Ellis Nelson

This was a delightful book that created a fictional backstory to the books Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass. The 2 protagonists are modern day American boys who accidentally travel back in time and meet Rev. Charles L. Dodgson in Victorian Oxford. They then all travel to Wonderland to find Alice (who was not supposed to travel there) and adventures occur including meeting several of the characters from the original books. All the characters were well developed and the story moved along at a brisk pace. The world of Wonderland was recreated so that it felt "real" and matched the original descriptions. The several story lines were skillfully interwoven and while the story is targeted for younger folks there is enough depth and richness to satisfy adults (assuming you enjoy this type of story). Something that I particularly liked was that the main characters were young boys who were dealing with some personal traits that some would label as skills or gifts and others oddities (if not worse) and it was those differences that helped them at various points in the story. Possibly a book that would appeal to boys who are reluctant readers. Definitely would recommend.… (meer)

WOW! This is the first time I have read a novel by Ellis Nelson and it wont be my last.

I loved this book and I truly feel like it is very appropriate for children. First the atmosphere made me feel like I was alongside the brothers at Oxford then I must mention the amazing sibling dynamic between Ben and Kyle which very much resembles real life siblings relationships. Especially when Ben felt that his parents didn't pay enough attention to him because of Kyle's Synesthesia which is incredible to see realistic and valid emotions of children portrayed in children's fiction. Additionally, my favorite part was being transported to Victorian England and meeting Mr. Dodgson and then being transported to Wonderland to help rescue Alice. I loved the unexpected twists and turns that was explored in Wonderland and the new adventure that the characters were on.

Delightful read and highly recommend.… (meer)

I was very excited at the prospect of reading a YA that discusses Buddhism, since I'm raising a teen who is Buddhist. I found that I did enjoy the Buddhist principles that were taught throughout the book, but even that wasn't a strong enough influence to overcome the distractions that exist in this novel. As the wife of a therapist that often works with clients who have addictions, I can't imagine any REASONABLE parent shipping their child off to the base camp of Mt. Everest. I literally said, REALLY, several times upon reading that. If a child is already struggling with the acceptance of his parents' divorce, and being uprooted, it would be ridiculous to create more upheaval in his or her life.
While I can easily understand Blake's anger, I think his level of rudeness and disrespectfulness is above and beyond the level of acceptable. However, to some degree it is reasonable for Blake to be so ill-behaved; afterall his father doesn't even go with him on his journey down the mountain. Again, what reasonable and responsible parent would essential tell the child: You're on your own,hope your still alive in a few months when we will meet up.… (meer)