Alice in Wonderland High

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Author(s)

Rachel Shane

Publisher

Merit Press

Genre(s)

Age Range

12+

Release Date

April 18, 2015

ISBN

978-1440584664

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Will this Mad Tea Party put Alice in hot water? Alice is rebellion-ready, eager to save the world and come into her own. Led into a secret society of young eco-vigilantes at school, she feels like she's in wonderland, until one of the cool kids tries to frame Alice for all the illegal pranks they've pulled. Can Alice find out the gang's secret before she ends up in jail?

Editor reviews

2 reviews

A Wonderland retelling meets environmentalism plus cute Chester boy with a wicked smile

May 14, 2015

Overall rating

4.7

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Alice may not have been quite as extreme as her parents were about environmentalism before they died, but she still firmly believes in the cause and wants to take strong action. After her own activism routes seem sub-par, Alice discovers a hidden world of environmental vigilantes at her high school who might be willing to make her part of the group…if she can prepare herself for what’s in store if she does.

As soon as I read the premise for this story, I had to read it. A Wonderland retelling meets environmentalism plus cute Chester boy with a wicked smile? Hand it over immediately, please and thank you. Rachel Shane does a marvelous job with this novel. Keeping with the strangeness and oddities of the original Alice in Wonderland, the contemporary and environmental twists are stunning. All the favorite characters from the Mad Hatter to Dinah the cat are included in some form, and the nuances of the original story are incorporated magnificently, signifying a clear mastery of retelling from the author.

My favorite part is the witty and hilarious writing. Alice’s perspective will leave readers chuckling, smirking, solemnly nodding, and even occasionally grinning like a certain Cheshire. She is without a doubt, weird, hopeful, brave, curious, and eager, making her an absolute delight to follow. The secondary characters, especially Kingston Hatter, are bursting with complexity and riddles galore that will make you willing to go down any rabbit hole to find out their secrets. Through the characters, Shane also adds intriguing openings for discussions of homelessness, family relationships, illness, and government secrets.

For readers eager for something different, strange, and wonderful, Alice in Wonderland High would be my first recommendation. Brimming with humorous and meaningful writing, Rachel Shane delivers an unforgettable story about the rabbit holes we go down to accomplish something worthwhile and the people we meet along the way.

Samantha Randolph Top 50 Reviewer 302 reviews

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This book is fast paced and definitely a great read for the summer!

May 24, 2015

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5.0

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When I received this book in the mail, (a huge thank you to the author and Merit Press!) I was an excited bookworm. I grew up with lots of Disney and classical books, so I was crossing my fingers, hoping I would love this book... and I did!

In this retelling, we come across Alice who is a sixteen year old girl that unfortunately just lost her parents to a car crash. Her parents were environmentalists and had hoped that Alice would continue on for them.

Not wanting to fail her parents, she decides that she needs to keep her promise to them and tries to bring attention to the environment. But when Alice thinks that she has failed, she comes across a secret group of environmental vigilantes that just might let her into their little secrets...only if she can handle what they do.

Being that Rachel Shane is a debut author, she writes as if she's a seasoned author! Alice in Wonderland High has such a unique twist of a classical book and I didn't want to put it down for anything, not even for sleep! The writing style was enjoyable and fast paced, and Shane had a way of making every single detail precise, which made it easier to picture in my head. I also loved how she was able to throw in clues and hints from the magical world of Wonderland!

In most YA novels, we tend to see characters doing things that probably wouldn't happen in real life. But with our protagonist, I could easily see her as a person and not just a fictional character. She was strong, caring, smart, witty and didn't give up once things went south or when something was thrown her way, which I think a lot of readers will admire about her. Alice was such an entertaining and fun character to read about and I loved every bit of her!

Our love interest, Chester Katz, was definitely a swoon-worthy character. However, I couldn't connect with him on the same level as I did with Alice. I felt as if he was just a non important side character, when in fact he was Alice's boyfriend. I found his character to be interesting, but I think he needed a bit more of development. Nonetheless, I still loved reading about his character and I was happy with how everything turned out for him.

There were also a few secondary characters that I loved and I think my favorite would have to be Kingston Hatter. Not only do I love his name, but also his funny and sarcastic comments that had me either smiling or cracking up!

Last but not least, the romance. Can you say...ADORABLE?! It was so cute getting to see the chemistry fly between Chester and Alice, all I wanted to do was jump up and down. The romance in this book was another aspect that I loved and I just couldn't get enough of it. The author definitely did a great job in developing the romance to be as realistic as possible and not just an insta-love reaction.

Overall, Alice in Wonderland High was an amazing retelling and I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who is interested in trying something new! This book will have you smiling, shaking your head, and laughing all at once. Definitely a must-read for the summer!

Good Points

The author put such a unique twist on the classical of Alice in Wonderland and I loved everything about this book! From the romance, to the humor to the characters, this book will surely get you out of your reading slump!