Author & Illustrators
Alice with a Why is a charming and imaginative reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s beloved Wonderland, perfect for young readers and nostalgic adults alike.
This enchanting tale follows Alyce, the curious granddaughter of Alice, as she tumbles back into the topsy-turvy world her grandmother once explored. With familiar, friendly characters making delightful returns, like the Mad Hatter and the Caterpillar, the story follows Alyce’s journey through Wonderland as she searches for The Time Being to put a stop to a celestial feud between the Queen of the Moon and the Sun King.
Alyce’s determination, kindness and hope guide her through a whimsical yet heartfelt journey, making it a wonderful read for classrooms and bedtime alike. Themes of empathy, courage, and problem-solving shine throughout, offering valuable discussion points for teachers and parents.
As a real fan of Pages and Co by Anna James, I was quite desperate to get my hands on this new book in a fresh series from her. I was not in the least bit disappointed. There is something about her writing that firstly makes you wish that you had thought of it yourself.
Anna James’ writing is delicious in every sense of the word. Her books make you feel hungry and just wish you were there. Whilst at first glance this seems like a predictable tale, it has charm and magic all its own. The quote on the cover by Kieran Larwood (Podkin One-Ear) sums it up for me. “Crackling with enchanting magic.”
This book positively fizzes with magic and interesting ideas. The cover by Artem Cheboka is lovely, but the internal illustrations by David Wyatt are just stunning. They bring the story to life and whole pages of detailed drawings make you want to look even more closely at what is going on.
This is one of my favourite books of this year and I cannot wait for the next Chronicle!
Here’s one for the booklovers! Pages & Co: Tilly and the Bookwanderers is a middle-grade adventure where classic children’s characters wander from the pages of their books out into a bookshop, where they lead 11-year-old Tilly back into their fictional worlds.
Tilly lives with her grandparents in their bookshop, ‘Pages & Co’. Tilly’s mum mysteriously disappeared when she was very small and she knows very little about her dad. Often lonely, Tilly finds solace among the pages of the wonderful books in the bookshop. One day, things take a thrilling turn when Anne of Green Gables appears in the shop, soon after followed by Alice in Wonderland. Tilly’s world is turned upside down when she realises that not only can characters from the books leave their stories and come into her world, but she can wander right into theirs too. Tilly is a bookwanderer!
Along with her best friend Oskar, Tilly embarks upon a bookwandering adventure beyond her wildest imagination. But among the sheer joy of visiting fictional worlds, questions begin to emerge about bookwandering. Is there a network of other bookwanderers like her? Why is the mysterious Enoch Chalk always loitering nearby? Can bookwandering help Tilly solve the mystery of what really happened to her mother all those years ago? Do her grandparents know more than they have let on about the world of bookwandering?
This is a clever story with a high appeal to booklovers. Readers with prior knowledge of the classic book characters will get the most out of this book, but this is by no means a prerequisite for enjoying the story with its convincing characterisation, creative world-building and enjoyable plot twists and turns. A delightful story set to charm readers young and old.
review
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Any other comments
Any other comments