What a lovely and unique story. I enjoyed reading about these two very different characters and how they come together to help their friend.

Barbara O'Connor has done it again. Her works represents the South and working-class folks with poise, dignity, and great care while offer a universal storyline that speaks to everyone.

Wonderland is a sweet book about growing up, finding oneself, and taking chances. It’s not being afraid to try, but mostly it’s about best friends. Mavis and her mother are moving. Again. But this move finds them in Landry, Alabama. Mavis wants to stay somewhere long enough to make a best friend. Rose is a lonely little girl who is a bit afraid of all the changes she is making as a result of being Mavis’s best friend. Then there’s Mr.Duffy, his dead dog Queenie, and the mysterious dog hanging out in the woods. I really liked this and I’m so appreciative to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my fair and honest review.

This story of friendship would be great for pre-teens, especially girls, discovering what it is to be yourself and learning to stand on your own two feet. Mavis gets drug from place to place by her flighty mom and they end up in a fancy neighborhood where her mother is now working for the snooty Mrs Tully. While mom tries to keep Mrs. Tully happy, Mavis is working on making Mrs. Tully’s daughter, Rose her new best friend. In the mix are also Mr. Duffy, the gatehouse manager who is sad at the death of his dog Queenie, Henry a lost dog and Amanda Simms, another girl in the neighborhood.

I liked the set up of this book - two young girls who want to belong and have a friend. They also care about an older gentleman who is grieving over the loss of his wife, his dog and is facing forced retirement. I felt the characters were portrayed well and yet ... There was too much repetition. The same scenes are shown and information is told and retold too many times. I felt as if I spent half the book waiting for something to happen. I've never felt that way with a Barbara O'Connor book before.

Wonderland captures true friendship over and over. Two girls from very different walks of life become friends and they seek an elusive dog to help the failing gatekeeper. Barbara O'Connor embraces childhood and the freedoms associated with it - the freedoms to dream and not let adult notions and preconceived ideas get in the way. This book is a celebration of friendship, the innocence of childhood, and the power of man's best friend.

A wonderful story about friendship from three POV-- new best friends, Rose & Mavis, and Henry, the stray dog they find in the woods. There is much to learn in this book about being a good friend and the joy of having a special animal to love. Would be a delightful classroom read aloud.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mavis and Rose have very different backgrounds and family situations. Mavis's mother hops from one job to another so they've had to move around a lot to make ends meet. Rose's family is well-off and lives in the biggest house in a gated community. Mavis and Rose are also similar in that they both struggle to make and keep a friend. When Mavis's mother is employed by Rose's family, Mavis is determined to make Rose her friend. This story of friendship alternates between the perspectives of Mavis and Rose. In addition, some chapters of the book are written from the perspective of a dog named Henry who the girls are trying to rescue so that Mr. Duffy, the gatekeeper, will be happy again. As Mavis and Rose work through their struggles with friendship they help each other grow. One learns to be a best friend and the other learns to be brave and speak up for herself. One of my favorite books is a previous novel by Barbara O'Connor, Wish. With two sweet friends and a lovable dog, this latest novel is just as heart-warming.

A very sweet, uplifting book about two young girls who form an unlikely friendship. Rose's family is wealthy and Mavis and her mother are poor (her mother is a maid), but Mavis teaches Rose to be brave and Rose teaches Mavis to be considerate. A bit of a convenient ending, but should be satisfying for most readers.

Also features a great dog.

When the worlds of four very different lives collide, you find yourself in Magnolia Estates. Mavis comes into Magnolia Estates with her flighty mother who lives a very transient life always moving from one place to another looking for happiness. Rose Tully lives in Magnolia Estates with her high faluting mother and deals with Dad and is trying to figure out just where she fits in. Mr. Duffy runs the gates of Magnolia Estates and is entering a very sad phase of his life. And then there is Henry who is a dog escapee and isn't really sure what he wants. These four perspectives lend to an amazing story-telling experience.
The chapters, written from the perspective of either Mavis, Rose or Henry were quick to read and made the book hard to put down. I found myself quickly endeared to these characters for different reasons and wanted the best for each of them. And, I wanted to shake Mrs. Tully in each and every chapter!
Barbara O'Connor has a way of telling stories that makes you feel as though you are in that place scraping your legs on the bushes, feeling the skateboard wheels under your feet and racing to Wonderland. She is a magnificent writer who does not disappoint with this middle grade novel.

I couldn’t help but get wrapped up in this story. I loved how the girls had a non-traditional friendship (and how gutsy Mavis was to declare that she and Rose were going to be friends from the start!). I wasn’t anticipating getting to read Henry’s perspective, and while that tugged at my heartstrings, it compelled me to root for him and the girls even more. This book teaches a great lesson about perseverance and sticking up for your beliefs. I’m excited to share it with my students when I can get some copies for my library, especially since so many of them are such big fans of Wish! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

This book has the same feel good vibe as Because of Winn Dixie. Loved the Henry sections! Can’t wait to introduce this book to my students. They will love it. ❤️

I love this friendship story. It shows that friendship isn’t easy, especially when two people are so very different. And arguments often seem to start over the silliest things, but if you’re brave enough to apologize, good things can happen. I like how the friends are a positive influence on each other and the adults in their lives, too. “Rose was surprised to feel that tiny seed of bravery she had been feeling earlier begin to grow.” The language is lush and filled with voice. A definite addition to my school library.

Having just finished Kate DiCamillo's Louisiana's Way Home, there were several similarities that struck me; what is it about stories with tween southern girls as the main characters? And many who have not lived in one place for a very long time? And few with father figures?
Wonderland is a story of two well-written main characters, who have more in common by book's end than when it starts. It is also a story of contrasts: of Mavis, who has undoubtedly spent more time fending for herself and adapting to new situations, and Rose, who has largely been directed by her mother. And, while there are some disappointments along the way, readers can experience situations where change can be a good thing.
My only wonder: Mavis's mother's attitude must have to change somewhat to adjust to her new role, but perhaps it is a result of the opportunity of a new beginning, and something she enjoys doing.

Have you ever had to move from place to place, never staying in one city long enough to even make a best friend? Have you ever lived somewhere your whole life but just never seemed to fit in enough to have a best friend? This is Mavis and Rose. Mavis and her mom are always moving. Her mother never seems to be happy with her current dead-end job or her current dead-end boyfriend. They barely have enough money to scrape by. Rose is the opposite. She has lived in a gated community in Alabama where everyone is super rich and super snobby. Rose's only friend is Mr Duffy, the old man who runs the gatehouse. Things are about to change when Rose's mom hires Mavis' mom as a live-in housekeeper. Mavis determines right away that her and Rose will be best friends. Both of them struggle with this because they've never truly had a best friend before.​ They do have one common goal, to help Mr. Duffy after his dog, Queenie, died. Mr. Duffy is getting complaints from all of the residents of Magnolia Estates because he has lost his desire to be now that Queenie is gone. Can Mavis and Rose save Mr. Duffy by coming up with a plan to get him a new dog? Will Henry, the stray dog in the neighborhood woods, be the answer? Will Mr. Duffy lose his job if the plan doesn't work? Will Mavis and Rose learn what it takes to become best friends? Read this precious story of true friendship, determination, and doggy love.

YAY for Wonderland! Barbara O’Connor develops wonderful characters! Some you will love, others you might love to hate! Kids will cheer for a greyhound that is choosing his own destiny! Just give it to the kids, they will tell you Wonderland is wonderful.

I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this middle grade fiction novel both through my #BookRelays group and NetGalley. I’ve been very excited about reading it ever since I read Barbara O’Connor’s book, Wish! I really enjoyed reading this story of friendship, people’s abilities to grow in positive ways, and the realization that people are multidimensional – no one is all good or all bad in real life.
We learn all of these awesome lessons through the story of Mavis Jeeter, Rose Tully, Mr. Duffy, and Henry. Mavis has moved many times in her life, as her mother frequently changes jobs and/or relationships. When Mavis’ mom gets a new job as a housekeeper in the Tully household, she and Mavis move into a small apartment over the family’s garage. Mavis, who has never had a best friend, quickly informs Rose Tully that they will be best friends. Rose, who has been lonesome ever since her older sister went off to college, is glad to have a new friend. But it soon becomes clear that these two girls are very different from each other.
Rose is very reserved, soft-spoken, and very reluctant to break any of the rules set by her rigid mother. Mavis is more of a free spirit who speaks her mind, often without thinking through the consequences. When the two of them try to help lonely Mr. Duffy, the gatekeeper of the upscale community where they live, by finding him a new dog to replace the beloved pet that passed away, there are a number of rules that need to be broken.
Rose learns to relax a little bit more and take risks. Mavis learns that sometimes she needs to be more patient in order to be a good best friend. Mr. Duffy and Henry, an escaped greyhound from the local dog track, also learn new lessons about trusting others and trying new things.
The character development in this story is great. Everyone learns something and becomes better for it by the end of the story. I like that the characters are multidimensional. For example, Amanda is a bit of a snooty girl and somewhat of a nemesis in the story. However, she is kindhearted enough to give food to the stray dog and is generous enough to loan her bicycle to Mavis. It concerns me a little bit that in order for Rose to prove her friendship to Mavis, she feels pressured to break her mothers’ rules. I know that kids often think rules are lame, but Rose’s mother had her rules in order to keep Rose safe – especially the rules about staying away from the woods and the busy highway outside the housing development. But this is a very real situation for middle grade readers, as they are faced with this type of peer pressure all the time. This might lead to a good opportunity to discuss with young readers whether someone should have to break rules in order to be friends with someone.
This is a terrific middle school read with an engaging story. Anyone who has ever fallen in love with a stray animal will definitely be able to relate to this book. This book will be released in August and would be a good addition to classroom libraries, grades 4 and up.

I loved this book! It was a sweet, sweet story. It would definitely fit into my third grade classroom as a read aloud at the beginning of the year or into our social issues book club. The adventure of Rose and Mavis were so fun to follow and I know that my students will just love it! I cannot wait until this comes out in print. I will be adding it to my classroom library for sure!

Mavis Jetters longs for one true friend. Rose Tully is not sure where she fits in with her friends. When Ms. Jetters’
wanderlust brings them to Landry, Alabama, Mavis finds her one true friend. Rose and Mavis agree to be friends immediately upon meeting each other, but their friendship truly becomes a friendship as they search for a lost dog to give to Mr. Duffy, who recently lost his precious Queenie. And Henry, and aging greyhound who can no longer race is the benefactor of the girls heroic effort to help a friend. Barbara O’Connor weaves her magic into this beautiful story of loneliness, jealousy, and becoming true friends.

What a wonderfully sweet story! Loved the characters, human and animal alike. Barbara O'Connor writes stories that touch the heart. The students at school are sure to love this one.