The Other Alice

Alice loves to write stories but she always has to finish them. Experience has taught her that, if she leaves a story unfinished, her characters step out of the story and go in search of their own ending. This might prove to be fun and entertaining but what would happen if the character that leapt across into the real world was evil and sought an ending that only meant bad things for the other characters and for the writer herself? This is the premise of Michelle Harrison's latest book, as we follow Midge's search for his older (half) sister, Alice, who has disappeared at the same time as some rather strange people have suddenly turned up. Midge struggles to tell friend from foe as he attempts to use Alice's notebooks to guide him to her before the evil Dolly Weaver finds her and writes her own ending. Along the way, Midge comes across an array of strange characters; Piper, Ramone, Mr Ramblebrook and his Museum of Unfinished Stories, and Gypsy, who is so like Alice in many ways. There is also Tabitha, a tea- drinking, talking black cat, whose introduction initially seemed to jar with the general tone of menace and unease generated by the other characters. Tabitha, however, proves to be a pivotal part of the story in its later stages. This book will appeal to confident young readers with its mix of riddles and fairy tales, magic and stories. Midge's determination to save Alice leads him into great personal peril but his love for his sister keeps him going, no matter how hopeless the situation seems and brings the story to its very dramatic conclusion. 338 pages / ages 10+ / Reviewed by June Hughes, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 9+