Anna James ALICE WITH A WHY

Alice with a Why

Shortlisted for Blackwell's Book of the Year 2025

England, 1919. Alyce - with a Y - lives with her grandmother, the original Alice, having lost her father during the Great War. When a mysterious invitation to a tea party hits her square in the face, Alyce realises her grandmother's strange stories of a place called Wonderland might have some truth to them after all.

But the land Alyce finds herself in feels different from the Wonderland of her grandmother's stories - for it is trapped in its own war. The Sun King and the Queen of the Moon are fighting over a stolen hour, and soon Alyce is tasked with setting it right. With the help of the Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and a Sailor Fox, Alyce will have to solve Wonderland's problems and, eventually, find her way back home.

Enter an enchanting adventure through Wonderland, featuring stunning illustrations by Matthew Land. Starring new characters and old favourites, Alice With a Why is both a celebration of Lewis Carroll's beloved original story, and a modern masterpiece.

Anna James

Anna James is a writer and journalist. Before turning her hand to writing children’s books Anna was a secondary school librarian for 5 years, Book News Editor at The Bookseller magazine and Literary Editor of Elle UK.

This event is free to attend and will take place on the third floor of the shop in the Benjamin Henry Room. Attendees to the event will be given entry to the shop at 10:30am. Anna will be signing copies of the book after the talk and reading.