Twelve-year-old Alice Alexis Queensmeadow has only three things in the world that matter: Mother, who wouldn’t miss her; triplet brothers, who never knew her; and Father, who always loved her.
The day Father disappears from Ferenwood he takes nothing but a ruler with him, so some said he’d gone to measure the sea. Others said the sky. The moon. Maybe he’d learned to fly and had forgotten how to come back down. But it’s been almost six years since then, and Alice is determined to find him. She loves her father even more than she loves adventure, and she’s about to embark on one to find the other. No matter the cost.
It’s a kind of fairytale, a story where magic is a must, adventure is inevitable, and friendship is found in the most unexpected places.
I remember reading stories like The Phantom Tollbooth or The Neverending Story, imagining this wise British narrator (along the lines of the Winnie the Pooh movies) telling a fantastical tale in their knowing way. A twinkle in their eye, and a wide-set grin, and a character all their own, breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to us. Now imagine that type of storytelling but with progressive ideals.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love both of those books, but you have to admit that those types of stories are mostly old and very old-fashioned. Furthermore was truly a great pairing of old-school style and more progressive ideals. I mean, can you imagine an old tale with a female protagonist! Actually the roles of both leads, Alice and Oliver, were both very well written and non-traditional in terms of gender roles. Very refreshing.
My absolute favorite quote - in fact the first highlight I've ever made in an ebook - was towards the end:
"Alice knew that being different would always be difficult; she knew that there was not magic that would erase narrow-mindedness or iron out inequities in life. But Alice was also beginning to learn that life was never lived in absolutes. People would both love her and rebuff her; they would show both kindness and prejudice. The simple truth was that Alice would always be different - but to be different was to be extraordinary, and to be extraordinary was an adventure. It no longer mattered how the world saw her; what mattered was how Alice saw herself."This story won't be for everyone - especially those who are reading this after reading the Shatter Me series. This is decidedly not a YA novel, let alone a YA paranormal romance. It has a charm all it's own, which honestly took me a while to sink into. But once I did, I was hooked for the remainder.
I'd recommend this as a read-aloud book for elementary or middle-grade kids. There is a lot a good reader can give to this narration style. I'd love to get my hands on an audiobook of this for that very reason.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
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