Princess Alyss of Wonderland

The Looking Glass Wars

by Frank Beddor, Catia Chien (Illustrator), Vance Kovacs (Illustrator)

For curious eyes only!

You hold in your hands a scrapbook filled with the collected letters, journal writings and vibrant art of a lost princess. Her name was Alyss Heart and you may know her or think you know her from that silly book of nonsense Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. In fact, Lewis Carroll got her story all wrong. Now, for the first time, and through the help of a dedicated historian, Princess Alyss gets to tell her side of the story. Hear about her harrowing escape through the Pool of Tears, the deep sadness she felt when her royal imagination began to fade, and what it is like to be a princess when everybody thinks you are just an ordinary little girl! And finally, discover how Alyss reclaims her power of imagination to persevere in her wish to return to Wonderland.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retellings, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Teen

26 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2007

About the author

Literary Sleuth and world creator Frank Beddor dared to expose the true story of Wonderland in the New York Times bestselling young adult trilogy The Looking Glass Wars. To satisfy the awakened curiosity of his readers he continued to tell the parallel adventures of Royal Bodyguard Hatter Madigan’s search for the lost princess in the graphic novel series Hatter M. He lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated book. Fun and full of imagination!

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

I fell in love with Frank Beddor's Alyss Heart in THE LOOKING GLASS WARS. If you're a fan of the story, then you'll be impressed with this scrapbook, which includes beautiful illustrations, fun little cards, pull-out flaps, and more.

Don't come into PRINCESS ALYSS OF WONDERLAND looking for a lot more information on the story, though. This is a companion of sorts to Frank Beddor's story of Alyss, Hatter Madigan, Dodge Anders, The Cat, the city of Wonderland, and Redd.

It's a beautifully designed compendium of letters to and from Alyss and journal type entries, but doesn't tell you a lot more than what you already learned in the first book. But if you put it together with THE LOOKING GLASS WARS and SEEING REDD, the second book in the series, this is a fine addition to your library.

[Miss Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, fun activity and interactive book for children, especially the letters and the card deck, but the writing could be very difficult to decipher at times, especially for younger readers.


(For those interested in it as a companion to Beddor's series, it does not contain any new information.)

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a companion book to the Looking Glass Wars series by Frank Beddor. I love those books so I thought I'd at least take a peek at this volume. It's a scrapbook by Princess Alyss Heart chronicling her time in England (before she returned to Wonderland). It includes lots of removable letters, etc., and is mildly entertaining but not as fun as the actual books.

[Lexie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up when I picked up The Looking Glass Wars that is to say, during New York Comic-Con 2009 when the author spun me a grand tale that had me enchanted. I count myself extremely lucky as this seems very hard to find now!

I'm a fan of those '-ology' books honestly, I like books like that with little hidden messages and interactive things to read and handle. Its a great way to get kids interested. This book doesn't disappoint me at all in that respect. There is nine different little letters and flip open cards to read as well as the beautifully illustrated playing cards to 'Wage the War' in Wonderland.

The book itself is written like a diary-scrapbook, meant to be a companion to the series as Alyss jots down what she remembers about Wonderland and doesn't want to forget ever. There are dozens of illustrations throughout the book--some are clearly meant to be 'hand drawn' by Alyss while others are pictures she clipped from places--photos offer a little insight into the time period when she lived in this world.

This isn't a book that someone who hasn't read at least the first book should be trolling through, it offers clarification and details about the events, but is not a stand-in for the real thing. Like a real journal the way Alyss describes things are from her viewpoint and perceptions (and this a young girl) so they are colored by her feelings entirely.

The book is beautiful, simply put. Whether its for a little girl who loves Alyss or someone like me who's beyond her 20's but still feels enchantment, its a wonderful companion piece.

[Rubi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept. I'd never heard of the series this book accompanies but basically it is the scattered journal of a girl name Princess Alyss Heart who apparently "inspired" the story of Alice in Wonderland. She claims the story is utterly false and plans to wage war against her betrayer (the author of Alice in Wonderland) and the character of Alice herself. She claims to be the true Queen of Wonderland and plans to discover the secret to her return there after fleeing from her aunt. Now I'm curious how the novels twist this tale haha

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a joy to read this beautiful book. I didn't really enjoy the first book of the series by Frank Beddor, but picked this up because of the stunning cover.

It didn't disappoint. The art is delightful, the story is nice. As an Alice fan, it is great fun to compare the stories.

I'm now doubting if I should give the series by Frank Beddor another chance. And I really want to re-read AIW again.

[Phoenix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to read this all the time as a child. I didn't even know it was remotely connected to on of my favorite series until recently.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. Short. I got a second hand version that was missing the pack of cards. ☹️

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mum bought this for me :) Beautiful, really fun to read and I loved the letters and lift the flap elements.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little scrapbook type journal for young Alyss. It took me an eon to find a copy somewhere so I could even see it since it is out of print, but I'm glad I found it.

[Eleanor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven’t read the looking glass wars so I’m assuming that makes a difference. I love the style, art and design of the book just not the writing or plot.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and whimsical. I guess I might appreciate it more if I'd read the series it comes from?

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these types of books. They have little envelopes with letters in them and little cards of information. This copy was missing the cards at the very back though...
I love this version of Wonderland that Frank Beddor has created.
It's brilliant.

[David Edmonds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I'm on a roll of finishing what Looking Glass Wars books that I own, I decided on a quick reread of Princess Alyss of Wonderland, a "scrapbook" kept by Alyss during her early years with the Liddells. It keeps with the assumption that Princess Alyss of Wonderland was actually lost in our world, and it is being presented here as a historical document, backing up the claims of the "historians" trying to shed light on the fact that Charles Dodgson got Alyss' story completely wrong. The book is well presented, reading very much as if a young child wrote it.

I felt there was a little discrepancy in the story though; in The Looking Glass Wars, Alyss eventually gives up her search for Imagination and decides to live her life out as Alice, having finally come to terms with the fact that she would never be going home to Wonderland and that it would be best for all involved if she adapted to life with the Liddells. However, in this book, it appears that she discovers an Imagination Sphere that was given to her by Bibwit Harte, and she takes it upon herself to practice exercising her imagination with the help of the sphere. To me, this just seemed too contradictory to the way the story is told in The Looking Glass Wars, but since this is supposed to be a lost artifact from her time with the Liddells, I suppose that not all the facts could have been presented in the main series. Or, as I suspect is actually the case, I'm just reading far too much in the book and not just taking it for what it is, a bit of fluff.

[Keely Hyslop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply delightful and almost too pretty to read this book would make a great gift. Kind of like a pop-up book for adults this book is filled to the brim with beautiful illustrations, fold-out maps and documents, and removable letters. Written as additional material to support The Looking Glass Wars novel, this book is Alyss' journal during her time in London. It documents her sufferings in the prison for children (orphanage), her frustration at the unimaginativeness of her adopted family, the heartbreak of having Lewis Carroll tell her story wrong, and the joy of rediscovering how to use her imagination. Reading this book made me want to journal furiously.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking through different retellings of Alice in Wonderland. I saw the description that this was a scrapbook and it had me at scrapbook. There are really sweet drawings and bits in here. I'm kind of an Alice in Wonderland loyalist so this was an experiment for myself, to see if I can handle dipping into a different version of one of my favorite stories of all time. It was..different but I like the message of not losing yourself or your imagination. And there's a card game in the back, sweet.

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that compliments the Looking Glass Wars series of books. It's hardbound and large physically. It's one of the types of books that have hand-written entries and various little things to examine like letters, a map, and so forth. It is wonderfully illustrated and it even contains two decks of cards (of one suit) with which people can play a variation of the game of War.

If you like the Looking Glass Wars series, then this will be something you will definitely want to add to your collection.

[Antoinette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy this "scrapbook" more than the actual series. It was a very special birthday present, and it is filled with lovely little things. My very favorite part is the deck of cards in the back. Though I find the plot in the books lacking, the art is top notch. This makes a wonderful companion to the books, looks great on a coffee table, and is very entertaining. Really captures the spirit of the books, and combines aspects from Carroll's original. Great fun.

[Drucilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've read The Looking Glass Wars trilogy before this book, it may seem repetitive. However, the book is interactive and has some very gorgeous artwork. This is a great introduction to The Looking Glass Wars trilogy for younger girls the same way that the Hatter M graphic novels are a great introduction for younger boys. Although both are targeted towards a specific gender, I enjoyed both of these spin-offs.

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautiful. You could call it a companion book, or prequel to Beddor's Looking Glass Wars, but is also a quirky tale of some bloke who retold Alyss Heart's story all wrong & went on to be a highly successful author of a much-loved children's classic. The book is interactive and has some lovely illustrations that would intrigue any young (or young-at-heart) girl. Great garage sale find.

[Claire]

Literally would play with this book for hours as a kid! The tea cookie recipe was delish!

The whole concept of "Alice" being a real princess of Wonderland who falls through a looking glass into 19th century England where she meets Lewis Caroll and tells her story to is so cool and creative. The illustrations are absolutely breathtaking.

I need to buy this again online, the one I had when I was little went missing.

[Anouk van Amstel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most awesome children book! I bought it because I love Alice in Wonderland and so I was curious when I cam across this book.
The book is interactive, it is fun to read and the reading of this book is a whole experience. I like how you get so much more than just a children book. The book itself is also very beautiful. Great book! :D

[Erica Poole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, this really isn't a 'reading' book. And by that I mean, it has stuff to read, but it is almost more of a scrapbook that goes along with the Looking Glass Wars Trilogy by Frank Beddor. Very wonderful illustration. Very creative. Only a fan of the series would really enjoy it though!

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little "scrapbooky" book was kind of fun, but I really think I would have enjoyed it more if I were about 12 years old. On the other hand, the books it was based on (The Looking Glass Wars and Seeing Redd) hadn't been written when I was twelve, so there you go.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love these books with all of the interactive items tucked in them. It really helps them actually_feel_like_a_journal. Cute notes, fun sketches. Great presentation, but nothing new for the series. I was hoping for something to hint at the next book...oh well.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really quite beautiful artwork. Mainly this was an overview of the first part of the first book. Will definitely keep it for my permanent collection, though. I can't let such a beautiful book part my company.

[Bridget · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's pretty, and has some nifty illustrations, but I don't think I would have found it remotely interesting if I hadn't read The Looking Glass Wars.

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books is a Alyss Heart's scrapbook from her early days spent in London. It is extremely adorable but does require some knowledge of the series by Frank Beddor. I love the little letters that are included. I do wish it went a little further into Alyss' life.

[Katie Morrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very colorful and interesting companion novel to the Looking Glass Wars series. Beautiful art work and an interesting narration from a young Princess Alyss Heart make it a great addition to the story as a whole.