This is a review of the audiobook edition - I strongly suspect that the experience might be quite different for those reading a visual copy of the book, so keep that in mind for what follows.

The audiobook was clearly created with a lot of love and meaning by everyone involved, and I genuinely feel bad for raining on their parade. It’s just that for a reader not part of the author’s personal circle, the listening experience is like hearing a radio broadcast in a language that you are only mostly fluent in. The multicast “wacky” voices used for the characters are distracting, and also a constant reminder that the multiple storylines don’t really mesh well with one another. This is one of the areas where I suspect the visual reading experience is different. The little tune that leads into each chapter is cute, but doesn’t tie into the story. And the author’s comments at the section breaks feel odd in material that seems to be intended for adults or older teens.

The story itself has a lot of promise - there is certainly no shortage of Alice in Wonderland takeoffs out there, but having that shared backstory is often an asset. The problem here is that there’s no real commentary or expansion of the traditional presentation - characters get fleshed out and story elements added, of course, but there’s nothing that makes you reconsider your assumptions about the premise. If anything, this version leans even more heavily into gender and cultural stereotypes than some earlier versions. The repeated and unnecessary use of the word “g*spy” in a book set in modern times is particularly unfortunate.

I was really looking forward to this one and expected to be leaving a very different review when I started out. I hope this saves someone out there some disappointment!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me listen to this audio ARC! I’d like to first say that this book was interesting as in strange but I think that’s what the author was going for because of the similarities to Alice in Wonderland. So if you are in the mood for a completely different read this is for you.
The author narrating this book was excellent, it made it fun how she voiced the different characters. Although a negative aspect of the audiobook was the music at the beginning of each chapter was repetitive and unnecessary to me, though that may be a personal preference.
If you read this book how it was originally classified as a children’s/ya I’d have to say that it’s a bit inappropriate at times for the aspect of dark sexual magic and different comments made in the book. But read as how they changed the classification to an adult fiction it’s ok although I felt as though that aspect could have been left out.
The magic system and the “trippiness” of the story is very cool and I wouldn’t mind listening to a sequel. The main characters like Queen Dahlia was one of my favorite things and how the animals turned human at the end too was awesome.
Overall it was enjoyable and I would recommend it as an adult fantasy if you like books like Alice in Wonderland.

I loved the narration for this book. It is narrated by the author. Absolutely wonderful!
The book is really weird but I was into it. I was laughing and having a good time. To me it isn't really a children's book because there are "adult" themes and issues. For instance we have unplanned babies and such. Yes the girl is ten but she is not the main focus the entire time.
I don't know. I had fun listening to this.

This was a really weird Alice in Wonderland/Wizard of Oz/Coraline type story. It seems like it should be for middle grade/ya but also not. Honestly, just a weird trip. Would recommend if you like weird books.

ElizabethAnn's life is boring. Someone cut down all of the neighborhood trees and people are without imagination. The only exception is ElizabethAnn's grandmother who stands out among others with her hot rod and thoughts on theoretical physics. A real wildcard.

As ElizabethAnn prepares for her grandmother's Sunday visit, her parents tell her they will be putting her grandmother in a home. She decides she must stop them.

While out walking her dog Jackson, ElizabethAnn follows her grandmother - and a monkey - through a badger hole that happens to be a portal, and they all end up a world called Bumblegreen.

It's a "down the rabbit hole" moment in which our ten year old heroine and her dog cross paths with a Duchess who is allergic to her babies, talking mosquitos, a teenaged queen, and an ancient genderless sorcerer. Lovable Jackson, meanwhile, falls prey to a disease that turns all animals into wildly neurotic humans.

Why is ElizabethAnn there? Turns out her grandmother needs her help with a deadly pandemic plaguing Bumblegreen - or they risk being accused of being the cause. Can they save the world in time?

This truly is Mr. Toad's Wild Ride! It's a middle grade book, with an audio recording that is full cast, including sound effects and music that add so much to the narrative. It will be completely engaging for any enthusiastic reader. There are elements of Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but also shades of Mad Max and Wizard of Oz for the parents who are listening along.

Though there is a lot going on, the plot is easy to follow. This is one of the most imaginative children's books I've read recently - it's a labyrinth wending through a richly developed fantasy world with surprises at every turn. It's fast moving and will keep kids engaged! Perhaps the best part is the largely female cast of characters, especially in main roles with spunky and fearless ElizabethAnn leading the way.

I was gifted a copy of this audiobook by @netgalley and @prbythebook in exchange for an honest review. As a 5th grade teacher, I fully endorse this one for kids who love fantasy!

Although I'm not the target audience for this book, I do read (listen to) quite a few books for kids. Most are better and more complex/meaningful than books for adults!

This book was not for me.
It seemed like a pretty blatant rip off of Alice in Wonderland.

The background music/sounds were odd and distracting. The song at the beginning of each chapter was the nail in the coffin. WHY IS IT THERE?? It's repetitive and annoying.

I was confused at some points what grade level this was intended for. At some points, the silliness plus the background seems appropriate for grades 2-4 (which is the grade range listed on Amazon), but at other times, I was wondering if it was meant for high school. Odd.

Finally, I can definitely see some parents having an issue with some of the language and subjects. Not saying they should have an issue, but I think some will. Especially for such a young target audience.

Thank you NetGalley and Pangloss Press for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

This audiobook was the best I’ve heard, it probably isn’t what I would listen to in terms of the plot but the way it was read, the full cast, the background sounds. I’ve never heard anything like it and that itself was incredible. The book wasn’t bad either I loved the characters especially Jackson , Hank and earl they were all to die for, the plot was really unique definitely made for children but the imagination was probably the best, the things thought up is like what Roald Dahl would , it was just a lot for me to wrap my head around. When I was picturing everything I kind of imagined it all in claymation with coraline looking characters and the plot would probably remind me of a more childish imaginative world of the labyrinth with more stuff going on. I liked it it was just very long and a lot was happening.

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 9th December and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of January

When I read the brief summary of this book as a YA/ teens meets Mad Max and Miss Peregrine, I was excited for the adventure I would be taken on.
As the story unfolded, I felt as though i was thrown into an odd sort of Alice in Wonderland world with similar scenes and references and a bit more alternate reality.

The main character ElizabethAnn, is a 10 year old girl who's life in the real world seems boring and benign. Her neighborhood seems to have cut down all the trees and imagination barely seems to be encouraged. However, ElizabethAnn's grandmother is a bit of a wildcard as she comes roaring onto the scene in her big car and theoretical physics mindset.

The story really "goes down a rabbit hole" when ElizabethAnn and her dog Jackson enter a portal after a monkey and are transported into another world which is about as bizarre as one can imagine, with talking mosquitos, sloths, and Duchess's who are allergic to their own babies. It just gets stranger and stranger the more people and places we encounter which is why I liken this to that of Alice and her Wonderland.

I give it 4* because I do like the whimsy and the fun the author must have had writing it. I also love reading middle grade and YA, but some points still felt a bit childish which may be just my personal opinion. There were times, the chaos was a bit overwhelming.

Wow! This book is so random, and weird and fun. The first page starts on a wild adventure and it does not let up the entire book. This gave me total Alice in Wonderland/Charlie and the chocolate factory vibes. Do yourself a favour and listen to the audiobook. The narrator does incredible voices, and with all the added sound effects it transports you right into the book. Super fun book that a youth would love.

This was a strange interesting story I read over 100 books a year and I have never read anything even close to this and the audiobook experience is the way to go

(2.0 Stars)

Where to begin with this review. I should start by saying that I am not the target audience for this book. So you could probably stop reading this review right now and just move on to the next one. However, I am the target audience of the description for this book.

I read the audiobook version, but more on that later.

This book billed itself as "Teens and YA", "Mad Max meets Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children", and "a dystopian adventure". This book is none of that. I also see a lot of comparisons to Alice in Wonderland, and while I think the author had Alice's Adventures in mind while writing this book, I simply don't see it.

What this book is, is a Children's book. The main protagonist is a ten-year-old girl, and the book is written at that level (with some odd, and unnecessary, sexual references thrown in). I'd say much closer to Pippi Longstocking meets The Wizard of Oz. If you are a fan of dystopian fiction, you will immediately realize this is more of an alternate reality fantasy, or maybe fever dream, but certainly not what I would consider dystopian.

As I said above, I read the audiobook version, which was described as being narrated by the author. It was provided by #NetGalley, but this was not a typical unabridged narration. It was performed by a full cast (including the author), complete with sound effects, musical chapter breaks, and not at all what I was expecting.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'll try to review this as a children's book. It has very vibrant characters and descriptive "worlds". The story is easy to follow, and has girls in leading roles. If you like watching Eloise, you would probably like this, especially if you'd like it with a heavy fantasy element. This is a fast moving, imaginative adventure. The cast of characters is acted out as an audio drama, and the book is neatly divided up in parts, since the overall length of the book is more than 10 hours.