Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There

I'm really not sure what to make of this one. I finished rereading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and started reading the sequel almost immediately afterwards. But right away I found it more confusing than the first book (although that may be because I have read the first story a few times, while this is only my first time reading Through the Looking Glass).

Where Alice's Adventures in Wonderland uses a deck of cards, Through the Looking Glass revolves around chess. Alice herself is a pawn who must travel across the entire board to be crowned Queen. Along her travels, she meets both the Red and White Queens, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, a White and Red Knight (who fight over her), and many other characters. While it isn't explicitly stated, she also encounters the March Hare and the Mad Hatter from the first book (but she does not recognize them).

Through the Looking Glass is a crazy adventure. It's worth reading, especially if you are interested in all of the newly envisioned Alice stories (like those I mentioned in my last post), particularly if you are interested in seeing how some of the well known characters like Tweedledee and Tweedledum fit into her story. But overall I enjoyed the first book better.

Reread: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

A number of years ago, I wanted to read Alice in Wonderland. So my brother bought me a copy as a present. But before I read that copy, I ended up reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in a treasury I bought for a Children's Literature class. With the wealth of Alice related stories that are now out there, such as the made-for-TV movie I really enjoyed, the video game, and even the new Disney movie, I decided that it was high time I reread the original Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. And it was high time that I read the version that my brother bought for me!

Alice is a ridiculous but fun romp through Wonderland. After witnessing a rabbit check his pocket coat watch and run off, Alice follows him through a rabbit hole. While attempting to follow him, she meets many strange creatures and has many strange adventures. From growing and shrinking in size, finding a never-ending tea party and playing crochet with live flamingos and hedgehogs, Alice never has a dull moment in Wonderland.

As I said, I originally read Alice for a Children's Lit course. I'm actually really glad that I did so, because I wouldn't have gotten the allusions had I simply read it on my own. Alice likes to try showing off her learning, and every here and there she attempts to recite what were well-known poems at the time the story was written. But Wonderland is a backwards place, and all of the poems turn out wrong. Luckily I was familiar with some of the original poems because I had read some of them earlier in the class, and the others were referenced within that edition of the book.

Alice is a quick read and it was fun to go back to it. But now I am excited because I am going to read Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There for the first time ever!