J Scott Savage is brilliant. Loved this book felt like I was reading a book by Lewis Carroll. It was fantastic, will love to recommend to all the kids at our library. Definitely a book club book.

A whimsical fantasy adventure of two unlikely friends who fall into a Wonderland that's plagued by a darkness that seeks to open the door to earth. While Celia loves math and logic, Tyrus loves books and fantasies. Can their new friendship survive such opposing viewpoints? If they hope to find their way back home, they'll have to work together despite such stark differences.

I loved the characters and their very heartfelt fears about going to a new school. They each have been bullied because of their differences. In Wonderland, they'll come face to face with these fears while also meeting the most odd, misfit people that populate this world. It will challenge them in earnest. Their struggles are easily felt even as an adult who's gone through the terror of a new school in a new town and the fear of being different.

Savage does a great job creating a Wonderland-esque journey that strongly harkens to the original work while also making it fresh. I've seen the Disney movie and never really liked it. Too much nonsense. But I've found its the remakes I really enjoy as they find that perfect balance of nonsensical and meaningful. "The Looking Glass Wars?" Awesome. This book? Loved even more.

The new take on very familiar characters was refreshing, the clever wordplay was sublime, the creative solutions to problems that could only arise in a place like Wonderland were delightful, and the character growth was impactful. The characters feel age appropriate while also discovering new ways of seeing themselves. The world building is mischievously enchanting. This book would sit very comfortably on a shelf next to Chris Colfer's "Land of Stories." Highly recommended!

This is a really fun book. I have read many books that follow a similar concept where kids go into a book. But this was the first one with Alice in Wonderland. The world of Alice in Wonderland really lends itself to this. It has many familiar characters as well as some new ones. Though it does require a fairly good understanding of Alice in Wonderland to really enjoy it. I did find that there were moments where the author forgot the audience because with a middle school novel you should not have to explain Minecraft.

This book is the PERFECT Alice in Wonderland inspired middle grade novel I've had the pleasure to read. I heard the author talk about it at a conference in February, and I've been anxiously waiting to read it ever since. It did not disappoint.

Celia is such a relatable main character, and she has dyslexia. I absolutely loved the portrayal of her struggle with words and the little tricks she uses to help. I worked tutoring elementary school aged kids in reading and math for three years and came across a few who were dyslexic. I wish I'd been able to read this book with them.

Besides the lovable main character, the story was so charming. It felt very true to Lewis Carroll's world and was chock-full of word play, riddles, and quirky characters. Plus there were really fun text features that were very engaging. I found myself giggling multiple times throughout the book.

Add to all this a great plot and supporting cast of characters and this book is an all around winner. I can't wait to share it with my kids.

I fell in love with that book series !
Can't wait for #2 !

Je voudrais d’abord remercier NetGalley et les éditions Shadow Mountain Publishing de m’avoir envoyé gratuitement ce livre en échange d’une critique honnête.
Je l’ai sélectionné car le résumé me faisait très très envie, un roman jeunesse avec des enfants qui basculent au Pays des Merveilles, et qui retrouvent les personnages les plus connus comme le Chat du Cheshire, le Chapelier Fou ou la Reine du Coeur, ça avait vraiment l’air top.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Note : 4.5 sur 5.

Et j’ai beaucoup aimé ma lecture. J’adore l’univers d’Alice au pays des merveilles, c’est un classique qui a une place toute particulière dans mon coeur. J’aime le livre, j’aime le Disney, j’aime le film de Burton. C’était vraiment un grand plaisir pour moi que de redécouvrir ce monde, et c’est pour ça que je lis pas mal de réécritures, c’est toujours très intéressant de voir des univers connus à travers les yeux d’un autre auteur que celui du livre d’origine.

Les deux personnages principaux, Celia et Tyrus, sont très attachants, et surtout très bien écrits. Pas de clichés, pas de vieilles réflexions ou critiques, au contraire, leur épopée prend une dimension initiatique : ils apprennent à se connaître, à s’assumer avec leur différence. Le message passé est très beau, et je suis heureuse de voir cela dans un roman jeunesse. C’est important, et je pense que ça en fait un roman qui peut facilement être étudié en école primaire. A la fin, il y a également une liste de « pistes de réflexion » autour du livre, pour amener les enfants-lecteurs à se questionner et à mieux comprendre, c’est une idée géniale (je ne sais pas si ça vient de l’auteur ou de la maison d’édition).

Les autres personnages sont tout aussi sympathiques que le duo principal. Ceux que l’on connaît déjà sont fidèles à ce que l’on sait d’eux. J’ai même trouvé que la façon dont certains sont traités est vraiment originale, on ne nous fait pas juste un copier-coller du Chapelier Fou, de la Chenille, de la Duchesse, de la Reine de Coeur et du Lapin Blanc, ils ont une vraie évolution depuis Alice au pays des merveilles.
Et les nouveaux personnages sont géniaux. Et quand je dis géniaux, je veux dire GENIAUX. La luciole et la grenouille à l’entrée de la maison de la Duchesse sont autant de personnages hilarants, et ils ont 100% leur place au Pays des Merveilles. Je vous renvoie au coin citations pour les passages drôles.

Tout le roman est très visuel, sans qu’il y ait énormément de descriptions. Je le verrai très bien adapté au cinéma en film d’animation, ou même en film classique. Même les dialogues des personnages sonnent juste à l’oreille, j’avais pratiquement l’impression de les entendre parler.

En conclusion, j’ai vraiment passé un très bon moment avec cette histoire. C’est le premier tome d’une saga, je ne sais pas encore si ce sera une duologie, une trilogie, ou autres. Je pense que je vais acheter la version papier quand elle sortira, car je sais que j’aurais envie de le relire à l’avenir. J’espère aussi qu’il sera un jour publié en France…

Fantastic author! Wonderful book. Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to read this. Would definitely recommend this

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE?

This book is intended for children 8-11 years old or grade level 4-6. I will testify that people of all ages will enjoy this story, as I am much older than 11 and I enjoyed this very much.

SYNOPSIS

The Lost Wonderland Diaries is a wonderful story about a young girl and her friend in Wonderland. Celia is the main character and she is dyslexic. She befriends a young boy named Tyrus who happens to be a book worm. Together they accidently get sucked into Wonderland. Their guide in Wonderland is a charming new character named Sylvan. She is a young rabbit, barely out of bunnyhood, and tasked with finding “Alice” to save Wonderland. Together they have many adventures.

Celia is the daughter of a librarian, which for her is a nightmare because of her difficulty reading. Due to her dyslexia, Celia has put more effort into learning mathematics. Tyrus is a bit of a book nerd with a giant imagination. Celia and Tyrus must combine her knowledge of math with his imagination and knowledge of books to solve puzzles and riddles while making their way through Wonderland and avoiding its hazards.

Something terrible is happening in Wonderland when they arrive. The characters are being turned into monsters! Celia, Tyrus and Sylvan must navigate a variety of hazards, puzzles and monsters not only to get home but to stop whatever is happening in Wonderland. With the help of some of the original cast of characters and a few new ones, they work their way through wonderland discovering not only what is happening, but they discover themselves in the process!

Celia knows math and logic, Tyrus knows books and imagination, and when the two accidentally find themselves in a different and strange land, they are tasked with finding a way home. Soon they figure out they are in Wonderland but not the one Tyrus knows or Celia's great great grandfather wrote about in his story about Alice and her adventures here. But as they work their way through wonderland they make a few friends to help them along the way.

This is a wonderful book on friendship, no matter their differences and how they can do things better together than separate. Celia is dyslexic (a neurodiversity that is close to my heart, as I am dyslexic too but no one knew much about it or any of Celia's tips when I was a kid) and Tyrus just likes books and going to those places in his books as a get away, I do this a lot now. They are both no stranger to being teased and they both are new to the area and school. So I fell in love with these characters right away, they are perfect for this story. Although I have never read Alice's adventures I am interested in it now. The non-stop action and building of suspense are just right and at the right moments. This is a book for everyone to enjoy as there is something in it for everyone.

This review will appear on my blog on Sept 8th.

Another great book from J. Scott Savage. Based on Alice in Wonderland this a much more fun and exciting book. It takes place after the original stories and is a fun way to keep the craziness going.

This was a wonderfully creative book that I thoroughly enjoyed. My 9-year-old daughter read it too, and she also loved it and says she would recommend it for kids her age who love adventure stories.

The Lost Wonderland Diaries by J.Scott Savage

Wonderland is under threat

Celia and Tyrus travel through the portal of one of Charles Dodgson’s diaries to save Wonderland. Along the way they meet a host of colourful characters to help them (some of whom you may remember from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland). Celia also learns to accept herself by the end of the journey.

I thought that this was a highly imaginative story, which tried to keep the spirit of the original stories. I could clearly imagine the author’s world of Wonderland. However, some of the chapters were a bit long winded and veered off the central plot purpose making it at times difficult to follow. Celia’s dyslexia could have been explored a bit more thoughtfully.

However, the characters and the settings do capture the imagination. I gave this 3 out of 5 stars.
With Thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC which I received in exchange for an honest review.

If you are a fan of Alice in Wonderland, this is the book for you and for you to share with your children. It's a fun, layered adventure that includes all the wonderful puzzles and, well . . . WONDER that one would expect from Alice in Wonderland. The characters are charming, intelligent, and interesting and the storyline is one you will want to dive into. It is very much a love letter to Lewis Carroll. Well done and five stars!

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.

A book from Net Galley again. I am so happy with all of the books we read from the active list I have.

It has been a real joy this weekend with my grandchildren and daughter. reading these select books. We have all loved the books. They all have different subjects and are good in their own way.

This one is about the people Alice and the while rabbit have encountered in Wonderland. How the Queen of Hearts deals with those left behind. She has the cards (guards) take care of each and everyone. She yells "Off with their heads" all the time!

We all enjoyed reading this one especially since we watched Alice's movie on the Disney channel before reading this book. It made it more fun.

It is a good book and fun for everyone.

What an absolutely delightful book! I loved this extension of Alice in wonderland. This book would be best suited for more mature readers who. Can handle some tension and fear in a book. Mr. Savage did a wonderful job of capturing the originality of the story and added some wonderful extensions to the story.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good twist on a classic, it was whimsical and magical however I felt it was a little complicated at times considering it is aimed at a younger audience

DNF - I generally do not review books I did not finish, but this needed to be said. The main character in this novel has dyslexia and her IEP generally includes things that would never be included in an IEP. Many teachers would be appalled when reading this and refuse to include it in their classroom library.

I did not read far enough to find out if these accommodations connected to the Alice in Wonderland story. I decided that it didn't really matter if there was a connection. As a reading teacher of many grade levels, I would never want people to believe that there might any way this unscientifically proven accommodation works.

What an awesome idea for a book! It was great to read about what another person's view of Wonderland was like and how the story both kept to the original happenings and explained the "what if" if the story continued. Parts of the story were pretty dark and would recommend it for the upper range of middle grade. I also loved that the story hit on issues of bullying and dyslexia which, as a middle school teacher, I encounter more and more kids with the learning disability that would love to see some one with their condition written into a book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It is said Lewis Carroll wrote thirteen diaries throughout his life, but four of them went missing and never found. That is until Tyrus and Celia, two students with their quirks and diverse personalities, found an old chest with a riddle on it that contains said lost diaries.
This will only be the beginning of a mad journey through a portal and into THE Wonderland from Lewis Caroll's books, only that it exists and is in peril. They need The Alice and it seems Celia or Tyrus is the one they're looking for.

Get ready to meet again well-known characters from the books as well some new others as well a few old characters with a modern twist. There are so many familiar elements from the book but still plenty of new things to discover as we follow our main characters through the vast world of Wonderland.

The Lost Wonderland Diaries is a journey as chaotic and rushed as Alice in Wonderland where our little friends retrace Alice's steps but with little twists and turns and more humour and quizzes. This is only the beginning.

Loved this book. Great fun. The writing is wonderful as is the story. I shall certainly be recommending this book to the kids book club I run.