(3) K-3 Illustrated by Júlia Sardà. Krull embraces the absurdity of Carroll's writing in her whimsical biographical sketch of the author and the creation of his most famous work, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. She emphasizes the imaginative entertainment he devised for children, creatively incorporating some of his invented words (such as frabjous and mimsy) and including them in an appended glossary. Sardà's fantastical, idiosyncratic illustrations channel Carroll's genius for nonsense.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) YA In this compelling reimagining of Carroll's famous heroine, we are introduced to a black Alice who courageously battles monsters appropriately called Nightmares in the dream realm of Wonderland. Alice also battles grief in the loss of her father, violence in her Atlanta neighborhood, and a clingy mom. In this action-packed fantasy remix, readers will simultaneously cheer our heroine and hang on for the ride.

Reviewer: Monique Harris

(3) K-3 Bachelet hypothesizes a diary entry by the White Rabbit's wife, about her at-home-mom life while her husband is at work at the palace. Wonderland characters grace the art, which shimmers with winking allusions to Carroll's original work; the text's darker elements (e.g., Mrs. Rabbit wishes her husband "paid just a little attention to me every once in a while") skew toward mature picture-book readers.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Whatever After series. Instead of going through the magic mirror into a classic fairy tale with her brother, Abby this time story-travels with her friends Robin and Frankie and stuck-up frenemy Penny into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; as usual, the original story gets mixed up. This longer "special edition" includes appended activities, though it's also more meandering than previous installments; nevertheless, Abby's fans should gobble it up.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) YA Dinah, heir to Wonderland's throne, has been exiled by her murderous father, the King of Hearts. Aided by the Spade Sir Gorrann, Dinah gathers allies and matures from a naive, bereft princess into a warrior prepared to fight to become Queen of Hearts. Propelled by a fast-paced plot, this sequel to Queen of Hearts continues to take Carroll's familiar literary characters to exciting new places.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA Dinah, the rage-filled heir to Wonderland's throne, marches to war to claim her right as queen. Secrets and surprises (betrayals! beheadings!) abound in this final installment (Queen of Hearts; Blood of Wonderland) in Oakes's reimagining of the heartbreaking life of Carroll's classic villain. By story's end, fury still burns inside the Queen of Hearts but alongside a glimmer of redemption.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Who HQ: Who Was...? series. Illustrated by Joseph J. M. Qiu. Grosset's long-running Who Was...? series is re-branded. These readable, informative biographies are marred only by the caricatured cover illustrations (typical of the classic series) and interior pencil illustrations that are inconsistent in style. Otherwise, these will give young readers a good sense of who these people were (or are). Occasional full- and double-page text boxes successfully illuminate related topics. Timeline. Bib. Review covers these Who HQ: Who Was...? titles: Who Was Jane Austen?, Who Was Chuck Jones?, Who Was Coretta Scott King?, Who Is Ralph Lauren? Who Was Alexander Hamilton?, Who Was Lewis Carroll?, Who Is Pope Francis?, and Who Was Andrew Jackson?.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) YA Pete and Gwen lead the surviving Lost Boys to safety while the effects of the Horologia virus epidemic expand. In this sometimes muddled sequel to Everland, Spinale compounds her dystopic revision of Peter Pan with the addition of Alyssa and other figures borrowed from Carroll's Wonderland. Unexpected alliances and betrayals abound, and everything leads to a poison apple tree inside a magical labyrinth.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) K-3 A cat steals the red rose Lazlo bought for his love, the star in a theater production of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. A merry backstage chase ensues. Short declarative sentences complement the pen-and-ink illustrations, full of Alice references. Minimal color is used to great effect against intricate black-and-white surroundings. An author's note includes information about theatrical superstitions, many of which these characters humorously break.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(4) YA When talented baker Catherine discovers that the King of Hearts plans to propose to her, it threatens to destroy both her dream of opening a bakery and her budding romance with the mysterious Jest. This imaginative backstory for Wonderland's brutal Queen of Hearts (from Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) has an engaging heroine, but her descent into darkness is unfortunately too abrupt.

Reviewer: Siena Leslie

(3) YA Carroll's iconic Queen of Hearts gains a dark, complex backstory. Fifteen-year-old Dinah, Princess of Wonderland, is eager to someday reign as Queen of Hearts. Her circumstances change, however, as enemies, including her cruel-hearted father, conspire against her, and she is blamed for her mad brother's murder. The reinventions of classic characters are clever, and despite foreshadowing of the future queen's villainy, Dinah remains sympathetic.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) YA Alyssa (Splintered; Unhinged) travels through the looking-glass world with her father to return to Wonderland and confront Queen Red; meanwhile, Alyssa loves and wants to save Jeb, but Morpheus loves and wants to marry her. By this final installment, the dark, overly complicated trilogy has traveled far from its source material, though the creative ending should satisfy series followers.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) YA Three novellas fill in the gaps of Alyssa (Splintered; Unhinged; Ensnared) and her family's history: her mother Alison's story, her boyfriend Jeb's experience in Wonderland, and a succession of Alyssa's own memories of a life lived both above- and belowground (and with both her love interests). The overdramatic snapshots serve as no more and no less than wish fulfillment for series fans.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) YA Alyssa left Wonderland (in Splintered) a year ago, but now her dreams foreshadow new trouble there. When Wonderland's inhabitants enter the human realm, Alyssa's two worlds collide. Though a romantic triangle and Alyssa's identity struggle bog down this second installment, fans will be intrigued by the cliffhanger ending, which hints at future trips to Wonderland--and to "the looking-glass world, AnyElsewhere."

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(4) 4-6 Calico Chapter Books: Adventures in Extreme Reading series. Illustrated by Scott Altmann. When Uncle Dan's virtual-reality computer program that immerses readers in books is hacked, cousins Carter and Izzy head into the stories to stop the violator. Each title in this tech-savvy series focuses on a different classic novel; some may be confusing to readers unfamiliar with the original, but overall these books could serve as gateways to classic literature for children. Review covers these Adventures in Extreme Reading titles: The Calm Before the Storm, Hack Attack, Lightning Strikes Twice, and Trapped in Stormy Seas.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Zdenko Basic. "Do not have definite expectations before you start your journey," advises W. Rabbit, Esquire, in a small attached booklet at the beginning of this interactive volume. Readers travel through a Wonderland where pulling tabs makes the bobble-headed Alice grow and the Cheshire Cat disappear. The zany illustrations are distractingly busy but intriguingly creepy. Castor's heavily abridged text may draw readers to Carroll's original.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Sonny Liew. This Alice in Wonderland-inspired graphic novel focuses on Alice look-alike Mary Ann, the White Rabbit's housemaid referenced in Carroll's story. Mary Ann falls down a treacle well and encounters the Queen of Spades, who foments rebellion. Kovac and Liew have great fun with frenetic, nonsense-heavy text and illustrations. Hardcore Alice fans may appreciate the story's many referents, but others will be mystified.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Blair. The illustrations by Mary Blair, concept artist for the 1951 movie, feature darkly hued paintings full of rough brush strokes and dabs of ink that turn the familiar into something enchantingly different. As for the text, Scieszka keeps the sentences simple and engages readers directly ("Alice...did exactly what you would do") while managing a few deft Scieszkaian touches.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008

(1) K-3 Myers relocates Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem to a city basketball court. Superbly composed paintings full of sinuous arms, sharp angles, and low-to-the-ground perspectives capture the ominous mood. Bold design lets the text become a visual element, employing agitated block letters, some placed on patches of color to provide emphasis. Myers's approach is fresh, and the art and design are in synch.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2008

(3) YA Princess Alyss Heart is heir to the throne of Wonderland. After her aunt Redd murders Alyss's parents, Alyss escapes to Lewis Carroll's England; thirteen years later, she returns to lead resistance fighters against Redd's tyranny. Imagination as power propels this fantastical (and violent) re-creation of Carroll's world. Whimsy and pain movingly intertwine and characters deepen as the pages fly by. Timeline.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross