The Lost Wonderland Diaries

by J. Scott Savage

Publication Date: 9/8/20

Hardcover

ISBN: 9781629727868

Retail Price: $17.99 Page Count: 352

Middle Grade Fantasy

Cover Illustration: Kevin Keele

Book Design: © Shadow Mountain

Art Direction: Richard Erickson

Design: Sheryl Dickert Smith

Synopsis:

Something monstrous wants to exit Wonderland and enter the real world.

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?

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Praise for The Lost Wonderland Diaries

“Savage pays homage to Carroll’s world with imagination as well as a notable love for math and literature while adding his own ingenious twists to the original. Both Celia and Tyrus struggle with bullying back home, and Celia’s dyslexia is a constant source of frustration when other kids underestimate her intelligence, and the book ultimately offers a message of empowerment and self-love. A fun and clever return to Wonderland.” –Kirkus

“It’s very clear that Scott not only loves the [Wonderland] books, but he GETS them. He gets Lewis Carroll/Charles Dodgson. His love of wordplay, which is so often missing from sequels and interpretations! The math! The names! The puns! What a delight! This is both an action-adventure and a wonderful exploration of Wonderland, and written with such sensitivity, too, toward the new main characters and the original characters!” –Jessica Day George, NYT bestselling author

“A whimsical adventure packed with clever puzzles and plenty of heart. Whether you’re already a fan of Wonderland, or new to Lewis Carroll’s world, you’ll be so glad you fell down this rabbit hole!” –Shannon Messenger, NYT bestselling author

About the Author

J. SCOTT SAVAGE is the author of both the Mysteries of Cove and the Farworld middle grade fantasy series and the Case File 13 middle grade monster series. He has published 19 books, visited more than 3,000 schools, and taught dozens of writing classes.

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My Review

5 stars

Celia has just moved to a new town where her mother is the new librarian. But the library is the last place Celia wants to be; she has dyslexia and finds this a nightmare world. One day at the library she meets another kid, Tyrus. Through a misunderstanding they end up in her mother’s office opening a mysterious box. The box ends up holding the four missing Wonderland journals of Lewis Carrol.

Celia and Tyrus find themselves sucked into Wonderland. But this is not the Wonderland from the Alice stories. A dark shadow is warping the characters and threatening to destroy everything. Celia wants nothing more than to go home but Tyrus is wrapped up in the Wonderland story. Both children are going to have to come together to save Wonderland before it is destroyed and our world next.

This is a great story for any age. I love how it is geared to mid grade readers and hoe it touches on bullies, being different, and dyslexia. I had to laugh at the part where Celia is thinking about how adventure stories don’t talk about the kids that hide in their rooms or call a parent or the police.

I really recommend this story for any younger reader and those that love the Alice in Wonderland stories. This was a great reimagining that kind of has me hoping that we will come back to this world and maybe Through the Looking Glass.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank Shadow Mountain Publishing for the opportunity to read and share this book.