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*Through the Looking Glass (Classics Illustrated Graphic Novels #3)* by Lewis Carroll, illustrated and adapted by Kyle Baker- young readers book review
Through the Looking Glass (Classics Illustrated Graphic Novels #3)
by Lewis Carroll, illustrated and adapted by Kyle Baker
Ages 8-12 56 pages Papercutz September 2008 Hardcover    

Classics Illustrated was the brainchild of Albert Lewis Kanter (1897-1973), who published the classics of great literature, history and mythology in comic-book format, introducing new readers to the ideas encapsulated in humanity’s greatest works. While one may wonder whether comic-book versions actually lead young readers to the original literature or supplant them altogether, the fact remains that these comic-book adaptations have become a staple in school libraries. Many a schoolchild has grown up knowing the great works through their adaptation in graphic-novel format.

Papercutz (better known as the publisher of graphic novels featuring The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books) has acquired the rights to the Classics Illustrated graphic novels, many of which feature adaptations of great literature by well-known graphic novelists.

Kyle Baker is an American illustrator and cartoonist who has won eight Eisner awards, named for Will Eisner and awarded to recognize outstanding creative achievement in the field of American comics. Baker has published cartoons in The New Yorker and The New York Times and has worked for Marvel, DC, and Darkhorse Comics. Given this history, a reader may well be curious to see what Baker comes up with for the sequel to Alice in Wonderland.

The story begins with Alice talking to her kitten, chastising it for being naughty and wryly commenting that if she herself were punished for all her naughty deeds, she may well end up being sent to jail. Alice wonders what it would be like to step through the looking-glass and surprises herself by being able to do so. This is followed by a series of familiar events: she reads the poem “Jabberwocky”, falls into the hands of the Red Queen, encounters Tweedledee and Tweedledum (who proceed to recite the very long poem, “The Walrus and the Carpenter” to her), and runs into the White Queen - who suddenly transforms into a sheep.

The following chapters find Alice meeting Humpty Dumpty and the Lion and the Unicorn, who all proceed to act out the respective nursery rhymes that tell their stories. The book comes to a close with Alice finally reaching the eight position on the chessboard and becoming a queen herself. She shakes the Red Queen, who promptly turns into Alice’s kitten. Alice finds that she is safely back at home with her two kittens; apparently it was all only a dream.

While the premise of a graphic novel adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass is an interesting one, the execution falls far short of the desired outcome. The book features somewhat lengthy excerpts of the original text, printed in small columns under each panel rather than the word bubbles that readers expect from graphic novels. This makes the text so tiny as to be tedious and headache-inducing to read. The drawings themselves are too angular and edgy for this beloved children’s classic. In many of the panels, Alice’s entirely blacked out eyes and her ugly facial expressions make for quite a jarring impact.

While this graphic book is a novel and creative venture, it is hard to view this adaptation as an entirely separate work from the original book by Lewis Carroll. Insofar as the graphic novel has to compete with a reader’s expectations of this classic story, this adaptation is unlikely to make any fans out of those who love the original work.
 
Young readers book reviews for ages 8 to 12 years old

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