, and then find a way home. The ending is really inspiring too.
Whilst this was quite a nice deviation from the standard Alice in wonderland retelling, I found myself getting very bored and DNF around 70%.
With all of the clues and foreshadowing it was obviously to me that the Dyslexic Celia was Alice’s chosen replacement which made her search for the actual chosen one irritating. I quite like Tyrus and his mathematical brain but often found that the Wonderland aspect was too overdone: things were crazy just for the sake of being crazy.
Whilst this might appeal to a younger audience, I must admit that it passed me by.
Having a main character with dyslexia was a very good plot point and showed inclusion as well as making it her ‘superpower.’
I think I would have preferred if there were more references to the actual lost diaries.
With all of the clues and foreshadowing it was obviously to me that the Dyslexic Celia was Alice’s chosen replacement which made her search for the actual chosen one irritating. I quite like Tyrus and his mathematical brain but often found that the Wonderland aspect was too overdone: things were crazy just for the sake of being crazy.
Whilst this might appeal to a younger audience, I must admit that it passed me by.
Having a main character with dyslexia was a very good plot point and showed inclusion as well as making it her ‘superpower.’
I think I would have preferred if there were more references to the actual lost diaries.
Disclaimer: I received this arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Lost Wonderland Diaries
Author: J. Scott Savage
Book Series: Standalone for now, but I can see where sequels can come into play
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For...: mg readers, fantasy lovers, retelling fans
Publication Date: September 8, 2020
Genre: MG Fantasy
Recommended Age: 10+ (slight violence, some scary moments)
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Pages: 352
Synopsis: Lewis Carroll, author of the classic book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, secretly recorded the true story of his actual travels to Wonderland in four journals which have been lost to the world . . . until now.
Celia and Tyrus discover the legendary Lost Diaries of Wonderland and fall into a portal that pulls them into the same fantasy world as the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter. However, Wonderland has vastly changed. Some of the characters that Tyrus remembers from the book have been transformed into angry monsters.
Helped by the Cheshire Cat and a new character, Sylvan, a young rabbit, Celia and Tyrus desperately work to solve puzzles and riddles, looking for a way out of Wonderland. But the danger increases when the Queen of Hearts begins hunting them, believing the two young visitors hold the key to opening multiple portals to multiple worlds, and she will stop at nothing to capture them.
Will the crazed creatures of Wonderland escape into the real world? Can Celia and Tyrus stop them and save both worlds? Or will they be trapped in Wonderland forever?
Review: I thought this was an amazing take on the Wonderland adventures we all know by heart. I really enjoy Alice in Wonderland retellings and side stories and this one fit all the criteria: crazy characters, wonderous settings, mystery, and imagination. The character development was well done and the world building was absolutely amazing! I also was hooked on the story from beginning to end.
The only part I didn’t like was that the book was a bit too slow for me in the beginning and in some spots, but it would be perfect for your Wonderland loving child.
Verdict: Highly recommend!
Book: The Lost Wonderland Diaries
Author: J. Scott Savage
Book Series: Standalone for now, but I can see where sequels can come into play
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For...: mg readers, fantasy lovers, retelling fans
Publication Date: September 8, 2020
Genre: MG Fantasy
Recommended Age: 10+ (slight violence, some scary moments)
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Pages: 352
Synopsis: Lewis Carroll, author of the classic book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, secretly recorded the true story of his actual travels to Wonderland in four journals which have been lost to the world . . . until now.
Celia and Tyrus discover the legendary Lost Diaries of Wonderland and fall into a portal that pulls them into the same fantasy world as the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter. However, Wonderland has vastly changed. Some of the characters that Tyrus remembers from the book have been transformed into angry monsters.
Helped by the Cheshire Cat and a new character, Sylvan, a young rabbit, Celia and Tyrus desperately work to solve puzzles and riddles, looking for a way out of Wonderland. But the danger increases when the Queen of Hearts begins hunting them, believing the two young visitors hold the key to opening multiple portals to multiple worlds, and she will stop at nothing to capture them.
Will the crazed creatures of Wonderland escape into the real world? Can Celia and Tyrus stop them and save both worlds? Or will they be trapped in Wonderland forever?
Review: I thought this was an amazing take on the Wonderland adventures we all know by heart. I really enjoy Alice in Wonderland retellings and side stories and this one fit all the criteria: crazy characters, wonderous settings, mystery, and imagination. The character development was well done and the world building was absolutely amazing! I also was hooked on the story from beginning to end.
The only part I didn’t like was that the book was a bit too slow for me in the beginning and in some spots, but it would be perfect for your Wonderland loving child.
Verdict: Highly recommend!
J. Scott Savage charms and delights with a trip back to a changed Wonderland. Two unlikely friends face an unfamiliar world with familiar characters and encounter almost impossible odds.
Savage's trip through Wonderland had me laughing with his inventive characters and witty dialogue. His vivid descriptions drew a portrait of the world in my mind while the rapid-fire action kept me reading nonstop. I loved the Vagaries, Antipathies, and Apathies especially.
One of Savage's strengths is his understanding of the middle-grade mind and his message of hope, acceptance, worth, and understanding. As a parent, I can't wait to hand this book to my daughter, who is begging for her turn to read it. I know she'll not only enjoy a thrilling and imaginative tale, but she'll learn good life lessons as well.
And, for fans of Jane Austen, there is one Easter egg quote you've got to find.
I received a copy of this book from the author as a giveaway on Facebook.
Savage's trip through Wonderland had me laughing with his inventive characters and witty dialogue. His vivid descriptions drew a portrait of the world in my mind while the rapid-fire action kept me reading nonstop. I loved the Vagaries, Antipathies, and Apathies especially.
One of Savage's strengths is his understanding of the middle-grade mind and his message of hope, acceptance, worth, and understanding. As a parent, I can't wait to hand this book to my daughter, who is begging for her turn to read it. I know she'll not only enjoy a thrilling and imaginative tale, but she'll learn good life lessons as well.
And, for fans of Jane Austen, there is one Easter egg quote you've got to find.
I received a copy of this book from the author as a giveaway on Facebook.
Celia has just moved to a new town with her mom, who is a librarian. This means Celia has to spend her summer at the library. Unlike her mother, she hates reading. She'd prefer to spend her day solving logic puzzles and doing math problems. It's mostly because her dyslexia gets in the way.
At the library, she runs into the book nerd, Tyrus. He's a young man who's such a trouble maker that he'll sneak behind the library counter to steal a book from the cart and shelf it. He loves shelfing books that much.
The two of them discover the lost diaries of Lewis Carroll and somehow get sucked into Neverland through them.
This felt like a hybrid of Phantom and the Tollbooth and Alice in Wonderland. It's an incredibly clever and fun book with riddles and puzzles they must get through. It feels like a book that should be in every classroom. Such a fun read! The characters are incredibly fun and creative and the plot is fascinating. The author did such a clever job of creating this world.
At the library, she runs into the book nerd, Tyrus. He's a young man who's such a trouble maker that he'll sneak behind the library counter to steal a book from the cart and shelf it. He loves shelfing books that much.
The two of them discover the lost diaries of Lewis Carroll and somehow get sucked into Neverland through them.
This felt like a hybrid of Phantom and the Tollbooth and Alice in Wonderland. It's an incredibly clever and fun book with riddles and puzzles they must get through. It feels like a book that should be in every classroom. Such a fun read! The characters are incredibly fun and creative and the plot is fascinating. The author did such a clever job of creating this world.
I received an eARC of this via Netgalley.
This was a super cute story about two kids getting lost in Wonderland and having to save it. I have not actually read any of the Alice stories, but I think this was a great prelude into those stories and now I want to read them. I loved Celia and Tyrus. They were so cute and the fact that they were opposites was great. I can't wait for the finished copy to come out to add to my collection.
This was a super cute story about two kids getting lost in Wonderland and having to save it. I have not actually read any of the Alice stories, but I think this was a great prelude into those stories and now I want to read them. I loved Celia and Tyrus. They were so cute and the fact that they were opposites was great. I can't wait for the finished copy to come out to add to my collection.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for letting me have the chance to read and review this ARC. This is an amazing and wonderful story written by J. Scott Savage. I've read and enjoyed a few of his other books and I love this one so much!
Also to note here, I didn't think it was possible because of how much I have always disliked, rather strongly, Alice in Wonderland for as long as I can remember, but I have found a version of an Alice in Wonderland story that I like. I enjoyed this story so much, I don't feel like I hate Alice in Wonderland as much now and there were so many great aspects to this story. I can't recommend this story enough. I wish I'd had these books when I was younger, but hey, at least I get to read them now and I can share them with my kids as well.
I learned quite a bit from this story about dyslexia and things that I didn't even realize so this was a good eye-opener to some things and a good story to give me a different perspective into Alice In Wonderland stories that I didn't know I needed.
This story starts with Celia, who's sitting at the library doing homework and playing Minecraft on her phone etc. while her mom, who is the librarian is working and after her Mom assigns her books for her daily reading, which she doesn't like because of her dyslexia issues, Celia notices a boy her age sneaking around in the library.
Celia decides to follow the boy to try to find out what he's doing and catches him messing with the library books and calls him out on it. The boy introduces himself, his name is Tyrus, and we find out along with Celia that he's helping to shelve the returned library books because he loves books and the library so much!
Celia and Tyrus return to the front desk area and start talking and find out they're both new to the area and will both be new to the school that starts soon there so they start talking to each other about being friends and getting to know one another.
As Celia and Tyrus are talking, Celia's mother comes over and asks who he is, they talk with her for a minute and Celia decides to ask her mother if they can help shelve the library books since Tyrus likes doing it so much and her Mom gets all excited and sends them off to shelve library books.
While Celia and Tyrus are shelving the library books, they hear someone calling for help and follow the voice and end up in the office in the back where there's a chest that they have to figure out a puzzle to open it and then they go through the chest and come out the other side, falling down or is it up into Wonderland, where the adventure and fun really begins.
As Celia and Tyrus find themselves in Wonderland and meet various characters and find themselves at the Mad Hatter's tea party, you get a taste of the wonderful whimsy that comes with Wonderland and the character's personalities and stories and such. There is good and bad, both, in Wonderland, of course, and they meet the Queen of Hearts at the castle and while Tyrus is terrified of her, Celia feels like they could be friends until the Queen asks for their help with the chest that Charles Dodgson left behind because he had said that whoever came after him would know how to open the chest and save Wonderland from the haunted monstrosity that is terrorizing everyone.
When Celia says she's not the Alice, that she doesn't know how to open the chest or help, the Queen seems to lose it and through them in the dungeon and then the King pardons them and sends them on their way to find the key to come back to open the chest. They are also traveling with a companion, Sylvan, a rabbit, who was sent to get Celia to help save Wonderland.
As they travel through Wonderland, meeting others, solving puzzles and figuring things out for themselves about everything going on, the haunted monstrosity and themselves, they learn all sorts of things, have lots of fun and grow while having their adventure through Wonderland.
They learn how logic and imagination together make things better and how the two solve problems better together than apart or alone. They learn how to embrace and love themselves and who they are and to not discount themselves or their unique talents. They help others as they go on their quest to find the key to open the chest to save Wonderland and in helping others, help themselves.
This is a wonderful, whimsical, magical tale of a lovely Wonderland with great characters and a lot of good morals, lessons and things to learn and share for yourself, your kids, your family or whoever. I love these kinds of uplifting, feel good, fantastic, magical tales that you can simply enjoy or you can glean a lot of info, morals, and lessons from it as well.
Also, one of the things I enjoy looking at myself as well as with my kids or others is the reading guide they put in the back of these books that help you discuss things and further learn, research, enjoy and expound on the topics in the book as well.
Make sure you put this one on your list, preorder it and get ready for a new favorite awesome book! You don't want to miss this one!
Also to note here, I didn't think it was possible because of how much I have always disliked, rather strongly, Alice in Wonderland for as long as I can remember, but I have found a version of an Alice in Wonderland story that I like. I enjoyed this story so much, I don't feel like I hate Alice in Wonderland as much now and there were so many great aspects to this story. I can't recommend this story enough. I wish I'd had these books when I was younger, but hey, at least I get to read them now and I can share them with my kids as well.
I learned quite a bit from this story about dyslexia and things that I didn't even realize so this was a good eye-opener to some things and a good story to give me a different perspective into Alice In Wonderland stories that I didn't know I needed.
This story starts with Celia, who's sitting at the library doing homework and playing Minecraft on her phone etc. while her mom, who is the librarian is working and after her Mom assigns her books for her daily reading, which she doesn't like because of her dyslexia issues, Celia notices a boy her age sneaking around in the library.
Celia decides to follow the boy to try to find out what he's doing and catches him messing with the library books and calls him out on it. The boy introduces himself, his name is Tyrus, and we find out along with Celia that he's helping to shelve the returned library books because he loves books and the library so much!
Celia and Tyrus return to the front desk area and start talking and find out they're both new to the area and will both be new to the school that starts soon there so they start talking to each other about being friends and getting to know one another.
As Celia and Tyrus are talking, Celia's mother comes over and asks who he is, they talk with her for a minute and Celia decides to ask her mother if they can help shelve the library books since Tyrus likes doing it so much and her Mom gets all excited and sends them off to shelve library books.
While Celia and Tyrus are shelving the library books, they hear someone calling for help and follow the voice and end up in the office in the back where there's a chest that they have to figure out a puzzle to open it and then they go through the chest and come out the other side, falling down or is it up into Wonderland, where the adventure and fun really begins.
As Celia and Tyrus find themselves in Wonderland and meet various characters and find themselves at the Mad Hatter's tea party, you get a taste of the wonderful whimsy that comes with Wonderland and the character's personalities and stories and such. There is good and bad, both, in Wonderland, of course, and they meet the Queen of Hearts at the castle and while Tyrus is terrified of her, Celia feels like they could be friends until the Queen asks for their help with the chest that Charles Dodgson left behind because he had said that whoever came after him would know how to open the chest and save Wonderland from the haunted monstrosity that is terrorizing everyone.
When Celia says she's not the Alice, that she doesn't know how to open the chest or help, the Queen seems to lose it and through them in the dungeon and then the King pardons them and sends them on their way to find the key to come back to open the chest. They are also traveling with a companion, Sylvan, a rabbit, who was sent to get Celia to help save Wonderland.
As they travel through Wonderland, meeting others, solving puzzles and figuring things out for themselves about everything going on, the haunted monstrosity and themselves, they learn all sorts of things, have lots of fun and grow while having their adventure through Wonderland.
They learn how logic and imagination together make things better and how the two solve problems better together than apart or alone. They learn how to embrace and love themselves and who they are and to not discount themselves or their unique talents. They help others as they go on their quest to find the key to open the chest to save Wonderland and in helping others, help themselves.
This is a wonderful, whimsical, magical tale of a lovely Wonderland with great characters and a lot of good morals, lessons and things to learn and share for yourself, your kids, your family or whoever. I love these kinds of uplifting, feel good, fantastic, magical tales that you can simply enjoy or you can glean a lot of info, morals, and lessons from it as well.
Also, one of the things I enjoy looking at myself as well as with my kids or others is the reading guide they put in the back of these books that help you discuss things and further learn, research, enjoy and expound on the topics in the book as well.
Make sure you put this one on your list, preorder it and get ready for a new favorite awesome book! You don't want to miss this one!
Mr. Savage had a good idea, basing the story on the lost diaries of Charles Dodgson, who wrote using the pen name Lewis Carroll. Finding the diaries enabled Celia and Tyrus to travel to Wonderland, where there is trouble brewing and the inhabitants are looking for The Alice to save their world.
I am assuming that the author was attempting to capture the essence of the original Lewis Carroll books, to write another children’s book that could be an addendum to Carroll’s story. At times the efforts achieved their goals, mostly with the descriptions of scenes. There were some clever puns and word depictions of everyday phrases. I found these more entertaining than some of the conversations. Sometimes forced humor caused the book to fall flat and prevent it from living up to its potential.
There were many scenes when it felt like the scene was taken from the original book. Yes, the characters had changed (Celia and Tyrus substituted for Alice) and the dialogue was different, but using many of the elements from Lewis Carroll’s original did nothing to enhance this new tale. The original “Alice In Wonderland” was a whimsical story, a crazy dream that morphed into a nightmare. This new story fails to capture the original mood, and the inclusion of similar events that had first happened to Alice only made it worse.
“Alice In Wonderland” is one of those old stories that I remember from my childhood. I am usually forgiving of tales that borrow from a classic as long as the newer work has enough originality to impress me. Unfortunately, “The Lost Wonderland Diaries” seemed unable to capture that freshnessf. It is mildly entertaining but not enough to where I could picture it linking up with Lewis Carroll’s book. Three stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for a complimentary electronic copy of this title.
I am assuming that the author was attempting to capture the essence of the original Lewis Carroll books, to write another children’s book that could be an addendum to Carroll’s story. At times the efforts achieved their goals, mostly with the descriptions of scenes. There were some clever puns and word depictions of everyday phrases. I found these more entertaining than some of the conversations. Sometimes forced humor caused the book to fall flat and prevent it from living up to its potential.
There were many scenes when it felt like the scene was taken from the original book. Yes, the characters had changed (Celia and Tyrus substituted for Alice) and the dialogue was different, but using many of the elements from Lewis Carroll’s original did nothing to enhance this new tale. The original “Alice In Wonderland” was a whimsical story, a crazy dream that morphed into a nightmare. This new story fails to capture the original mood, and the inclusion of similar events that had first happened to Alice only made it worse.
“Alice In Wonderland” is one of those old stories that I remember from my childhood. I am usually forgiving of tales that borrow from a classic as long as the newer work has enough originality to impress me. Unfortunately, “The Lost Wonderland Diaries” seemed unable to capture that freshnessf. It is mildly entertaining but not enough to where I could picture it linking up with Lewis Carroll’s book. Three stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for a complimentary electronic copy of this title.
I am slightly underwhelmed by this book. I went into this really excited about a new Wonderland retelling and where the story has lots of teachable moments, I just didn't get into the story line like I was really hoping. I think that it was very cool to see all of the original storybook characters, but didn't feel that they were vibrant enough to really live on their own. Retellings are rough because you need a good balance of nostalgia and reinvention. I think that the moral of the story was wonderful. Owning who you are and feeling pride in what makes you up. I think the open ended possibility of continuing this into a series means that there is room to grow and develop the characters and plot more which is an exciting endeavor. I think that overall as a middle grade read this has a good message to pass on to children, but it is not a memorable story that will grow with them.