Readers In Wonderland: The Liberating Worlds of Fantasy Fiction

Description

Readers in Wonderland ranges from William Steig's small picture books to J. R. R. Tolkien's epic series; from utopias like L. Frank Baum's Oz to dystopias like Virginia Hamilton's Dustland; from less known works like Patricia Wrightson's to the phenomenon that is J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter.

Deborah O'Keefe has degrees from Smith, Cornell, and Columbia, and has taught at Vassar College and at Manhattanville College. She lives in Chappaqua, New York.

"While Readers in Wonderland is a fantasy survey of fantastic children's literature in the West summarizing some of the best books ever written in the last century in a very personable way, it is not one to delve deeply into any single work. Scholars would no come to this book looking for deep inter-textual analysis because that's not its intent; however, this book is an excellent way to discover new books and rediscover old favorites. It would be especially useful for parents and teachers look for books for their children, students needing a solid foundation of the body of literature available to them, and professors looking to teach introductory classes in either children's literature or the fantastic; and it makes a great quick resource for any library on these topics. O'Keefe possesses a stunning breadth of knowledge of the books she cites. She looks at over 80 authors and usually looks at more than one work by each author. What is fun about O'Keefe's commentary is that she invites the reader to take a second look at many of the books she covers. She includes a strong Secondary Works Cited bibliography focused on the standard scholarship of both children's literature and the literary criticism one would expect in a resource of this type, thereby providing an excellent bibliography for a new scholar. Scholars, teachers, and parents will find this to be a very valuable read. Overall, it's a quick synopsis of the books children are reading and provides valuable ideas for further reading. But this discussion isn't just geared towards the books that children could be reading; it's also great for nostalgic adults who would like to find more books like the ones already loved. O'Keefe is quick to remind the reader throughout that these books are great not just because they teach children what we'd like them to know, but also because they are enjoyable for adults and children alike."-Crystal Black, Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts -- Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts ". . . this is a very useful survey of children's fantasy for those working in that field, pointing scholars to works that may be of interest to their own research areas."-Christine Mains, Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts -- Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts "Deborah O'Keefe, like any good, sensible muse of fantasy, takes us on a journey wearing solid birkenstocks and carrying a snake stick with which she points out both the good stuff and the scary stuff. Hurrah!" -Jane Yolen, author of How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?, Sword of the Rightful King, Briar Rose * Blurb from reviewer *