Teacher's Guide — Alex in Wonderland

📖 About the Book

Alex in Wonderland follows twelve-year-old Alex Finch, an aspiring detective who discovers a hidden underground world after a mysterious storm. When Alex finds evidence that previous visitors never returned home, she must use her deductive skills to solve a series of interconnected mysteries while uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the entire realm.

Themes

Critical Thinking — Using evidence and logic to solve problems
Identity & Self-Discovery — Finding your place in unexpected situations
Perseverance — Continuing when challenges seem overwhelming
Trust & Relationships — Building connections with unlikely allies
Justice vs. Revenge — Understanding the difference between making things right and seeking payback

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6

💬 Discussion Questions

Chapters 1–5: The Fall & First Mysteries

1. When Alex notices the lightning follows a mathematical pattern, she concludes "someone had engineered this." What does this tell us about how Alex approaches problems? How is this different from how most people would react to a storm?

2. Alex finds messages scratched into the walls during her fall, including one that stops mid-sentence. Why do you think the author included this detail? How does it affect your expectations as a reader?

3. Maya tells Alex "Don't die!" as she leaves the house. Despite her sarcasm, what evidence shows Maya actually cares about her sister? How do siblings sometimes hide their affection?

Chapters 6–10: Deepening Mysteries

4. Alex discovers that the underground city is full of locked doors, each with dozens of locks that look like puzzles or equations. What might these locked doors symbolize in the story? What "locked doors" do you face in your own life?

5. Throughout the book, Alex keeps detailed "observations" in her head. Why is observation such an important skill for a detective? How can being a good observer help in everyday life?

Chapters 11–15: The Conspiracy Emerges

6. When Alex realizes she's dealing with a larger conspiracy, she has to decide whether to focus on getting home or uncovering the truth. What would you do in her situation?

7. How does Alex's relationship with other characters change as she learns more about the conspiracy? Why might trust be especially difficult in a place where nothing is as it seems?

Chapters 16–20: Resolution

8. By the end of the story, Alex has grown significantly from the girl who fell through a manhole. What specific ways has she changed? What caused these changes?

9. The book's title references "Alex in Wonderland." How is Alex's journey similar to and different from Alice's in Alice in Wonderland? Why do you think the author made this connection?

10. If you could ask Alex one question after she returns home, what would it be?

🎨 Classroom Activities

Activity 1: Detective Notebook

Students create their own detective notebooks throughout the reading. For each chapter, they record: observations, clues, suspects, and predictions. At the end, they compare their predictions to the actual outcome.

Materials: Composition notebook, colored pens, magnifying glass stickers (optional)

Activity 2: Design a Locked Door

Students design their own "locked door" from Wonderland. They must create three puzzles that a visitor would need to solve to open their door. Puzzles can be mathematical, word-based, or logic puzzles.

Materials: Large paper, markers, rulers

Activity 3: Character Web

Create a visual map of relationships between characters. Use different colored lines for different relationship types: allies (green), adversaries (red), uncertain (yellow). Update as the story progresses.

Materials: Poster board, yarn or markers, character cards

Activity 4: Write Your Own Mystery

Students write a short mystery (2–3 pages) set in their own school or neighborhood. They must include: one detective, one mystery to solve, three clues (one red herring), and a logical solution.

Materials: Writing paper, planning worksheets

Activity 5: Storm Science

Cross-curricular activity connecting to Chapter 1's storm. Students research how to calculate the distance of lightning using the flash-to-thunder method and practice the technique during weather events (from safe locations).

Materials: Science journals, weather tracking sheets, stopwatch

📝 Vocabulary

Key vocabulary words from the book, organized by difficulty:

Grade-Level Words

Deduction — Reaching a conclusion through reasoning
Conspiracy — A secret plan by a group to do something harmful
Alibi — Proof that someone was elsewhere when a crime occurred
Cipher — A secret code or way of writing
Observation — Noticing and recording facts carefully

Challenge Words

Bioluminescent — Producing light through biological processes
Mathematical sequence — Numbers arranged in a pattern
Red herring — A misleading clue in a mystery
Perpetually — Continuing forever; constantly

✅ Assessment Ideas

Reading Comprehension Quiz — Multiple choice and short answer for each section
Character Analysis Essay — Analyze Alex's growth throughout the story
Mystery Writing Project — Original mystery evaluated on plot logic, clue placement, and resolution
Group Discussion — Participation in Socratic seminar about themes
Creative Response — Alternative ending, character interview, or illustration

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