Abby in Wonderland

Whatever After #10.5

by Sarah Mlynowski

We are proud to present the very first Special Edition in the enchanting NYT bestselling Whatever After series.

Down the rabbit hole . . . I'm spending the day with my best friends, Frankie and Robin, and -- UGH -- snobby Penny. I'm not expecting anything magical to happen, until Frankie falls into a mysterious hole behind Penny's house . . . and we all wind up in the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland!I've visited fairy tales before. But in Wonderland, everything is topsy-turvy. There are potions that make you grow, cakes that make you shrink, bossy caterpillars, and a horrible Queen of Hearts who wants to put us on trial.Now we have Solve a riddle from the Cheshire cat - Attend a wacky tea party with the Mad Hatter- Become BFFs with Alice- And find Frankie. . . Or we'll be stuck in Wonderland for good!This special edition is extra-long, extra-enchanting, and comes with puzzles, games, and a Q&A with the author!

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Audiobook, Fiction, Retellings

261 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 12, 2017

About the author

Sarah was born in Montreal, Canada. After graduating with an honors degree in English literature from McGill University, she moved to Toronto to work for Harlequin Enterprises. While she never met Fabio, she used her romance publishing experiences to fuel her first novel Milkrun.

Since then, Sarah has written four additional novels for adults: Fishbowl, As Seen on TV, Monkey Business, and Me vs. Me; the New York Times bestselling middle grade series Whatever After; the middle grade series Upside-Down Magic (with Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins); and the teen novels Bras & Broomsticks, Frogs & French Kisses, Spells & Sleeping Bags, and Parties & Potions (all in the Magic in Manhattan series), as well as Gimme a Call, Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have), Don't Even Think About It, Think Twice, and I See London, I See France. Along with Lauren Myracle and E. Lockhart, Sarah also wrote How to Be Bad, and along with Farrin Jacobs, she wrote See Jane Write, a guide to writing. Sarah also co-edited two bestselling charity collections (Girls' Night In and Girls' Night Out), and has contributed to various anthologies (American Girls About Town, Sixteen: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday, 21 Proms, First Kiss (Then Tell), Fireworks, and Vacations from Hell).

Sarah is also a co-founder of OMG BookFest, a celebration of books aimed at the early to middle grade reader (ages 7-12) that brings together commercial and award-winning authors with underserved local communities for an exciting experience of books, games and activities.

Sarah's books have been translated into twenty-nine languages and optioned to Hollywood. She now lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.

Reviews

[jv poore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sustaining a series is no simple task. Inserting a special edition story that is somehow as fresh and fun as the very first book seems insurmountable. Except to Ms. Mlynowski.

This fairy-tale-esque fantasy adds adventure and humor absolutely appropriate for younger readers, while maintaining a subtle, something-more; making it compelling and quirky enough for older audiences as well.

I enjoyed being the proverbial parrot-on-the-shoulder as four friends share a day off from school. Per usual, Penny’s parents are not around, but her house is huge and her nanny is happy to host. Penny has planned the entire day and she is not going to let a little cold air or a brisk breeze ruin the card game on the patio.

But when the wind whipped a card across the yard and into the neighboring golf-course, Abby abruptly abandoned the game to give chase. The other three follow until Frankie falls into a hole. Penny’s agenda is pushed aside. The girls have a real problem to solve.

This review was written for Buried Under Books by jv poore.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three years ago, when my oldest daughter, Abby, was a much more reluctant reader we began this series. As part of the family reading challenge she needs to read at least 20 minutes each day. When we began this series I would read 2 pages for every page she read. Now she reads to me. This is the first book that I recall her reading from beginning to end to me. And She read to me while I worked out, killing two birds with one stone. This summer while on a road trip with her Aunt and Nana she read them two of these books. And this Special edition she just finished reading to me.

We both really enjoy the whatever After books, and this is the fourth that we have read together. And of all the Whatever After books this one is my daughters favorite. What she like best about the book was that Abby and penny were not friends at the beginning of the story, but by the end of it they were. They were even going to modify their best friends’ necklaces to include Penny. What she did not like was how much Abby talked about the ketchup, how much she focused on Jonah not being there. And also missing Jonah on the adventure. While discussing the book after finishing it we discovered that there is a second special edition due out next year, Abby in Oz. We are both eagerly anticipating it. We also talked about what other books we would love to see Abby dropped into. Her top pick would be one of the Narnia books, specifically The Magician’s Nephew, or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I on the other hand thought immediately of the possibilities if Abby were to find herself and her friends in The Giver by Lois Lowry, or Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit. But I am getting ahead of myself, lets take a look at this specific book.

This first Whatever After Special Edition is different than any of the other books for a number of reasons. First, Joan and Abby do not go together into the story. Second, They do not get to the story via Mary Rose the magic mirror in their basement. Three they fall into s story not a fairy tale. And four she goes with three friends. What is similar is that they end up in a story. Then they mess the story up somehow and need to fix it to find their way out. They encounter many of the characters from the story, and one evil fairy who has a nasty plan and purpose.

I will be honest and state that I enjoy this story much more than the original Alice story. Abby in wonderland is and excellent read, and another wonderful story in the Whatever After series. But to find out all that Abby figures out, and what the implications of that are to freeing Mary Rose, you will need to read this story.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Sarah Mlynowski.

[zapkode · Rating 5 out of 5]

{My thoughts} – I think I was more excited then my daughter to receive this book. I am a huge fan of these fairytale re-tellings. I zipped through it rather quickly.

In this book Abby gets to go down the rabbit hole and into Wonderland. She doesn’t get to go with Jonah, but instead her three friends go with her. She tries to convince them that it’s all a dream but that doesn’t work out for her, in the end she ends up admitting that she story hops a lot but usually only with her brother Jonah.

They have a nice little adventure where the four girls learn more and more about one another. Many of the things they’d had no idea about. It’s amazing how much you can learn about others if you take the time to get to know them. And that’s exactly what Abby was doing getting to know all the girls.

Once everything was said and done Abby came to the realization that she’s not only able to go into fairy tales, but that she can also go into story books. By being able to go into story books it opens up a whole new line of possibilities for this series. I look forward to seeing where the author is going with this.

I highly recommend this book for any child that enjoys fairy tales and loves classic books. I’m sure that Abby will be going on many more adventures in the future.

[✧ hayley (the sugar bowl) ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

➳ 4 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

it’s been a while since i read this series but i remember loving it as a kid and it kind of got me into fantasy, specifically fairytale retellings and i definitely want to reread soon 🩰



୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆

[Sarah Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book is all i can say great book

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun, but the only depth is a superficial analysis of tween girl friendships, in which a clique is averted. Well, actually, expanded... I wouldn't be surprised if they all become mean girls in a few years.

Lewis Carroll is credited, but there's also a mention of Hans Christian Andersen as a folklorist. Um, so far as I can confirm, his tales are original, and many other books in this series need proper accreditation. Also, though it can be argued that the Grimm brothers 'just recorded' stories, source notes would still be welcome for those. And the most popular versions (in the West, nowadays) of Cinderella are based on Perrault. A little respect, a little scholarship, would elevate these from being trashy fun to being recommendable.

She also refers to her husband as "her very own Prince Charming." Blegh. Not a message I'd share with my daughter! I know from being too fond of fairy tales....

[Anaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it mostly because she was with her friends and not with her brother and her dog.

[Nina Gase · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Whatever after books!!! They are really great books especially this one !!!!!!

[Ashley G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sarah Mlynowski got me out here wondering what happens to Abby and Jonah long after my kids have lost interest

[Hannaneh · Rating 3 out of 5]

ترغیب شدم برم کتاب آلیس رو بخونم.

[~Bellegirl91~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first ever Whatever After Special Edition is absolutely adorable and this time instead of Abby and Jonah going into the fairytale realm, Abby and her two friends, Robin and Frankie, and Penny who isn't the nicest of Robin's other best friend and a part of this little trio now a quartet, all go with Abby to Wonderland! And as usual, there's a twist with the Maryrose story of the fairy who's living and is trapped in a mirror in Abby and Jonah's new home in the basement and you somewhat learn a tiny bit about her side of the story. It wasn't the same without Jonah but still a fun read/listen which I have to say the narrator, Emily Eiden, is really, really good at narrating these books and makes them so much fun.

For mom's who are looking for any good books to read to their kids or for your kids in general, these are the perfect books for boys and girls who can relate to both Abby and Jonah and the humor is spot on for kids that even got me chuckling at once in a while and smiling, clean stories, good morals, and super adorable!

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spring break read through with the daughter - a fun light read and as always, gets her interested in the original stories!

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is based on a girl named Abby who has gone through a magic mirror at various times and ends up in traditional fairy tales. In this case she ends up in Wonderland along with friends Frankie, Robin, and Penny (who is rich, stuck up and jealous of Abby's friendship with Robin.)

Although they end up in Wonderland the order of events is not the same as in the actual book. Frankie falls down a rabbit hole on a golf course and the others end up following (not necessarily wanting to) and they try to find where Frankie has been. The rabbit hole tunnel and the doors section are the same but from that point out things change. They run into the cards painting the roses, they eat some tarts and end up being chased as thieves. A lot of the traditional events are slightly modified.

They also meet a guy named Cliff (for Cliff Notes?) and an evil fairy named Gluck who causes them a lot of trouble. They also have to deal with two white rabbits instead of one. The question becomes will they be caught by the cards, taken to the queen and beheaded or will they find some way to work things out and escape.

It's actually a decent takeoff on Alice in Wonderland and an enjoyable read.

[Ava Boldt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this special edition of the Whatever After series. It was about Abby, Frankie, Robin, and Penny going into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I was surprised that Abby told her friends that she had been in other fairy tales before, especially since she wants to keep it a secret. I also was surprised that Abby didn't know the details of the story. I didn't like that Jonah and Prince were not in the fairy tale with Abby. I thought it was interesting to read about the trial that Abby and her friends were in. I wasn't to happy when the Queen of Hearts almost beheaded Abby, Frankie, Robin, and Alice. My least favorite part of the book was that a character named, Gluck, tried to trap Abby in the story. I think Gluck was trying to trap Abby because he is fearful of how Abby is going to help Maryrose, a fairy. I think this book was very well written and very descriptive. Overall, this is one of my favorite Whatever After books and I like that it draws my attention right away.

[Sting Key · Rating 4 out of 5]

As soon as I started it, I knew it was going to be a good book! To be honest, the Whatever After series was starting to get boring when for every other book only Abby and Jonah get to go into the fairy tale. I loved that Abby's friends got to go into the book too! I also loved that the whole story, they were trying to get out of the book, instead of trying to fix it because, again, Abby and Jonah trying to fix different fairy tales over and over again was starting to get boring.
I can't wait to read the other special edition to see what that is like, and hope that the rest of the series is not just the same again and again.
Would totally recommend!

[jason domenico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abby hates penny i personally agree with her but don't show it to her

[Delaney]

LOVED IT!!!!

[Katie Buckingham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute kids story as Alice and Wonderland retelling. After reading book, my daughter wanted to watch the 50s original. She wants to read more in the series. 5 AR points.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. Not overly complicated and just right for the age group

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

love how they go into the different stories

[Rodney · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read the first eleven books in this series, and I highly recommend them (if you have a little one who's amenable to princess stuff).

This is one of the best books in the series.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in this series that I've read with my daughter (age 6). It still might be a little above her comprehension level, but I think she likes it because she loves Alice in Wonderland.

This one was a change up because Abby doesn't go through the magic mirror with her brother; she goes into a giant hole with her 3 friends. I really liked the character development between Abby and Penny in this one. And now we know there are evil fairies out to get Maryrose and Abby might be in danger.

Not my favorite of the fairytale retellings, but lots of good plot development in this one.

[Orissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whatever After, Abby in Wonderland, by Sarah Mlynowski, is a great adventurous book. In the beginning of the book, Abby goes with her friends, to a not so much of a friend’s house. Abby and her brother Jonah, always travel through their basement mirror into fairytales. This time, Abby is pulled into a story, with her friends, by a hole in the ground. Abby’s friend named Frankie, falls into the hole. Abby her other friend Robin, and her not so much friend(who is friends with Robin) Penny, go after Frankie in the endless hole. They appear in wonderland, and go through the story, looking for Frankie. They have many adventures, including, solve a riddle from the Cheshire Cat. To solve the riddle they eat many magical things in the story. Abby and her friends find Frankie, and Alice. They then have to attend a court meeting with the Queen of Hearts. She tries to behead them, but Abby and her friends fly on a bird up the hole and back home. All of Abby’s friends are asleep when they return. Frankie and Robin dreamed it, but Penny did not. She remembers everything, and becomes another one of Abby’s good friends.
This book is so interesting and adventurous, that you never want to stop reading it. There are cliff hangers on almost every chapter ending. Here is one example, “There’s no time to figure out what he’s talking about. We’ve got to run.” Once you start, you can’t end, you have to read the next chapter. The only thing I didn’t like, was when the bunny kids started throwing rocks at them(Abby and her friends). “Mama Rabbit throws a rock at Robin’s foot. Then all the rabbit kids pick up pebbles and rocks and start flinging them at us.” Throwing rocks can be violent. I think the author’s perspective was great, and I totally agree with it. I connect to the book in so many different ways. I love spaghetti and garlic bread, “Well girls, I’m going to start cooking. I have a special feast planned for you for lunch. Spaghetti with tomato sauce and garlic bread.” It is important the story is told in Abby’s perspective, because she has the most experience with mirror traveling. “We’ve been to a ton of different fairy tales, including Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Hansel and Gretel, and yep, Aladdin.” The book makes me feel excited and energetic. I love the adventures she has. ““Ahhh!” I shriek as I feel my neck start to stretch like a piece of chewing gum. It’s getting longer and longer. Now I can’t even see my shoulders. Or my arms or hands. I’m all neck and head.” I love fairytale retellings. They are so interesting. “Yes. A real live flamingo. The card-person is playing croquet with a pink bird. At least the flamingo is card-sized, too.” These are the kind of books that I could read all day.
I think the book’s theme is, enemies can become best friends. Penny starts out being bratty. She bosses everyone around. Abby doesn’t like her, and then she starts to learn more about Penny, and her past. Throughout their adventures Abby and Penny become great friends. This book is wonderful. I can learn many great themes and messages from it while reading it!

[Carly S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! I rated it 5 stars because I never wanted to put the book down! This book is about a girl named Abby and her best friends, Robin, Frankie, and Penny. They're all at Penny's house playing cards outside, when all of a sudden a card blows off the table. They all try to get it, until it falls down a rabbit hole! But Frankie accidentally trips and is about to fall down the hole! They all try to help her up, but it's too late, she slips and falls down the hole. They can't leave her there so they all dive down after her. They have no idea where they are until they see a sign that says "Drink me." They realize that they're in Abby in Wonderland! They all get hungry so they try to find food. A white rabbit shows them some tarts, so they eat some of that. But they realize that they weren't suppose to eat them, because they were the queen's tarts, and if someone eats them, they will get beheaded! Will they ever get home without getting beheaded and why would the rabbit lie to them? Read the book and you'll find out!

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best in this series

[Myrtle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite in the series because it was a little predictable. Also the characters were super annoying.

[mitty ⋆ ➴ · Rating 5 out of 5]

only had 2 of the books in this series as a kid but i loved this book, i can still remember the ending and some details lol

[aishu☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm basing this off of how little me loved this series lmao

[Mariap]

Whatever After: Abby in Wonderland
Author: Sarah Mlynowski
By: Maria Paula Burbano

Have you imagined going through a rabbit hole and appearing on a fairy tale?
Well, this is what happened to Abby and her friends. For my Book review, I decided to read Whatever After:Abby in Wonderland by the author Sarah Mlynowski. The main characters in this book are Abby who is a girl that can travel through fairy tales thanks to a mirror that her aunt left her family, Penny who is kind of Abby’s enemy and is rich, Robin is one of Abby’s best friends also she is friends with Penny, and Frankie is Abby’s other best friend. The plot of this book starts when Abby has to go to Penny’s house for a tea party because of Robin. They started playing in the backyard following a red hearts card until Frankie falls into a rabbit hole so everyone has to jump inside of it to save her. When they land, Abby realizes they are at the fairy tale Alice in Wonderland and also that the rabbit hole is another portal to fairy tales like her aunt’s mirror. They have to find Frankie and when they find her they have to hide from the Queen of hearts so she doesn’t cut their heads. They have to find a way out of this fairy tale. This book doesn’t have a certain time where it happens, but it's locations are in Wonderland and Penny’s house. This book fits into the genre of Fantastic Fiction because it has lots of things that we couldn’t see in real-life like Wonderland in general also the rabbit hole and the mirror. The strengths of this book are that everything has so much detail and you can imagine in your mind what’s happening in the book. The weakness is that in some parts is confusing to understand what’s going on. My favorite part of this book is when they have to play strange crockett so Penny and Abby start a competition to see who is better at it, the author describes that Abby was getting furious when Penny tried to humiliate her. Honestly, I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I could because every book from this series is the same and the only thing that changes is the fairy tale and the characters except Abby. I would like a drastic change maybe, what if they can’t get out of the fairy tale. A connection that I can do with my life is that sometimes when I get to know people better instead of judging them I could like them. This connects to the book because Abby finishes being Penny’s friend. I would recommend it to the readers who love Disney’s fairy tale because these books have a big connection with them.

[Rikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abby has been traveling into fairy tales with her brother and loyal pooch for a long time. When she goes to spend the day with her friends, she is surprised to find herself falling down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. She’s never told her friends Robin and Frankie her fairy tale traveling secret and certainly doesn’t want to tell snobby, rich girl Penny who is their hostess for the day. When Penny insists on playing cards outside, one of Abby’s cards gets blown over the fence. When she and Frankie go to fetch the card, Frankie falls head first down a deep hole and the others follow (because that seems like the best thing to do…). In order to find Frankie and get back to Penny’s house before the end of the day, “frenemies” Abby and Penny must work together. They get a mysterious clue from the Cheshire Cat that makes them think they need to eat something in order to get back home. From then on they try many different Wonderland edibles including mushrooms, tomato tarts, carrot cakes, and the Mad Hatter’s tea. After eating the Queen’s tarts, the card soldiers are hot on their trail and the girls must keep moving through Wonderland’s most famous locations. While this story is meant to follow Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, many of the best scenarios from the original tale are missing in this story such as the pool of tears and the talking flowers. Perhaps this story could have been better served if it were sticking closer to the original instead of getting bogged down in petty preteen arguments between Penny and Abby. The prose is not particularly spectacular either, making the story feel like some college creative writing assignment instead of a fun adventure tale. The characters are shallow and the ending is trite (sleeping powder in the rabbit hole? Where did that come from?). However, those that have read the other ten books in this series will likely want this one, too.