Alice with a Why - Anna James - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Anna James

ILLUSTRATOR: Matthew Land

GENRE: Middle-grade Fantasy

PUBLICATION DATE: January 6, 2026

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A middle-grade fantasy offering a continuation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, albeit with another *Alyce*. Interesting characters (some old, some new), fun adventures and zingy one-liners. Not as nonsensical as the original, but still quite absurd. Quite clever as an unofficial sequel, but most of the jokes will click better if you know the Lewis Carroll work. Recommended.

Plot Preview:

1919. England. After having lost her father during the Great War, Alyce – with a Y – lives with her grandmother, the original Alice who still speaks about her visit to Wonderland even though no one takes her seriously. When a mysterious invitation to a tea party hits Alyce (literally), she assumes that it’s for her. After all, many people confuse the spellings, and why would anyone invite her grandma to a tea party anyway? But soon, Alyce realises that her grandma’s stories had some element of truth. This Wonderland is slightly different from the one she had heard about. Worse, though the *wrong* Alyce turned up, the strange denizens of Wonderland expect this “Alice” to solve their problems just like “their Alice” did many years ago. And the problem is indeed a big one.

The story comes to us in Alyce’s third-person perspective.

While I am not the biggest fan of Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” (it was much too meandering and absurd for my liking), I still enjoy its quirky characters, clever wordplay, and witty repartee. As such, I was delighted to see this sequel-of-sorts contain all of these, and more.

Bookish Yays:

🦊 The clever title, which offers an instant recollection of another classic, ‘Anne of Green Gables’ and her ‘Anne with an E’.

🦊 Alyce. She’s not as curious or imaginative as her grandma Alice, so she’s more my kind of girl. 😅 It is fun to see her trying to figure out her way back home while being so frustrated by the inanities of Wonderland.

🦊 Carroll’s Alice, who regularly pops up in the plot, either in a direct appearance or because of the Wonderland characters’ references to “their Alice”. We needed more of her.

🦊 The whole Alyce-Alice confusion. Adds a whole load of fun to many situations. The “Alice with a Why” conversation towards the start is hilarious.

🦊 The absurdities. To be fair, this definitely isn’t at the same level of madness as Lewis Carroll’s world, which might be why it worked better for me. Things are silly but still convincing.

🦊 The word play and the witty repartee. Almost as entertaining as in the original.

🦊 The adventures that Alyce goes through. Somewhat reminiscent of the episodic journey that the original Alice experiences in Wonderland, and almost as fun. On the bizarre scale, this story is somewhat tame, though this will bother only those who expect the same crazy developments as found in the classic.

🦊 The “situation” that the Wonderland denizens want Alyce to sort out. I love the clever incorporation of a certain real-life event into the plot. To be clear, this event is practised only in one-third of the world’s countries (Can you guess what I’m talking about without cheating and peeking into other reviews? 😁) and it isn't even referenced by its actual name in the book, so it won't work for children who aren’t aware of it. Regardless, even without knowing the basis for the same, it is an entertaining addition as its success as a plot point isn't dependent on prior knowledge. There are two new royal characters connected to this arc, and while not as wacko as the Red Queen, they are still comically self-serving.

🦊 The way the story brings out the importance of discussion and open communication – subtle but good.

🦊 The B&W illustrations. Matched the quirkiness of the story very well. I wish there had been more artwork, especially as the story itself was relatively short.

Bookish Okays:

🐭 The Wonderland characters. Several reprise their roles from the original, though a few key players are conspicuous in their absence. There are some new characters as well, the best of whom is Fox. A part of me wonders if Alyce saw him as a metaphorical representation of her late father. Sadly, just as in the classic, there are too many characters, but unlike the original, the short length of this book doesn’t allow deep character development.

🐭 The minimal role the prologue plays in the plot. The house-used-as-hospital-during-war backstory wasn’t even used ahead, so it was not really necessary. The absence of Alyce’s mom is explained but it is more like a quick one-liner mention. Then again, this is a story about Alyce and not her family, so I guess this isn't a major issue. I do wish there had been more of Dinah the cat(s) in the main story.

Overall, this middle-grade fantasy was a pleasant surprise for me. The characters, the adventure, and the humour mostly delivered on point, and they might work even better for the target audience.

The story contains myriad references and allusions to Lewis Carroll’s book. If you aren’t aware of the original classic, then you will miss these hidden nuances. Watching the movie adaptations won't suffice because the movies are such watered-down versions of the craziness that is chock-full in ‘Alice in Wonderland’. However, this book does work fairly well as a standalone, as long as you are okay with not understanding the significance of why the residents of Wonderland kept talking about Alice.

Recommended for sure, though I cannot decide if the book will work better for middle-graders (they will enjoy Alyce’s adventure but not understand the Wonderland Easter Eggs unless they’ve read the original) or for adult fans of the Lewis Carroll work (they might enjoy the nostalgia and the Easter Eggs but won't find this as whimsical.)

My thanks to Penguin Young Readers Group and Flamingo Books for providing the DRC of “Alice with a Why” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.