I love Alice in Wonderland so I really enjoyed this book. The writing made a good connection to the original Alice in Wonderland series. I liked the chess connection in this book because that was subtly added in the original series as well. Celia and Tyrus seemed to have some great character growth since the first book. I loved the Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum reference as they were some of my favorite characters from the original series. Great job!

This is a wonderful second installment full of friendship and adventure. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an easy engaging read.

This was an enjoyable read with fun characters, Great book to share with your kids.

Thank you Shadow Mountain for the ARC.

I liked the first one better. It was harder to get into this world than the first book. I felt like the time Hatta gave them the glasses until the time that they looked at each other with them and realized who they were was wasted time. I felt like the story dragged at that point and I almost put it down several times. But once they saw themselves for all that they really were, the story was much better. I loved the Jabberwocky! By far my favorite part of the whole book! I really could have done without the giant spiders! But that is more my phobia talking than their part of the story. I still enjoyed the main characters and am hoping for a third installment.

I enjoyed Secrets of the Looking Glass, it is the second book in a series. In order to truly enjoy this book, you really need to read the books in order.

First off, you'll want to read the first book to fully understand this one.

I am not much of a fantasy reader. I just don't have a good enough imagination to see the wonders described. My daughter and I read the first book together and she loved it so much I decided we needed to read this one together too. I was doing really good and loving the book while in the human world and then they went through the looking glass and my brain wasn't quite ready to shift gears. I'll admit it was kind of exhausting for me to read that first part, but at the same time I was thinking how brilliant Mr. Savage is that he can transition so well from normal to fantasy. I was amazed by the descriptions, the word play and the overall story. I still struggled to follow everything, but my daughter was pulled right in and loved it all. It was a great story and it was fun to see beloved characters again.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Netgalley and this is my honest review.

I love everything about this. The Alice in wonderland connection pulled me in completely.. the details were rich and the writing was powerful.

This middle-grade fantasy read is entirely enthralling and hooked me from the first. I was able to host the author at my store and the event was very well attended, selling over 100 copies of the book. The author and his wife were very gracious and talked to every child who came through the line.

“Wittier and wittier” mumbled the book reviewer (as she savored the wonderful new “children’s book” called Secrets of the Looking Glass).

I put quotes around children’s book because, like the original Lewis Carroll book, this book is written for all ages. Like The Simpsons, but literary, you might say. Now that the creativity of the book’s world has totally made me forget how to write good English—or at least consistent tenses, let’s start this book review in earnest. But first, one more side observation, I just reviewed an entire book about play, and now I’m reading one that feels like a giant playdate. Coincidence? I think not!

Secrets of the Looking Glass is a reimagining of the famous Through the Looking Glass. Not only is the book set within the same world, it is written in the same witty style. Words are the characters’ weapons but obviously they are also the author’s playthings. I can’t praise this book highly enough. It’s just a fun, exhilarating ride through the English language, while also including an empowering message for everyone to accept all aspects of themselves—not just the perceived best one.

If you like reading, which I assume you do if you are reading a book review, Secrets of the Looking Glass is a must read! 5 stars and my favorite book of 2022!

Thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Review by 10 year old: This was a great second book in a series. I really liked the first book and sometimes book 2 is disappointing. This was just as good if not better than the first. It was a fun reading adventure. I look forward to reading more.

An enjoyable read.. be prepared to get into a magical journey in a magical world.

The kid and I enjoyed this a lot

Fun to read! The rhythm of the language is almost poetic at times but in a silly way. There are tons of puns, rhyming and riddles, and nonsense you would expect in an fantasy about Alice in Wonderland, as well as some illustrations. Tyrus and Celia are very different from each other but learn to use their different strengths to help each other. Tyrus loves to read. Celia has dyslexia and loves chess, which is a huge part of the book. Some of the themes are don’t judge based on outward appearance, everyone has weaknesses and strengths, and be proud of who you are. I thought it was clever the last sentence in each chapter is left hanging and finished by the title of the next chapter. Thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC to use for my review.

"If you didn’t want the answer, you shouldn’t have asked the question, nohow. However, having asked the question you asked, it is quite rude to question the answer you received. Or rather, answering the answer with a questioning question. That’s logic."

From Wonderland in the first book to the Looking Glass World in this one, Celia and Tyrus continue to go on an adventure like no other. And when they learn valuable lessons about themselves and life itself, nothing could’ve been better than that. We all are indeed a lot more than just our best qualities and we don’t even really know the limits of our capacities until tested.

"There’s nothing like a good poem to educate the uninformed."

Following the Bandersnatch into the Looking Glass World, these two have a daunting task ahead of them; that of finding their mirror images formed of their logic and imagination. As in Wonderland, we meet a variety of beloved characters in the Looking Glass World too (think Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Humpty and Dumpty, and an unforgettable version of Hatter). The vibe of the original is present as well, and more than anything, the quest of convincing their mirror images to get back with them ensures that curiosity doesn’t leave even for a moment. The last words of a chapter becoming the title of the next is a nice theme followed by the book and it neatly loops back to the title of the first chapter. All of this only adds to the element of curiosity.

Here’s hoping for this one to get all the love it deserves from readers young and not-so-young. Thank you @netgalley for my ‘perfectly sensible in the most nonsensical way’ advance copy.

"Life is a series of wants and needs. The key is learning to balance the two. That, and finding a reliable chocolate chip cookie recipe."

I was one of the few who were not enchanted with the first book in this series. However, I decided to give author J. Scott Savage a second chance and I am happy to report that “Secrets of the Looking Glass” is a winner. This book has many original and imaginative elements while providing background that includes characters from Lewis Carroll’s classic.

Right from the beginning there is an aura of excitement and danger, two things that are sure to capture the attention of younger readers and pull them into the story. This story focused more on Celia and Tyrus rather than using Carroll’s original that must be solved.

Recommended for younger readers who have already been introduced to the original Wonderland tales. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for a complimentary electronic copy of this title.

A great sequel is always a joy. This book lived up to the first of the series and I can't wait to read the next.

This book was fun from the start. Even as an adult I enjoyed this twist on Alice in Wonderland! Very creative and a very enjoyable read!

Cute mystery for the youth to read. I would say this is a great book to add to a classroom collection. Being I am a huge fan of Alice I take any retellings or Wonderland-adjacent books very seriously when I am reading them.

This was a fantastic second book that has me looking at Wonderland in a whole new light. Really enjoyed the concept of two parts to everyone and how much we need all of ourselves even if we don’t always like parts of our personality. I struggled a bit with the way the chapters ended and wondered if my digital ARC was missing the ends of the chapters until I got to the end and read the authors note, which cleared it all up. It would have been nice to know that part in the beginning, although it may have not bothered me with a physical copy in hand.
So glad I got the chance to read this and I highly recommend it for all Wonderland fans!
Thank you NetGalley, Callie Hansen & Shadow Mountain Publishing!

When the Bandersnatch comes and steals one of Lewis Carroll’s diaries and also Celia and Tyrus’ mirror image including Celia’s logic and Tyrus’ imagination, Celia and Tyrus do the only thing they can, they follow. So, into the looking glass they go.
The adventures these two have and the characters the meet are just so cool. I really like this book a lot not to mention it shows someone like me (dyslexic) that it might take longer to do a few things like read and yes made up names and words are the worst, but we can do anything if we put our minds to it, I mean really me a librarian, yep didn’t see that one coming at all. I am sure with a great friend like Tyrus, Celia will go far in this world like she does in Wonderland. This is a awesome book with wonderful characters, that will keep you asking for more and hey maybe someday you will read the classic Lewis Carroll works as well.

Secrets of the Looking Glass is another exceptional book in this series. The author has outdone himself once again in this installment. He has created another world full of imagination and imagery. He filled that world with suspense, thrills, charismatic characters, and a hefty dose of conflict and tension. The plot is well thought out and proceeds along an established, yet exciting pathway. Along the way there are several side plots that have to come together in order to not only save the characters but to also save the Looking Glass world.

If you have not read any books in this series, I strongly recommend that you do. The Lost Wonderland Dairies (Book 1) is a masterpiece in itself. These books will appeal to all reading ages. WARNING! Once you start reading it is very difficult to stop.