Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Bookish Wisdom earns from qualifying purchases. This doesn't change our picks or your price.
Quick answer: If you loved Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, try Through the Looking-Glass, The Phantom Tollbooth, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, The Hobbit and Coraline. Each one offers whimsy, nonsense, wordplay and a curious hero in a strange, magical world.
Lewis Carroll's 1865 classic follows Alice, who falls down a rabbit hole into Wonderland. She grows and shrinks, attends the Mad Hatter's tea party, meets the grinning Cheshire Cat and plays croquet with flamingos for the furious Queen of Hearts. The book is full of puns, riddles and nonsense logic. Readers love its imagination and humor. These books share its whimsy and its strange worlds.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Age | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through the Looking-Glass | Lewis Carroll | 7+ | readers who want the sequel |
| The Phantom Tollbooth | Norton Juster | 8-12 | readers who like wordplay |
| The Wonderful Wizard of Oz | L. Frank Baum | 7-11 | readers who like magical journeys |
| Peter Pan | J.M. Barrie | 7+ | readers who like Neverland |
| The Hobbit | J.R.R. Tolkien | 9+ | readers who like adventures |
| Coraline | Neil Gaiman | 9-12 | readers who like creepy portals |
| The Neverending Story | Michael Ende | 9+ | readers who like books into worlds |
| The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making | Catherynne M. Valente | 10+ | readers who like whimsical fairylands |
| Howl's Moving Castle | Diana Wynne Jones | 10+ | readers who like quirky magic |
| The Looking Glass Wars | Frank Beddor | 12+ | readers who want a retelling |
| Splintered | A.G. Howard | 14+ | readers who want a dark retelling |
| Heartless | Marissa Meyer | 13+ | readers who want the Queen of Hearts's story |
| The Hunting of the Snark | Lewis Carroll | All ages | readers who love nonsense poems |
| Nevermoor | Jessica Townsend | 9-13 | readers who like magical cities |
| Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Roald Dahl | 7-11 | readers who like whimsy |
1. Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
Alice steps through a mirror into a chess world.
Best for: readers who want the sequel.
2. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
A bored boy drives into a land of words.
Best for: readers who like wordplay.
3. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
A girl travels to Oz.
Best for: readers who like magical journeys.
4. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Children fly to Neverland.
Best for: readers who like Neverland.
5. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
A hobbit joins a quest.
Best for: readers who like adventures.
6. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
A girl finds a sinister other world.
Best for: readers who like creepy portals.
7. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
A boy enters a book.
Best for: readers who like books into worlds.
8. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
A girl travels to Fairyland.
Best for: readers who like whimsical fairylands.
9. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
A cursed girl moves into a castle.
Best for: readers who like quirky magic.
10. The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Alyss is the true heir of Wonderland.
Best for: readers who want a retelling.
11. Splintered by A.G. Howard
A descendant of Alice returns to Wonderland.
Best for: readers who want a dark retelling.
12. Heartless by Marissa Meyer
The Queen of Hearts's origin.
Best for: readers who want the Queen of Hearts's story.
13. The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll
A nonsense poem about a hunt.
Best for: readers who love nonsense poems.
14. Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend
A cursed girl joins a secret society.
Best for: readers who like magical cities.
15. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
A boy tours a magical factory.
Best for: readers who like whimsy.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
Read Through the Looking-Glass next. For wordplay and nonsense, The Phantom Tollbooth is perfect. If you like magical journeys, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan are classics. Teens should try the retellings Heartless and Splintered.
Related: Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie: Summary and Key Takeaways · Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland about?
A girl falls down a rabbit hole into a world of nonsense and strange creatures.
Who wrote it?
Lewis Carroll, the pen name of Charles Dodgson.
Who was Alice?
Alice Liddell, a real girl who inspired the story.
What age is it for?
It suits readers about 7 and up, and many adults love it.
What is the sequel?
Through the Looking-Glass.
Who illustrated the original?
John Tenniel.
What should I read next?
The Phantom Tollbooth.