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Unabridged Audiobook
Runtime: 4 hours, 20 minutes
Read by Emily Eiden
Throughout the novels in author Sarah Mlynowski’s Whatever After series, a pair of adventure-loving siblings has traveled through one fairy tale after another. Now, in the audio edition of a special installment, Abby in Wonderland, one of the siblings ends up in completely unfamiliar territory outside the fairy tale world.
The story follows 10-year-old Abby as she goes on an unexpected adventure with three of her friends. She’s spending the day with her two best friends, Frankie and Robin, at Penny’s palatial home when a game of cards in the windy back yard ends with Frankie falling down a big, mysterious hole. The other girls jump in after her, only to find themselves in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Abby is used to traveling into fairy tales—but this isn’t a fairy tale. And now she finds herself relying on spoiled, bossy Penny to help them find their way home again.
In the first 10 books in the series, Abby and her brother, Jonah, have explored traditional tales, making a mess of the stories of Snow White, Cinderella, and Rapunzel. This time, everything is different. Not only is Abby traveling with friends through a hole in the ground instead of traveling with her little brother (and their dog) through the magic mirror in their basement, but she’s also traveling into a classic novel instead of a fairy tale. And while Abby knows her fairy tales, she doesn’t know Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The unfamiliar territory forces Abby to swallow her pride and rely on someone else—her least favorite person, no less—and that makes her even more likable as a character.
Once again in this book, Abby struggles with her friendships—especially with Penny, who’s always been Abby’s greatest rival. And the fact that Penny is along for her latest adventure brings those issues to the forefront. Abby is forced to work with Penny—since Penny knows the story—and they get to understand one another just a little bit more in the process.
Of course, while the lessons here are valuable, the adventures through Wonderland make the story just plain fun. As Abby, Robin, and Penny attempt to find Frankie and get back home to Smithville, they encounter all kinds of familiar characters—from the maddening Cheshire Cat to the vain (and temperamental) Queen of Hearts. And it even adds a little more insight into the series in the process.
Whether you’re a fan of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, or you just love following Abby’s adventures in fairy tale land, you’ll love this playful little series side trip in Abby in Wonderland. You may miss Jonah and Prince, but the new characters make for worthy substitutes.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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