Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

In this spinoff of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the Dormouse longs to escape "liv[ing] forever at half past teatime."His chance comes when, during an argument with the March Hare and the Mad Hatter, the Dormouse is dropped in a teapot, and he is pulled by a strong current, swims through endless, bottomless liquid, and surfaces in a river beneath a bridge with huge, strange buildings on both shores. Of course this is modern-day New York City—or really two intertwining, parallel cities, one an accurate depiction of real places and the other populated by varieties of rodents, birds, bugs, and many other creatures, all living mostly unnoticed by almost all humans. They speak, wear clothes, have jobs, use their own transportation system, and enjoy interspecies friendships as well as share a dangerous common enemy. They welcome the Dormouse and introduce him to the delights and perils of this strange new world. Bernard, using his actual name for the first time ever, finds a sense of purpose in joining the fight to stop the dreaded Pork Pie Gang of weasels from achieving their goal of halting time. In this parallel New York City, Hoffman deftly creates a compellingly different kind of Wonderland, a place with its own set of realities and whose residents understand that, in spite of their differences, they are stronger together than apart.Everything a fantasy should be and more. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

In this spinoff of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the Dormouse longs to escape "liv[ing] forever at half past teatime."His chance comes when, during an argument with the March Hare and the Mad Hatter, the Dormouse is dropped in a teapot, and he is pulled by a strong current, swims through endless, bottomless liquid, and surfaces in a river beneath a bridge with huge, strange buildings on both shores. Of course this is modern-day New York City—or really two intertwining, parallel cities, one an accurate depiction of real places and the other populated by varieties of rodents, birds, bugs, and many other creatures, all living mostly unnoticed by almost all humans. They speak, wear clothes, have jobs, use their own transportation system, and enjoy interspecies friendships as well as share a dangerous common enemy. They welcome the Dormouse and introduce him to the delights and perils of this strange new world. Bernard, using his actual name for the first time ever, finds a sense of purpose in joining the fight to stop the dreaded Pork Pie Gang of weasels from achieving their goal of halting time. In this parallel New York City, Hoffman deftly creates a compellingly different kind of Wonderland, a place with its own set of realities and whose residents understand that, in spite of their differences, they are stronger together than apart.Everything a fantasy should be and more. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In Hoffman-s whimsical debut, the Dormouse of Lewis Carroll-s Wonderland lands in Manhattan after the irascible Mad Hatter shoves him into a porcelain teapot painted with the city-s skyline. Time has stopped in his homeland, where he-s been subjected to an endless tea party, so Bernard is thrilled to see a working clock in this -magnificent new world.- Soon, though, he learns that trouble is brewing in the metropolis, where the Pork Pie Gang of weasels is preparing to hold -The First, Last, and Only Endless Ukulele Concert,- which will stop time and force residents to do forever what the weasels do best: -nothing.- Determined to foil this nefarious plot, Bernard rallies the aid of a streetwise cat, escaped pets living in Manhattan-s underworld, and a troupe of cockroach musicians and tap dancers. Along with her obvious borrowings (there-s a blonde girl named Allie), Hoffman gives additional sly nods to Carroll-s classic (a queen in a red dress who runs a diner) and includes nonsensical verse of variable cleverness, creating a quirky flight of fancy with a rich lineage. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. (Sept.)

School Library Journal (Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Gr 2-5 -Fond memories of Lewis Carroll's classic novel (or perhaps nostalgia for the Disney movie) will entice readers to pick up this book, which follows the Dormouse of Mad Hatter's tea party as he plunges deep into the teapot and out intopresent-day Manhattan! At first, Dormouse (now known as Bernard Pepperlin, and how he thrills at the sound of someone asking his name!) is delighted to have escaped from the endless tea party and explore this new environment, but he soon discovers that there is a dastardly plan afoot to destroy his new home. With his new friendsenigmatic Mittens, a battle-scarred cat, and a brave and optimistic lizard named IvyBernard hopes to inspire the animals to band together. But will they be able to overcome their apathy to defeat the Pork Pie Gang? Hoffman cleverly mingles familiar themes and tropes from Carroll's famous novel with wry humor, whether it's world domination via ukulele or business-suited mice rushing about on Wall Street. This is a whimsical tribute to the magic and wonder of Carroll, but also an adventure-filled allegory of our present-day rush and failure to communicate; humans don't even notice a cockroach jazz quartet on the subway because they are too immersed in their own lives. Readers who like their fantasy concrete and thoroughly explained might get a little frustrated with the vague, metaphorical ways animals and humans coexist in this version of reality, but fans of unique and realistic fantasy will enjoy this book. VERDICT A fun and intriguing read for strong younger readers and reluctant older readers who want a dash of adventure with their anthropomorphic characters. A great read-alike for fans of Roald Dahl, E.B. White, and Katherine Applegate.-Evelyn Khoo Schwartz, Holton Arms School, Bethesda, MD