“SPLINTERED,” by A. G. Howard, Amulet Books, Jan. 1, 2013, Hardcover, $17.95 (ages 14 and up)
Alyssa Gardner knows more about “Alice in Wonderland” than she ever wanted to know. She’s the descendant of Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s book, and it seems Alice’s mental instability is hereditary.
Bugs and flowers talk to Alyssa on a regular basis, but she knows better than to tell anyone — that’s what landed her mother in a mental hospital.
The problem is, weird things are in abundance. Alyssa’s starting to see more and she has the strange feeling she’s being watched. And when her mother starts getting worse, Alyssa knows it’s time to take matters into her own hands. She must travel to Wonderland.
Once Alyssa arrives, she must pass a number of tests, undoing what Alice did so many years prior. If she succeeds, she may get her mother back. If she fails, she could get stuck in Wonderland, or even worse, her own mind.
“Splintered” is one of those trippy books that sucks you in and then leaves you drained at the end. A.G. Howard’s imaginings rival Carroll’s and are so bizarrely lovely you find yourself alternately gobbling up the text and languishing over the smallest of elements.
And if you thought you knew Wonderland, you’re in for a big surprise. The Wonderland Alyssa travels to isn’t the colorful romp from the animated Disney movie. Nor is it as odd as Tim Burton’s imagining — it’s much more twisted and equally as dark.
Howard took an idea and ran full-pelt with it. The best thing about it is it works. Kudos to the editors at Amulet for embracing the story. “Splintered” is a crazy ride I plan to revisit more than once.
