Alice with a Why - Middle Grade Review

Goodreads: Alice with a Why by Anna James

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Library

Description:  England, 1919. Alyce – with a Y – lives with her grandmother, the original Alice, having lost her father during the Great War. When a mysterious invitation to a tea party hits her square in the face, Alyce realizes her grandmother’s strange stories of a place called Wonderland might have some truth to them after all.

But the land Alyce finds herself in feels different from the Wonderland of her grandmother’s stories – for it is trapped in its own war. The Sun King and the Queen of the Moon are fighting over a stolen hour, and soon Alyce is tasked with setting it right. With the help of the Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and a Sailor Fox, Alyce will have to solve Wonderland’s problems and, eventually, find her way back home.

Enter an enchanting adventure through Wonderland. Starring new characters and old favourites, Alice With a Why is both a celebration of Lewis Carroll's beloved original story, and a modern masterpiece.

Genre: Middle Grade

Why I Picked This Book:   I've really enjoyed another book by this author and the premise caught my eye.

My Impression: To be completely honest I'm not a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland.  I love the story itself, and the Disney movie is one of my favorites, but the book itself feels a little bit like someone telling me about their dream in great detail.

With that in mind, this was a fun read.  It had all the madcap feel and world play of the original Alice story but with a new Alyce.  I loved the play on the different versions of Alice and I loved seeing the familiar characters.  There are a few moments of poignancy mixed in with the craziness.  I also really enjoyed seeing the original Alice in adulthood.  

This was a quick read that I very much enjoyed.  There's not a lot of character development but there is a lot of fun.  It'd be a good companion to the movie or the original book as well as being enjoyable on its own.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  This is the second book by this author that I've read and I've really enjoyed both.

Would I Recommend this Book?  I would - especially if you're in the mood for a quirky middle grade.