Reviewed by Ankita Shukla for Readers’ Favorite
Allie’s Adventure on the Wonder by Erika Adams is a beautiful attempt to educate people about the medical condition, Auditory Processing Disorder, (APD) in an entertaining, yet effective manner. Allie is a 14-year-old girl who suffers from APD. Due to her condition, she is constantly bullied by three girls at her school. She does not share this problem with her mom. She feels annoyed with these bullies, but things change when she meets “bad mad” Charlie. Although she doesn’t know it, her life is going to change for good.
When I picked this book, I had no idea about APD. The author’s expert and flawless narration helped me in understanding the thought processes of people affected by this condition. I could not help but applaud the narration of Erika. The influence of Lewis Carroll’s work is visible in Allie’s Adventure on the Wonder throughout the read. The opening lines of the story scared me because I thought this book might end up being the exact same story as that of Alice in Wonderland. But, to my relief, Erika is a smart author who has used that book only as an inspiration.
The author has touched on two major social issues: 1. The ignorance of bullies can prove to be more fatal than one can anticipate; 2. APD patients — or any other patient, for that matter — must be accepted and not mocked. The characters are well placed and described. This is a very short story aimed at drawing attention to an ignored problem that must be addressed. A little bit of the wordplay managed to keep the book from taking a very serious tone. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy a short story with a message.
