Eighth
stop: Wonderland’s Historical Library (prize post)
On the eighth day of Splintered,
we visit Wonderland’s historical library.
A faery as pink as a sunset, with the graceful, long neck of a flamingo,
waits at a desk to offer help. Though she’s famous for playing a mean game of
croquet, she’s lesser known as the Secret Keeper, thanks to her day job as the
librarian of Wonderland.
She sees us and stands—neck opening out like a telescope—to search the upper shelves for the books that hold
Wonderland’s forgotten history and darkest secrets.
(caption) Attribution:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dm-set/3464173554/
This being Wonderland, the books
in the library aren’t typical books. Actual voices are captured within the
pages. You don’t so much read them, as converse with them. The Secret Keeper pulls down a dusty tome
filled with the voices of people who have read and adored Lewis Carroll’s
original tale. They’re sorted alphabetically. Turning to the “L” section, the
Secret Keeper (SK) proceeds to ask Maggie Lehrman, Amulet’s acquiring editor
for Splintered, her
thoughts on the two books:
SK: Dearest Maggie, of course I've always known the
true story of Wonderland, but I would love your take on the classic Carroll
tale and your first reactions to A.G. Howard's Weirdified Wonderland (which is
far more accurate, allow me to assure you!)
Maggie: I love Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland, particularly the marvelous illogic of some of
the dialogue and the strange beauty of the poems and wordplay. There's nothing
else like it in the world. Carroll's Alice has inspired generations of
children's authors, but his original book remains as fresh and strange as ever.
What I immediately responded to when reading Anita's take on Wonderland in Splintered was that all
those codes and riddles contained meaning and sense, if only we had Alyssa's
stubbornness to help unravel them. Splintered
respects the madness of Carroll's book while creating something new and
strange. (And, unlike Carroll's book, very romantic!)
SK: Is there a particular character,
destination, or scene that got you itching to work with Splintered?
Maggie: Hmmm, tricky question! That's because Splintered is the
complete package: There's Anita's brilliant repurposing of Wonderland, the pull
Alyssa feels between familiar Jeb and mysterious Morpheus, and the deep
emotions Anita taps into. But I have to say, personally, I have considerable
fondness for the "walrus" scene. As Anita depicts him, he's
grotesque, but also darkly funny and threatening. I knew I was reading
something special from the first scene, but it was that tricky octobenus that
truly hooked me. Not sure what that says about my personality!
SK:
Describe Splintered in six words or less.
Maggie: Wonderland is not what it seems.
SK: Can you share any secrets about the
acquisition process as it concerns Splintered? (Strictly for recording
purposes, I promise.)
Maggie: Not sure if there any secrets to share, but I will say
that many of my co-workers have cornered me to let me know that they couldn't
put the manuscript down. That's always wonderful to hear!
SK:
Tell me why you feel readers should make a resolution to pick up Splintered the
very moment it hits shelves on January 1st, 2013?
Maggie: With the excitement of the holidays behind you, this
is the perfect book to cozy up to on a cold winter night.
The Secret Keeper places the book
back on its shelf and shoos us out the door. To learn all of the weirdified
Wonderland secrets, you’ll have to read Splintered.
But if you’re too impatient to wait, there will be an unveiling at Mundie Moms
tomorrow … two secrets revealed, one for Splintered,
and one for Lewis Carroll’s original Wonderland tale.
GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES:
To thank us for stopping by the
library today, Wonderland’s Secret Keeper/ librarian is offering this 4-inch
pink flamingo ornament. For a chance to win, leave a comment in the
rafflecopter about your favorite Alice in Wonderland character. Tweet this post
for extra entries.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
.jpg)
