Alice with a Why by James, Anna

A New York Times bestseller! - From bestselling author of the Chronicles of Whetherwhy and Pages & Co. series, comes a retelling of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland wherein Alice's granddaughter finds herself tumbling down into Wonderland.

⋆"A cleverly constructed return to Wonderland...a winner through and through." --Booklist (starred review)

⋆"This homage sparkles. Delightful in every way."--Kirkus reviews (starred review)

⋆"A worthy reimagined follow-up to Alice in Wonderland, this story will delight new and old fans alike." --School Library Journal (starred review)

Journey back to Wonderland . . .

England, 1919. Alyce--with a Y--is sent to live with her grandmother, the original Alice, after having lost her father in war. When a mysterious invitation to a tea party hits her square in the face, Alyce realizes that her grandmother's strange stories of a place called Wonderland might have some truth to them after all.

Soon Alyce is tumbling down into Wonderland herself, but the place she finds is not the colorful world she's heard stories of, but a world trapped in its own war. The Sun King and the Queen of the Moon are fighting over a stolen hour, and soon Alyce is tasked with setting it right. With the help of the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and a Sailor Fox, Alyce will have to solve Wonderland's problems and, eventually, find her way back home.

An enchanting adventure through Wonderland, Alice with a Why is both a celebration of Lewis Carroll's beloved original story and a modern masterpiece.

Author: Anna James
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Published: 01/06/2026
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.44h x 5.44w x 1.03d
ISBN: 9780593691991
Audience: Ages 9-12

Review Citation(s):
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2026 pg. 63
School Library Journal 02/13/2026 pg. 1
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 11/01/2025
Publishers Weekly 10/20/2025
Kirkus Reviews 11/15/2025
Booklist 12/01/2025

About the Author
Anna James (she/her) is a writer and journalist, as well as the author of the Pages & Co. series and Chronicles of Whetherwhy series. She was a school librarian before joining The Bookseller as their book news editor. She now writes for a variety of newspapers and magazines, and chairs events at bookshops and literary festivals across the UK. She lives in north London, in a flat full of books.