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Out of Wonderland | Modern day Alice in Wonderland Retelling Novella
"Perhaps we're all a little bit twisted."
What happens when a Wonderland creature appears in the real world claiming he’s friends with the Mad Hatter, and speaks to white rabbits in waist coats?ALISTAIR,
Son of Alice is discovered drowning in a Canadian lake. After being rescued, authorities find the boy utterly mad. Claiming to be from Wonderland, and frolicking with singing flowers, authorities place him in a psychiatric hospital, where Alistair must learn to be ‘normal’ and fit in society to gain independence and find his way back home.
Tropes and
Coming of ageDual timelineTalking animalsLGBTQ+ RepresentationAlternate world
What happens when a Wonderland creature appears in the real world claiming he’s friends with the Mad Hatter, and speaks to white rabbits in waist coats?ALISTAIR,
Son of Alice is discovered drowning in a Canadian lake. After being rescued, authorities find the boy utterly mad. Claiming to be from Wonderland, and frolicking with singing flowers, authorities place him in a psychiatric hospital, where Alistair must learn to be ‘normal’ and fit in society to gain independence and find his way back home.
Tropes and
Coming of ageDual timelineTalking animalsLGBTQ+ RepresentationAlternate world
- GenresFantasy
182 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 20, 2024
7 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 3, 2025
A thoroughly charming story for lovers of Alice in Wonderland!
This book is essentially a sequel to Alice in Wonderland and follows the adventures of Alice's son Alistair as he accidentally ends up in the real world... Specifically Quebec, Canada!
I very much enjoyed this book. It started out funny and I was expecting a rom-com type book.
"My body drifts lower into the water, reminding me of the time I fell through the drain in my shower. After which I learned to never drink from unmarked bottles in the shower."
(Bahahaha)
While there were comical moments throughout, the moments of insight and social commentary on mental illness, being "different", and the unpredictableness of love well surpassed my expectations.
"...no one knows what they have until it’s, poof, gone.”
"You don’t choose who you fall in love with, and I understand that now.”
Also, as someone who lives in Quebec, I found the observations of life in our quirky province spot on. Some funny (potholes, anyone?) and others poignant, like Alistair's reaction to the homeless and witnessing a bike theft (I've had three stolen in a decade).
The weird and wackiness of Wonderland as described in this book brought me back to the days of watching Alice in Wonderland as a kid. Very imaginative, very well done.
I did find the time Alistair spent navigating the healthcare system quite drawn out; he didn't have much of a plan of how to return home despite really, really wanting to. A few characters he met never returned and it would've been nice to see them reconnect at the end.
That said, I'm glad I persisted in my reading because the book picked up in pace with a sweet romance building toward the end.
Of note, there are LGBTQ side characters in this novel, but the main romance is between a man and woman. Zero spice in this book. I would say it's appropriate for an YA audience.
I recommend this book anyone who loves Alice in Wonderland and are interested in books set in CANADA!
This book is essentially a sequel to Alice in Wonderland and follows the adventures of Alice's son Alistair as he accidentally ends up in the real world... Specifically Quebec, Canada!
I very much enjoyed this book. It started out funny and I was expecting a rom-com type book.
"My body drifts lower into the water, reminding me of the time I fell through the drain in my shower. After which I learned to never drink from unmarked bottles in the shower."
(Bahahaha)
While there were comical moments throughout, the moments of insight and social commentary on mental illness, being "different", and the unpredictableness of love well surpassed my expectations.
"...no one knows what they have until it’s, poof, gone.”
"You don’t choose who you fall in love with, and I understand that now.”
Also, as someone who lives in Quebec, I found the observations of life in our quirky province spot on. Some funny (potholes, anyone?) and others poignant, like Alistair's reaction to the homeless and witnessing a bike theft (I've had three stolen in a decade).
The weird and wackiness of Wonderland as described in this book brought me back to the days of watching Alice in Wonderland as a kid. Very imaginative, very well done.
I did find the time Alistair spent navigating the healthcare system quite drawn out; he didn't have much of a plan of how to return home despite really, really wanting to. A few characters he met never returned and it would've been nice to see them reconnect at the end.
That said, I'm glad I persisted in my reading because the book picked up in pace with a sweet romance building toward the end.
Of note, there are LGBTQ side characters in this novel, but the main romance is between a man and woman. Zero spice in this book. I would say it's appropriate for an YA audience.
I recommend this book anyone who loves Alice in Wonderland and are interested in books set in CANADA!
October 9, 2025
This story was such a charming twist on a classic! We get to revisit some familiar faces from the original fairytale, but this time the spotlight’s on Alice’s son, Alister. When he accidentally finds himself outside of Wonderland, we follow his journey to get back home and his struggle to decide whether he even wants to return at all.
✨ Mental health representation
✨ Fairytale retelling
✨ Canadian author
✨ Set in Canada
✨ Mental health representation
✨ Fairytale retelling
✨ Canadian author
✨ Set in Canada
January 9, 2025
I adore retellings, but what’s even better is when you get a glimpse of what happens AFTER the original story. This story definitely kept me on my toes. I was never quite sure which way it was going to go… was Alastair suffering from mental illness and the whole thing in his head? Was wonderland even real? I devoured this story because I had to know.. sorry not sorry because now you must know too
October 21, 2024
3.5 stars
Out of Wonderland by Piper S. Grey is a novella following Alastair, Alice’s son, and his first time outside of Wonderland.
The story has an intriguing premise and is a lot of fun. Piper introduces some fantastic characters who have quite obviously had a lot of thought go into them. The writing style is easy to read and flows nicely.
I think this novella would work better as a full length novel. Having more room to move and the ability to flesh things out would have benefited the story greatly. The level of Alastair’s confusion of things in the human world seemed inconsistent which is something that would’ve been easier to explore had the book been longer. There are vast differences between our world and Wonderland which I think could have been really fun to see in more detail from Alastair’s perspective.
I thoroughly enjoy the idea of a continuation of the Wonderland universe, the inconsistencies however were enough to pull me out of that world.
I look forward to see what Piper does from here as I’d like to see their growth as an author!
Out of Wonderland by Piper S. Grey is a novella following Alastair, Alice’s son, and his first time outside of Wonderland.
The story has an intriguing premise and is a lot of fun. Piper introduces some fantastic characters who have quite obviously had a lot of thought go into them. The writing style is easy to read and flows nicely.
I think this novella would work better as a full length novel. Having more room to move and the ability to flesh things out would have benefited the story greatly. The level of Alastair’s confusion of things in the human world seemed inconsistent which is something that would’ve been easier to explore had the book been longer. There are vast differences between our world and Wonderland which I think could have been really fun to see in more detail from Alastair’s perspective.
I thoroughly enjoy the idea of a continuation of the Wonderland universe, the inconsistencies however were enough to pull me out of that world.
I look forward to see what Piper does from here as I’d like to see their growth as an author!
October 22, 2024
This book is a must read for anyone that enjoyed Alice in Wonderland. Although this is an original story from the author, some of the characters have the same fun and crazy energy found in Alice in Wonderland while being new and themselves. The text is well written and the story have some very nice and unexpected twist and turns. The timeline jumps between 2 worlds but it's easy to follow along and it add so much suspense and depth to the book. Piper also tackle some delicate subjects in a very eye opening way. I definitely did not foresee the ending which is quite nice! Very enjoyable easy read!
November 5, 2024
While I loved the premise of this story, it unfortunately fell on the flat side to me due to inconsistencies with how much our main character understood within this world after being transported here from Wonderland.
I would have loved more exploration into how alien this world was to him yet he was using things like Google maps on his phone with too much ease and not enough wonder for someone new to this world and it took me out of the story a little.
More emphasis on how this world is his Wonderland would have raised my enjoyment a lot because I did enjoy the writing style
I would have loved more exploration into how alien this world was to him yet he was using things like Google maps on his phone with too much ease and not enough wonder for someone new to this world and it took me out of the story a little.
More emphasis on how this world is his Wonderland would have raised my enjoyment a lot because I did enjoy the writing style
October 10, 2024
Thank you to the author for this ARC copy. This is my honest review.
An intriguing spin-off full of the wonder and absurdity and childhood joy I find everytime I visit any form of Wonderland.
This book has a split timeline where we see Alistair’s life in Wonderland and his new life in Quebec.
While it is a quick read, this book offers wonder, mystery and just a touch of madness.
♥️ “Of course you’re mad! If you weren’t mad, you wouldn't be here.”
An intriguing spin-off full of the wonder and absurdity and childhood joy I find everytime I visit any form of Wonderland.
This book has a split timeline where we see Alistair’s life in Wonderland and his new life in Quebec.
While it is a quick read, this book offers wonder, mystery and just a touch of madness.
♥️ “Of course you’re mad! If you weren’t mad, you wouldn't be here.”
September 18, 2025
as a thriller/mystery lover and a lover of Alice in Wonderland, this book gave me all the good feelings.
a whole new take on other retellings! I really do wish it was longer.
loved the MMC!
I loved how when he told his storied, the words on the page twist!
was it the best writing? no, there were mistakes. It was choppy at parts, but the story made up for it all!
the ending was great, and I love... how do I say this without spoiling? the transportation method!
a whole new take on other retellings! I really do wish it was longer.
loved the MMC!
I loved how when he told his storied, the words on the page twist!
was it the best writing? no, there were mistakes. It was choppy at parts, but the story made up for it all!
the ending was great, and I love... how do I say this without spoiling? the transportation method!
October 27, 2024
**3.5 stars**
*ARC copy provided by the author*
This bite-sized book is for those who hyper-fixated on Alice in Wonderland as a child (and still do as an adult) and wanted to revisit Wonderland.
Alistair is the son of Alice. Born and raised in Wonderland, he has somehow found himself in Québec, Canada. We see him navigating this new world while also trying to figure out how to get back to Wonderland as well as deduce why he left in the first place.
While following Alistair in Québec we also get snapshots of his life in Wonderland and what happened right before he left. All of the Wonderland characters such as the Mad Hatter & the White Rabbit make an appearance as well as some new additions.
Alistair and the book have a naivety to them which at times really annoyed me but it suited the story that is an extension of a children's book. There are some things that would only happen in an idealistic world made for children. Aside from Alistair’s quest to get home, there is another mystery that hooked me and made me want to finish the book.
Overall it’s an enjoyable imagining that gives a nice bit of nostalgia.
*ARC copy provided by the author*
This bite-sized book is for those who hyper-fixated on Alice in Wonderland as a child (and still do as an adult) and wanted to revisit Wonderland.
Alistair is the son of Alice. Born and raised in Wonderland, he has somehow found himself in Québec, Canada. We see him navigating this new world while also trying to figure out how to get back to Wonderland as well as deduce why he left in the first place.
While following Alistair in Québec we also get snapshots of his life in Wonderland and what happened right before he left. All of the Wonderland characters such as the Mad Hatter & the White Rabbit make an appearance as well as some new additions.
Alistair and the book have a naivety to them which at times really annoyed me but it suited the story that is an extension of a children's book. There are some things that would only happen in an idealistic world made for children. Aside from Alistair’s quest to get home, there is another mystery that hooked me and made me want to finish the book.
Overall it’s an enjoyable imagining that gives a nice bit of nostalgia.
November 11, 2024
Loved it! Original story with good characters and surprising ending! Love the writing style of Piper! I definitely recommend reading it.
Thank you for the novel!
Thank you for the novel!
November 14, 2025
I love Alice In Wonderland retellings, and this is one of my favorites
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews