The Lost Wonderland Diaries by J. Scott Savage

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The Lost Wonderland Diaries by J. Scott Savage
Illustrator: Kevin Keele
The Lost Wonderland Diaries #1
Published by Shadow Mountain on September 8, 2020
Age Group & Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Retellings
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher

Something monstrous wants to exit Wonderland and enter the real world.

Lewis Carroll, author of the classic book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, secretly recorded the true story of his actual travels to Wonderland in four journals which have been lost to the world . . . until now.

Celia and Tyrus discover the legendary Lost Diaries of Wonderland and fall into a portal that pulls them into the same fantasy world as the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter. However, Wonderland has vastly changed. Some of the characters that Tyrus remembers from the book have been transformed into angry monsters.

Helped by the Cheshire Cat and a new character, Sylvan, a young rabbit, Celia and Tyrus desperately work to solve puzzles and riddles, looking for a way out of Wonderland. But the danger increases when the Queen of Hearts begins hunting them, believing the two young visitors hold the key to opening multiple portals to multiple worlds, and she will stop at nothing to capture them.

Will the crazed creatures of Wonderland escape into the real world? Can Celia and Tyrus stop them and save both worlds? Or will they be trapped in Wonderland forever?

A copy of the book was provided for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore does not affect the opinion or content of the review.

For someone who admittedly hasn’t read Alice in Wonderland, The Lost Wonderland Diaries really felt like I was reading the Lewis Carroll classic. J. Scott Savage captures the essence and writing style of what many of us associate with Alice in Wonderland. Sometimes it felt like there were many similar scenes, but for someone who hasn’t read the original, I honestly can’t say whether that would be bothersome or not.

It was predictable in the overall grand scheme of things, but I think if I handed this to middle school or late elementary school me, she would’ve taken the book and only come out at the end of the book.

The Lost Wonderland Diaries was a lot of fun to read as Savage has us following along Celia and Tyrus in their journey when they stumble upon one of Lewis Carroll’s lost journals and get pulled into the world that inspired the classics. But unlike the classics, there is something more hostile that wants to break into the real world, and both Celia and Tyrus come across various puzzles they work together to solve so they can leave Wonderland.

The two of them undergo growth throughout the course of the story that was a joy to read, starting out as two kids unlikely to cross paths much less becoming friends. As they solve more puzzles and uncover a plot from the Queen of Hearts, they slowly become friends, recognizing each others’ strengths. They go from just wanting to leave Wonderland to developing a relationship with the residents of the world and wanting to save them as well.

The Lost Wonderland Diaries is quick to read and entertaining, with plenty of wordplay and logic, perfect for younger readers.