Wonderland by Barbara O’Connor

Reviewed by Omya 

Do you think friendship is always easy at first? Well, not in this book. The two girls in this book seem to be having fun, but their friendship is unstable. Sometimes they are good friends, while other times they will not. And now they were going to go on an adventure to try to make a man named Mr. Duffy happy. Are they going to succeed?

In Wonderland by Barbara O'Connor, the main characters are Rose and Mavis. Mavis is a fearless and bold character, while Rose is a worrier and doesn’t feel like she fits in. They decide to be best friends, but will they have a good relationship? They make their first goal is to help Mr. Duffy, who is not doing his job well due to his dog Queenie dying. When Amanda, Rose's enemy, tells Mavis and her about Henry, a dog in the woods, Mavis is determined to help Mr. Duffy, but Rose is still not sure. They hatch a scheme to find Henry. Rose does not want to go, but Mavis keeps insisting. Henry, on the other hand, ran away from home and craves kindness and comfort, but he doesn’t know where to look for it. Together Rose and Mavis gradually develop each other's personality, but they still are trying to make Mr. Duffy happy. Will they be able to, and what will they do?

One of the reasons why I enjoyed the book is that it taught me a lot about friendship. For example, it shows how two girls make friends over a long period of time. For example, at first, Mavis asks Rose to be best friends. Rose has never had a best friend, but has always wanted one so she agrees. Gradually, the two girls that seem so different, come together and show what true friendship really is.

Another reason why I liked this book is because the adventure is amazing. Everyday, I would want to read longer because I really wanted to know how Rose and Mavis are going to get Henry. Will Mr. Duffy like Henry? But when the time comes and Rose and Mavis give Mr. Duffy Henry he says that he is a racing dog, and he has to go back to Wonderland. Wonderland is the place where racing dogs race until the age of about four.

I would suggest this book to people who like heartwarming stories, and I would rate this book with a rating of 10/10. This book is also for people who want to learn more about friendship and adventures. This book is not part of a series, but Wish and Halfway to Harmony are similar to this book, and are written by the same author. Now what are you waiting for? How about you go check it out right now!

Square Fish, 288 pages