Frank Beddor’s The Looking Glass Wars (2006) is a reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s Victorian fairy tale Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and its sequel, Alice Through the Looking-Glass (1871). The Looking Glass Wars is the first book in the middle-grade fantasy trilogy of the same name, followed by Seeing Redd (2007) and ArchEnemy (2009).

The novel uses several of Carroll’s iconic figures, including Alice, the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, and the White Rabbit. Beddor also continues some of Carroll’s motifs—whimsy, living chess pieces, cards, and mirrors (looking glasses)—and incorporates historical context around real-life figures such as Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) and Alice Liddell. The novel uses historically accurate details to frame the narrative as an account of the truth behind the real-life text of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

This study guide references the 2007 Speak reprint paperback edition.

Plot Summary

The story follows the conflict between Redd and Alyss Heart in their struggle for control over Wonderland. Wonderland is reimagined as a fantastical world with a matriarchal structure that is powered primarily through the forces of creation and imagination. In Wonderland, imagination is a tool that empowers the user to manifest things from their mind’s eye. Previously, Wonderland was involved in a civil war between Redd and her sister—who is also Alyss’s mother—Queen Genevieve. The war was extremely violent and left Wonderland fractured. Twelve years after Redd’s defeat in the first civil war, Redd attacks Wonderland, and seven-year-old Alyss must flee. After living as Alice Liddell on Earth for 13 years, Alyss returns to Wonderland and must defeat Redd to restore peace to the land. Redd’s imagination is strong, and Alyss’s is the only one that can rival it. First, however, Alyss must develop a mature outlook on both herself and her cause.

The first chapter opens with Princess Alyss Heart of Wonderland celebrating her seventh birthday at Heart Palace. Her father, King Nolan, is away on a diplomatic mission, and her mother, Queen Genevieve, worries over his absence and what precipitated it—the threat of Redd, Genevieve’s sister, amassing an army for a new attack. In fact, Redd is already on her way to Heart Palace, and she kills Nolan before he can warn the palace of her approach. Alyss receives a golden kitten from an unknown sender for her birthday, which then morphs into the Cat, Redd’s top assassin; at the same moment, Redd arrives with her army and attacks the palace. Genevieve sends Alyss away with Hatter Maddigan, Wonderland’s most accomplished warrior, for protection. Hatter and Alyss escape Redd, who arrives moments later to kill Genevieve.

Hatter and Alyss go through the Pool of Tears, a lake that acts as a portal to other worlds; they are separated in the Pool, and Alyss emerges alone in Victorian England. Alyss spends 13 years on Earth, during which time she encounters many things that cause her to doubt her memories of Wonderland. Adopted by the Liddell family, she eventually transforms herself into Alice Liddell and conforms to the surrounding society, giving up on her memories of Wonderland. During the same period, Wonderland has fallen into despair under Redd’s regime, and an insurgent group of Wonderlanders who call themselves Alyssians are trying to unseat her.

Alyss returns to Wonderland at the age of 20, but she has lost touch with her imaginative powers and her identity as Alyss Heart. Alyss regains her powers through confronting herself, literally and metaphorically, within the Looking Glass Maze, and she is at last ready to lead the final charge against Redd. Alyss finds a new sense of purpose and identity, particularly in recognizing her service to the larger cause of peace; this process leads Alyss to attain a sense of emotional balance that strengthens her powers and allows her to gain the upper hand over Redd. Alyss and the Alyssians attack Redd’s fortress, Mount Isolation, and Redd and Alyss go head-to-head. Alyss defeats Redd, but at the last moment, Redd escapes, throwing herself into the Heart Crystal, the symbol of imagination and creation in Wonderland. All that passes through the Heart Crystal transforms into thoughts and ideas that travel as inspirations to other worlds, and it is uncertain what effect this act of Redd’s will have in the future. With Redd gone, Alyss takes her place as queen of Wonderland, confident in herself but wary of the potential threats to come.