Sarah S. at Abundane of Books Blog has given a wonderful review on Wanderland. Abundance of Books is a marvelous blogsite that does author interviews and reviews. Please take the time to visit the site, I'm sure you will enjoy the visit.
My Thoughts:
I don't know why I don't read more historical fiction; I always end up loving every historical YA I read. And Wanderland was no exception.
This is the perfect young boy adventure story. There are pirates, wizards, battles on the high seas, and treasure hunts. The novel was fast-paced, action-packed, and fun. Chen's adventures are exciting, but not so far-fetched that they are unbelievable. My pirate-loving nephew would totally be in to this story. Robert created the right mix of self-discovery and adventure for young boys. Chen is an excellent role model as well. He isn't perfect and struggles to find his place, but in the end he figures out who he is and is able to save the day.
Robert did an excellent job of making you feel like you were sailing the seas with a crew from the Ming Dynasty. Not only did it feel historically accurate, but also cultural accurate -- which is so very important in historical fiction. Nothing felt out of place; the dialog even felt historically correct (although I have no idea how a boy from the Ming Dynasty would speak).
Overall it was a fun read that I think would be a perfect book for young reluctant reader boys.
