The Search for Wondla

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales." This quote from Albert Einstein leads us straight into the fairy tale world imagined, created and designed by Tony Diterlizzi. As I read this I thought of Alice in Wonderland, though Alice travels down into the rabbit hole and our heroine, Eva Nine, travels up out of her world into a strange, new place. "Eva, I love you very much and I hope I will see you again, but you must go NOW." That's Muthr talking. The Multi-Utility Task Help Robot zero-six who has been like a mother to Eva. But their world is under attack and Eva Nine must be protected. This new world is filled with things Eva has heretofore only seen on monitors. Things like birds. She has her trusty Omnipod to give her all the answers she needs. She only has to aim it at a species to get all the kingdom, phyllum data she could ever want. Almost immediately, Eva Nine is captured by a hunter who is seeking creatures for the queen's museum. So, the fairy tale begins with Eva Nine making friends with creatures of all shapes and sizes and joining in the quest to find their way back to happiness and home. Tony Diterlizzi has created a unique world-a unique setting. He has centered his fairy tale on two themes that troll the young psyche with accuracy. The need for an unbreakable bond with a parent, or guardian, someone to love and protect you, is powerful. The journey of finding yourself and learning to rely on yourself is a universal struggle. Both wind through this tale and add the human touch. But, this is more an interesting, creative sci-fi journey than a journey of the heart. Internet tie-ins and imaginative artwork enhance and enlarge the visual powers of this story. 496 pages Ages 9-13