Step through the looking glass into a world where the fantastical becomes reality, and every page turn reveals a new wonder! If Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” captivated your imagination with its delightful blend of whimsy, absurdity, and profound wisdom, then you’re in for a treat.
In this post, we explore a collection of books that embody the spirit of Alice’s adventures in Wonderland. These enchanting tales have quirky characters, surreal landscapes, and mind-bending plots. From whimsical journeys in magical lands to thought-provoking forays into the absurd, each book offers a unique escape into worlds where the extraordinary is the norm. So, let curiosity be your guide as we venture down the rabbit hole into stories as magical and perplexing as Wonderland itself!
10 Books Like Alice In Wonderland (Children’s Classic Fantasy)
“Alice in Wonderland” is popular for clever wordplay, puns, and imaginative language. Similarly, books often showcase linguistic creativity that can be both entertaining and intellectually stimulating. I will discuss ten similar fantasy books. Many of these novels explore deeper philosophical themes, such as identity, reality, and perception, inviting readers to ponder and reflect on abstract concepts. So, without any further ado, let’s get started!
| Name | Key Focus | Tropes |
|---|---|---|
| Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll | The whimsical and surreal adventures of a young girl named Alice in fantastical, illogical worlds filled with peculiar characters and absurd rules. | Wonderland, alternate reality, talking animals, absurdity and nonsense, whimsical journey, child protagonist, word play and puns, surrealism, anthropomorphism, logic puzzles, coming-of-age. |
| Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger | A young girl discovers she’s an elf with special abilities and navigates a magical world while uncovering secrets about her past and the wider universe. | Hidden magical world, telepathy and special abilities, coming of age, school for the gifted, found family, hidden heritage, epic adventure, good vs. evil, secret society, magical creatures, identity discovery. |
| Sweep by Jonathan Auxier | The story of a young orphan girl and her protective golem companion facing the harsh realities of Victorian London as chimney sweeps. | Historical fantasy, golem folklore, found family, Victorian London setting, child labor, magical realism, overcoming adversity, friendship and loyalty, social injustice, survival story. |
| The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate | The poignant story of Ivan, a captive gorilla, who finds a new perspective on life and art through friendship and a promise to save a young elephant. | Animal perspective, captivity narrative, friendship across species, art as expression, promise and redemption, gentle giant, animal rights, found family, voice of the voiceless, transformative journey. |
| The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler | A young girl discovers a magical library where books serve as portals to dangerous, fantastical worlds, leading her on a quest for knowledge and power. | Magical library, portal fantasy, books as worlds, apprentice magician, hidden knowledge, dangerous quests, talking animals, magical creatures, coming-of-age, secret societies. |
| Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson | A young boy with a talent for breaking things discovers a secret battle against evil librarians who control information and reality, leading him on an adventurous quest. | Secret societies, hidden magic, alternate history, quirky superpowers, young protagonist, humorous tone, evil organization, quest for truth, magical artifacts, coming-of-age adventure. |
| The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan | A young boy discovers he is the son of Poseidon and embarks on a quest to prevent a war among the Greek gods, navigating a world where myth intersects with reality. | Modern mythology, hero’s journey, demigod protagonist, mythical creatures, quest adventure, hidden magical world, coming-of-age, godly parentage, prophecy, friendship and loyalty. |
| The Edge Chronicles by Clive Mantle | A series of adventures through the fantastical, perilous world of the Edge, featuring young heroes, sky pirates, and strange creatures in interconnected stories of discovery, bravery, and survival. | Expansive fantasy world, coming-of-age, inventive creatures and plants, friendship, loyalty, myths, and legends. |
| Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix | A retelling of the Cinderella story that delves into the aftermath of the “happily ever after,” focusing on Ella’s struggle with restrictive royal life and her quest for autonomy and true happiness. | Fairy tale retelling, questioning societal norms, strong female protagonist, palace intrigue, self-discovery journey, critique of “happily ever after,” arranged marriage, resistance against conformity, empowerment, individuality vs. duty. |
| East by Edith Pattou | A young girl’s epic journey to rescue a bewitched polar bear prince, facing daunting challenges and discovering her strength. | Fairy tale retelling, quest narrative, polar bear and human romance, self-discovery, strong female lead, magical curse, mythical creatures, Arctic setting, star-crossed lovers, family bonds, bravery and sacrifice. |
1. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass
This is the perfect book to read as an adult with young kids because you can see your children in this book. Even though it is a classic, everybody thinks they know what it’s about if you’ve seen the movie. But I would highly recommend reading the books. They’re fast reads and a lot of fun. This book embodies childhood imagination. The entire thing is pure childhood invention at its finest. So, it takes me back to when I was a kid and how I could spend hours making up worlds and living in those worlds.
Alice’s Wonderland is a nonsense world, and nothing makes sense. Through the looking glass is the same thing. She climbs through a looking glass, shenanigans ensue, and everything’s backward and topsy-turvy. The animated Disney movie combines elements from both of these stories. Reading the stories that inspired the movie I have loved since I was a kid was so fun. Moreover, it was a big nostalgia trip, honestly, through the whole thing. If you like Alice In Wonderland, you must pick it.
Author: Lewis Carroll
Average Rating: 4.6/5
Category: Humorous Fantasy
Number Of Pages: 272
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Mass Market Paperback
2. Keeper of the Lost Cities
This series has an epic fantasy feel where there’s this big world that you’re getting introduced to and many people. So, with each book, you’re getting more characters, more absorbed into this world. The story is about a young girl named Sophie. She’s 12 at the beginning of the series and thinks she’s an average human. It is because she can hear people’s thoughts like she is telepathic. It makes her hard because she’s getting bombarded by people’s thoughts.
One day, Sophie meets a boy who tells her she’s not human. There’s a reason why she can hear everybody’s thoughts. So she gets swept into this new world and introduced to all these different abilities. This is the series if you liked Alice In Wonderland and Harry Potter.
Author: Shannon Messenger
Average Rating: 4.9/5
Category: Children’s Fantasy & Magic Books
Number Of Pages: 3136 (Full Series)
Available: Paperback | Hardcover
3. Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster
This one is historical fantasy fiction. It takes place in Victorian London and follows a young girl (Nan Sparrow), a chimney sweep. So we learn all the historical facts that are true about how horrible it was for these young children who were chimney sweeps and risked their lives climbing through chimneys.
You get all that backstory about their lives’ hardships, which is similar to Alice In Wonderland. But then there’s also fantasy and the fact that she becomes friends with this golem. So it’s a good story about friendship, but it also introduces you to a whole world of hardships that used to happen to children.
Author: Jonathan Auxier
Average Rating: 4.8/5
Category: European Historical Fiction
Number Of Pages: 368
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
4. The One and Only Ivan
This is based on a true story. We’re following in the mind of a gorilla. All of his friends are animals, but they talk to each other. So it is classic fantasy, but it also could be considered contemporary with some fantastical elements. But anyway, we’re following this gorilla named Ivan and hearing it from his point of view. So people find it weird to read because it is written like a gorilla, which sounds silly but has short, choppy sentences.
We’re in Ivan’s head, but Ivan lives in a zoo enclosure, and he has other friends. Like Alice In Wonderland, it’s a story about his daily life and the hope for a better life. So, this was such a heartwarming story. I laughed out loud and thought it was funny but also sad and touching. I recommend this is a fast read.
Author: Katherine Applegate
Average Rating: 4.8/5
Category: Zoo Fiction
Number Of Pages: 336
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle
5. The Forbidden Library
This is about a young girl (Alice) whose father has disappeared. So she is sent to live with an uncle figure. He lives in this giant mansion by himself and has a library outback. Also, he has told her that she can go anywhere in the mansion, but she’s forbidden to go to the library. As a curious young girl, Alice decides to go check out the library and finds a whole world inside this library. Moreover, she wants to discover the people who can read themselves into stories.
I enjoyed the fantastic elements, especially those centered around books and a library. Like Alice In Wonderland, a talking cat is also on the cover. That cat becomes her friend, and that’s a trope. Middle-grade fantasy has a lot of conveniences. Things will progress, and they will get out of certain situations. I felt more anxious when they were in those situations than I did in some more simplistic fantasy stories.
Author: Django Wexler
Average Rating: 4.7/5
Category: Action & Adventure Magic
Number Of Pages: 400
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle
6. Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians
This is a satirical and sarcastic version of a classic fantasy book. The main character we follow, Alcatraz, is sarcastic. He makes a lot of jokes that are quite heavy on sarcasm, but it’s still appropriate for kids.
There are some steampunk elements within this. It’s primarily based on the idea of glass and sand. Those are the powerful magical elements in this world. It’s set in our world, but there’s also another world. Also, a lot is happening in this book, such as Alice In Wonderland.
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Average Rating: 4.6/5
Category: Humorous Fiction
Number Of Pages: 308
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Mass Market Paperback
7. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians)
This is about a group of children who are half-gods. Their parents are gods, and then their other parent is immortal. So they have superpowers, but they’re not as excellent as gods. Also, they have to deal with all of the stuff on earth that the gods can’t be bothered to deal with. The story focuses on our main character, Percy, and he’s funny.
There are some great characters in this. The adventures that they go on are as fun as Alice In Wonderland. Percy Jackson’s school life was not great, and he faced much negligence. He has a unique personality that makes him different from other lifestyles. As the end of sixth-grade approaches, Percy will find out his great power and strength.
Author: Rick Riordan
Average Rating: 4.7/5
Category: Greek & Roman Fairy Tales
Number Of Pages: 377
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Library Binding | Kindle | Mass Market Paperback
8. The Edge Chronicles
This series starts with magic and then continues with the flight. There are a couple of others in the series. It’s set in a fantasy world with floating islands, and everyone lives on this island. Also, some pirates can fly around. We follow the main character (Quint Verginix), who has always been a pirate. He gets called onto the land and has to adapt to the way of life there. But also, there are monsters.
So Quint goes on a big adventure, trying to help out the person he’s staying with. These books are quite a lot of fun because they’re great and excite you to read the next book. Every book is illustrated, which is a great bonus because illustrations make the stories come to life much more. I highly recommend this after Alice In Wonderland.
Author: Clive Mantle
Average Rating: 4.7/5
Category: Science Fiction Fantasy
Number Of Pages: 370-450
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
9. Just Ella (The Palace Chronicles)
This is the start of a trilogy, but all three books are companion books. So they don’t necessarily need to be read the whole series. Suppose you’re a completionist and want to read the entire series. The story is a continuation of Cinderella. So Ella is Cinderella, which takes place after the end of the fairy tale, and she is about to become a princess about to marry a man. Then she realizes that the guy is unknown to her. Do I want to become a princess?
So, it’s a crisis of realizing that you’ve gotten yourself into a situation that determines the rest of your life. Like Alice In Wonderland, Ella relies on the man to get her out of her situation as Alice. It doesn’t give a lot of power to Cinderella. It is an excellent continuation of the fairy tale, and I would at least suggest the first book in the trilogy. It ends satisfying enough that you wouldn’t have to continue the series.
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Average Rating: 4.4/5
Category: Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths
Number Of Pages: 208
Available: Audio CD | Paperback | School & Library Binding | Kindle | Mass Market Paperback
10. East
This retells a folk story called East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Also, it is very much like Beauty And The Beast’s tale. Our main character, Rose, is trying to save her sick sister. A polar bear shows up and says if Rose goes with her and agrees to be his captive, he will make sure that his sister is healed.
So, by beating the beast, Rose sacrifices herself to save her family and agrees to be a bear captive. Is it weaving or sewing? Then, we also see the polar bear and his backstory. The ending was a bit rushed, but I enjoyed it. I would at least suggest this first book. The plot, theme, and world-building are similar to Alice In Wonderland.
Author: Edith Pattou
Average Rating: 4.7/5
Category: Young Adult Fantasy
Number Of Pages: 507
Available: Audiobook | Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle | Audio CD
These stories, with their blend of fantasy, whimsy, and a dash of the nonsensical, remind us of the joy and wonder that come from letting our imaginations roam free. They encourage us to question, dream, and see the world through a lens of endless possibility.
So, as you close one book and open another, may you carry with you the spirit of adventure and the magic of the unexpected. Until our next whimsical literary adventure, happy reading, and may your path always lead to enchanting new worlds!
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