BOOK REVIEW: DOWN THE TREACLE WELL

While visiting a museum in England, Ben and Kyle experience the extraordinary. Gazing at the Alfred Jewel, an ancient Anglo-Saxon artifact, they watch as it spins, contorts, and evaporates from its case, taking them with it. Whisked back to Victorian England, the brothers are shocked to find themselves sprawled on the floor before Mr. Charles Dodgson, also known as Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland. They soon learn that the famous author’s muse, Alice, is missing. Alice has used the Alfred Jewel to enter Wonderland and, by so doing, has upset the time continuum. The only way for the boys to return home is to locate Alice and return her safely. But Wonderland is a strange and dangerous place…

Ben and Kyle are two kids from Florida visiting England with their mother and anticipating their father’s arrival from his business dealings in Johannesburg. While their mother is attending a conference, the boys are whisked away from present-day Oxford to Oxford in 1864 and ultimately to “Wonderland,” where the literary hero Alice’s adventures once took place. Like Alice, the boys encounter the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat, among others. They confront the bizarre Mad Hatter and the cruel Queen of Hearts. They even discover the famous Looking Glass!

People are going to love this reimagining of the classic tale. In her unique way, author Ellis Nelson recaptures the magic. Her remarkable talent and vivid imagination bring it to life again with a new pair of adventurers and a new series of obstacles.

Down the Treacle Well is well-written, flows nicely, and is easy to read. It is also brilliantly clever—fun, funny, warmhearted, and wonderfully descriptive. As a fan of Victorian-era literature, I loved the nostalgic vibe. I think it would make a great film, too—animated or live! Wonderful job by the author.

Available now for pre-order on Amazon.com

Writer of Young Adult and Children’s Fiction:

Ellis Nelson has served as an Air Force officer, government contractor, and teacher. She writes for children and young adults largely under the newly emerging category of visionary fiction. Having returned from living abroad in Europe, she now calls Colorado home. Visit her website to learn more about her and what she’s working on (www.ellisnelson.com).

TRIBUTE TO A PLACE THAT IS SPECIAL TO MY HEART

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My fascination with England began with the music.

The British Music Invasion that began many decades ago thankfully never stopped. This video is a tribute to those bands, past and present. Be patient. Whoever made this video saved some of the best for last. If I didn’t finally see The Who and The Beatles by the end, it wasn’t going to be the video I chose for this blog. (WARNING: It’s loud, so if your headphones are as good as mine, you may want to lower the volume.)

Yes, I love the accents, too.

I fell in love with English literature next, while still in high school. I greatly admire Charles Dickens, Charlotte and Emily Brontë, George Orwell, William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Lewis Carroll, Arthur Conan Doyle, Mary Shelley, D.H. Lawrence, and now J.K. Rowling (just to name a few HA HA).tiny-smileys-yesemoticons-012

I must also include the poets—Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, John Keats, Rudyard Kipling, William Wordsworth, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and William Blake (just a few again).

Of course, I do like American literature, just as I like American bands. (I’ve been a huge Motown fan since the age of ten.) There is so much talent to appreciate in this world, but I’m touching on what resonated with me above all.

I doubt anyone else in my high school junior class was as excited to read Wuthering Heights or see A Christmas Carol at Radio City Music Hall.

I haven’t tried a lot of British food, but we once had a place in New York City called David Copperfield’s. Since they had named the place after one of my favorite books by Charles Dickens, I had to check it out. They had a few English dishes. I think I had Bangers and Mash. The place closed and then reopened on the upper west side serving a hundred kinds of beer and mostly bar food. I’ve never been to that one (not a beer or bar person), but it probably closed again.

Lastly, I have heard of the many beautiful places in England. I’ve seen incredible photos. But despite the yen,  I’ve never been there—to the place I have always wanted to see more than anywhere else in the world. Maybe I’m afraid once I get there, I will never return.

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34 PHOTOS THAT WILL MAKE YOU WANT TO TRAVEL BRITAIN
BRITISH HERITAGE SITES
ENGLAND PHOTO GALLERY

“A bit of” humor in closing…

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© Copyright July 7, 2015 by Kyrian Lyndon at kyrianlyndon.com. All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted without permission.