The place is England, and it is 1919. The famous Alice from Alice in Wonderland is now a grandmother, and she has a granddaughter named Alyce. Alyce has been sent to live with Alice.
Alyce isn’t quite sure what to think of her grandmother’s stories about all of the strange characters she met in Wonderland. Alyce thinks she has just imagined all of it. But then she, Alyce, receives an invitation. She is uncertain the invitation is meant for her, but it has to be since it hit her in the face. Still undecided how to handle this, she falls into the water. . .
And she pops out in Wonderland where she meets an entire cast of wild and crazy characters. Alyce is about to have adventures in this strange world just as her grandmother did. But those adventures will not be the same ones her grandmother had.
Alyce finds the Sun King and the Queen of the Moon fighting over a stolen hour, and Alyce is soon given the job of solving that situation along with the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, and the Sailor Fox. It is very entertaining reading how she goes about solving this problem in a land that has to be very confusing for her. And the tale of the stolen hour reminded me a lot of Daylight Savings Time, which we just ended and, in my opinion, should be done away with.
It has been a long time since I read Alice in Wonderland. I’m thinking I read it about 51 years ago, but since I take really good care of my books you can tell my copy is old, but it is nowhere near falling apart. I remember that I enjoyed it immensely, and I highly recommend reading Alice’s adventures before you open the pages to this book and read Alyce’s. I wonder – when Alyce has a granddaughter, what will she think of Alyce’s stories?
A set of both books would be a spectacular gift for your daughter or granddaughter who loves to read and has a love of great books. This book won’t be released until January 6, 2026, so why not go ahead and pre-order a copy? And while you wait for it to be released, you can get a copy of the Alice in Wonderland for your daughter or granddaughter to read before they receive their copy of Alice with a Why.
Amazon Links:
Alice in Wonderland
Alice with a Why
Favorite Sentences
For Alice is Alyce’s grandmother, and Alyce is Alice’s granddaughter; I’m not sure how much plainer I can make it.
The invitation was on thick card and was just about readable, although some letters were blurred and smudged and some bits of paper had burned away entirely.
Alyce gave a small yawn, as she felt she had been floating for a very long time now, and she wondered if this was to be her life forever.
Everything was maddening here, except for the Fox.
About the Author:
Anna James is a writer and journalist from Northumberland who currently lives in north London. She’s the author of two fantasy adventure series for 7+ readers.
Pages & Co is an internationally bestselling series of six books about a magical bookshop where readers can travel inside of books to meet characters including Alice in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, Robin Hood and the Greek gods. The Age of Enchantment is the first of a four book fantasy series called the Chronicles of Whetherwhy, about a magical island where magic grows from the changing seasons.
Anna has formerly been a school librarian, books journalist (including as the Book News Editor at The Bookseller and Literary Editor at ELLE UK) and literary scout. She hosts literary events and panels for festivals and bookshops, as well as writing about theatre for The Stage and WhatsOnStage. Her podcast, Bookwandering, features her in conversation with other creatives about their most beloved children’s books.
