Truth and Transformation

'Someone came through with me, ' said Ali.

'I think she's dying.' 'Is that so?' The Hatter stared at the water for a moment, then stepped up onto the bank. 'How badly is she dying?'

'How badly? She's in a lot of pain. Is that what you mean?'

'No. A bad death can be painful, certainly, but dying is difficult to manage over here. Her body will try to repair itself, but what form that mending takes will depend on her.'

'What form?' Ali grabbed his elbow. 'Are you saying that damage triggers the transformations? You get injured and your body starts adapting to save you?'

'Exactly so.' The Hatter sat to pull his boots on. 'Our bodies will do everything in their power to mend. Don't press me for details. None of our palace scholars can agree on the subject, except for one thing - do NOT get badly injured.'

'Martin has written a masterful narrative that introduces us to a new Alice who is smart, complex, and somewhat fragile. She journeys down her own, very personal, rabbit hole and what unfolds is utterly mesmerizing. She must untangle connections across time and space to confront her demons. Martin has given us a unique Alice, a girl out of place in her own world, yet extraordinarily connected to another. This is a beautiful novel, a spell-binding and intimate glimpse through the looking glass.'

• Richard Taylor, Weta Workshop. ?????

Martin Baynton has been writing for children and young adults for more than forty years. His publishers include Walker Books, Harper Collins, Penguin, Candlewick Press, Scholastic and Heinemann Reed.