5LittleMonkeys Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Dd13 is reading this right now and says she really likes it. She's asked for more books like it. I asked her what she specifically liked about it and she said that it was exciting, had a normal person that got transported outside of our normal world\plane of existence to a fantasy land, and that it had you wondering if the main character would stay or return home. Any recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wee Pip Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Through the Looking Glass, too. I love the Annotated Alice - lots of fun facts along the sidebars. Most of the other author's writings are dull (math, logic), but Sylvie and Bruno isn't bad (I rather liked some of the humor in it, but it's heavier and more instructional than Alice). Some of the writings during the same time period (although different) might be worthy of reading, such as George MacDonald The Princess and the Goblin, Princess and Curdie (I can't remember too much about these at the moment, but I liked them). There's the Wizard of Oz series (goes along with the person transported to another place scenario). The Narnia series, if she hasn't read that yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Coraline by Neil Gaiman might fit the bill. Be aware that it is dark. Amazon.com Review "Coraline lives with her preoccupied parents in part of a huge old house--a house so huge that other people live in it, too... round, old former actresses Miss Spink and Miss Forcible and their aging Highland terriers ("We trod the boards, luvvy") and the mustachioed old man under the roof ("'The reason you cannot see the mouse circus,' said the man upstairs, 'is that the mice are not yet ready and rehearsed.'") Coraline contents herself for weeks with exploring the vast garden and grounds. But with a little rain she becomes bored--so bored that she begins to count everything blue (153), the windows (21), and the doors (14). And it is the 14th door that--sometimes blocked with a wall of bricks--opens up for Coraline into an entirely alternate universe. Now, if you're thinking fondly of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, you're on the wrong track. Neil Gaiman's Coraline is far darker, far stranger, playing on our deepest fears. And, like Roald Dahl's work, it is delicious. What's on the other side of the door? A distorted-mirror world, containing presumably everything Coraline has ever dreamed of... people who pronounce her name correctly (not "Caroline"), delicious meals (not like her father's overblown "recipes"), an unusually pink and green bedroom (not like her dull one), and plenty of horrible (very un-boring) marvels, like a man made out of live rats. The creepiest part, however, is her mirrored parents, her "other mother" and her "other father"--people who look just like her own parents, but with big, shiny, black button eyes, paper-white skin... and a keen desire to keep her on their side of the door. To make creepy creepier, Coraline has been illustrated masterfully in scritchy, terrifying ink drawings by British mixed-media artist and Sandman cover illustrator Dave McKean. This delightful, funny, haunting, scary as heck, fairy-tale novel is about as fine as they come. Highly recommended. (Ages 11 and older) --Karin Snelson" Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 These are easier than Alice, but the Green Knowe series is about precisely that. Peter Pan has that aspect to it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 - Through the Looking Glass (Carroll) - Chronicles of Narnia (Lewis) - Half Magic; Magic by the Lake, Knight's Castle; Time Garden; Seven Day Magic (Eager) - Five Children and It; The Phoenix and the Carpet; The Amulet (Nesbit) - The Secret of Platform 13 (Ibbotson) - The Phantom Tollbooth (Juster) - The Never Ending Story (Ende) - The Hobbit (Tolkien) - Wrinkle in Time; Wind in the Door (L'Engle) - Enchantress from the Stars (Engdahl) - The Tombs of Atuan (Le Guin) - Watership Down (Adams) - Tuck Everlasting (Babbitt) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Coraline by Neil Gaiman might fit the bill. Be aware that it is dark. Amazon.com Review "Coraline lives with her preoccupied parents in part of a huge old house--a house so huge that other people live in it, too... round, old former actresses Miss Spink and Miss Forcible and their aging Highland terriers ("We trod the boards, luvvy") and the mustachioed old man under the roof ("'The reason you cannot see the mouse circus,' said the man upstairs, 'is that the mice are not yet ready and rehearsed.'") Coraline contents herself for weeks with exploring the vast garden and grounds. But with a little rain she becomes bored--so bored that she begins to count everything blue (153), the windows (21), and the doors (14). And it is the 14th door that--sometimes blocked with a wall of bricks--opens up for Coraline into an entirely alternate universe. Now, if you're thinking fondly of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, you're on the wrong track. Neil Gaiman's Coraline is far darker, far stranger, playing on our deepest fears. And, like Roald Dahl's work, it is delicious. What's on the other side of the door? A distorted-mirror world, containing presumably everything Coraline has ever dreamed of... people who pronounce her name correctly (not "Caroline"), delicious meals (not like her father's overblown "recipes"), an unusually pink and green bedroom (not like her dull one), and plenty of horrible (very un-boring) marvels, like a man made out of live rats. The creepiest part, however, is her mirrored parents, her "other mother" and her "other father"--people who look just like her own parents, but with big, shiny, black button eyes, paper-white skin... and a keen desire to keep her on their side of the door. To make creepy creepier, Coraline has been illustrated masterfully in scritchy, terrifying ink drawings by British mixed-media artist and Sandman cover illustrator Dave McKean. This delightful, funny, haunting, scary as heck, fairy-tale novel is about as fine as they come. Highly recommended. (Ages 11 and older) --Karin Snelson" Regards, Kareni Now I want to read it! :D I dig RD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 These are easier than Alice, but the Green Knowe series is about precisely that. Peter Pan has that aspect to it too. These look very interesting...and did you know that Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey) made a movie based on one of these books! It has Maggie Smith in it! I love Maggie Smith.:D I just put the books and the movie in my amazon cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 Thanks everyone. I found all of L'Engle's books in a set on amazon, and I tossed in Enchantress and Platform 13 also. I have Through the Looking Glass somewhere...have to dig it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix. Ds and I both adored them. There are seven books. Also if she likes the Alice story Frank Beddor twists the story into a wonderful trilogy called The Looking Glass Wars. I adore Alice's Adventures and this trilogy extends the wonder. It's one of my favorite young adult book series, right under anything by Rick Riordan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 100 Cupboards series. Normal kids, other world, lots of adventure and love the twists and turns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 (edited) The Mysterious Benedict Society books would be worth a try. My dc love them. Also, most of the books by Roald Dahl have a normal kid/abnormal situation aspect. Huge hits at our house as well. ETA: My dd13 suggested the Chronicles of Narnia in addition to the books I listed above. Edited April 7, 2012 by rwjx2khsmj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssexton Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Wizard of Oz and all the sequels? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Un Lun Dun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssexton Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Sorry--duplicate post! :blush: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Marianne Dreams The Homeward Bounders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Ink spell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Inkspell-- Cornelia Funke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 These are easier than Alice, but the Green Knowe series is about precisely that. Peter Pan has that aspect to it too. :iagree: Green Knowe is a great series that all my kids enjoy. I highly recommend it. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 We're doing Peter Pan right now, as a read aloud. There are a lot of similarities to Alice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Imaginarium Geographica series Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwg Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 (edited) We just started The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland and it is reminding me a lot of Alice. We are only in the first half so I can not speak to the whole of it, but worth checking out!! Edited April 7, 2012 by kwg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Haroun and the Sea of Stories, though the lines between fantasy and reality are not as clearly drawn as in its sequel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funnygirl Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 :lurk5: Great thread!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted April 8, 2012 Author Share Posted April 8, 2012 Thanks for all the suggestions. We've got a great list going...I'm excited to read a lot of them too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 I, Coriander by Sally Gardner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homemama2 Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper These were some of my favorites at that age Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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