SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Manga
  • All Ages
  • Young Adult
  • Interviews
  • News

August 29, 2009 by Snow Wildsmith

Review: Wonderland

August 29, 2009 by Snow Wildsmith   Leave a Comment

We all know the story–girl falls down a rabbit hole, discovers various potions to change her shape, makes strange new acquaintances, and finally escapes the despotic government. But what of the people left behind? What of the little people of Wonderland, the cards, the rabbits, the maids? This is the story of Mary Ann, the maid of the White Rabbit, and her adventures in Wonderland.

Wonderland
Written by Tommy Kovac; illustrated by Sonny Liew
Ages 13+
Disney Press, 2008, ISBN(hdbk): 978-142310451-3
160 pages, $19.99

Is Wonderland really Wonderland without Alice? In the hands of Tommy Kovac and Sonny Liew it is! They’ve opted to create a Wonderland tale that doesn’t show Alice as anything more than a shadow in one scene, though her presence is all over the story, looming as large as she ever did after drinking from a mysterious bottle. Mary Ann is a nice stand-in for Alice, though, without being anything other than her own person. She’s fussy and fidgety, quick to get annoyed, but also quick to defend the hard work done by maids everywhere. The Wonderland regulars all turn out. The White Rabbit is a silly caricature of British gentry, the Mad Hatter is…well, mad, and the Cheshire Cat is frankly a little creepy. All much as they were when Lewis Carroll first created them, even down to the dry British humor. But the magic in Kovac’s writing is that he carefully stays on the side of homage and sequel, rather than just making his tale a rehash of Carroll’s work.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Liew’s art is a wonder to behold in itself. Using an autumn palette keeps the art from any hint of cartoonishness, even as his characters have the exaggerated features of a comic strip. Liew has a way with text bubbles, altering them as needed to fit various characters. The Queen of Hearts, for example, always has hearts bordering her speeches, while the Jabberwocky’s exclamations are more liquid looking. Visual puns are as prevalent as literary ones, such as when the White Rabbit’s pocket-watch "clocks" someone upside the head. Chapter dividers are as lavishly illustrated as the rest of the pages, making the book seem complete and somehow fancier.

What keeps this from being an all ages title is not any amount of cartoon violence or even the Queen’s constant exhortations to "Cut Off Her Head!!!" Instead it is that readers really need to have read the original Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass to know what is going on. There isn’t much time wasted on explanations of who various characters are, but fans of the book will instantly recognize the people and situations hinted at by Kovac and Liew. This would make a terrific companion to a classroom discussion of Alice in Wonderland or the two would pair up nicely for a summer reading assignment. Fans of Carroll’s work will love this chaotic, silly, fun companion story.

This review is based on a complimentary copy supplied by the publisher. All images copyright © Disney Press.

Filed under: Graphic Novels, Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Snow Wildsmith

Snow Wildsmith is a writer and former teen librarian. She has served on several committees for the American Library Association/Young Adult Library Services Association, including the 2010 Michael L. Printz Award Committee. She reviews graphic novels for Booklist, ICv2's Guide, No Flying No Tights, and Good Comics for Kids and also writes booktalks and creates recommended reading lists for Ebsco's NoveList database. Currently she is working on her first books, a nonfiction series for teens.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

May 2023

School-Live!: Letters | Review

by Snow Wildsmith

May 2023

Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea | Review

by Snow Wildsmith

May 2023

Thinking of You (But Not Like In a Weird Creepy Way) | Review

by Snow Wildsmith

May 2023

Four Eyes | Review

by Snow Wildsmith

April 2023

Frizzy | Review

by Snow Wildsmith

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Watch The Yarn LIVE with Kate DiCamillo at ALA!

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Heists, Celebrity, and Mystery: An Interview with Nicholas Day About The Mona Lisa Vanishes

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Suee and the Strange White Light | This Week’s Comics

by Lori Henderson

Heavy Medal

More Mock-Newbery Titles Needed: Share June Suggestions Now

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

“Enough with the chicken noises.” A guest post by Sean Ferrell

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Trying Something New: SPEED ROUND w/ Marla Frazee, Doug Salati, Dan Santat, and Amina Luqman-Dawson

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

15 Franco-Belgian Comics That Go Beyond "Tintin"

Eight Graphic Works that Offer Fresh Perspectives on the Past | Stellar Panels

25 Funny Books for Unfunny Times

First-Person Graphic Memoirs: 17 Recommended Titles

Best Graphic Novels 2020 | SLJ Best Books

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023