Three boys—Norval, Jaques, and Ranulf—set out to follow Alice into a dreamlike realm where obedience means closing one's eyes and trusting the impossible. With a mysterious pass in hand, they vanish from the safety of home and find themselves racing through walls on magical bicycles, guided by tiny, absurdly formal attendants and watched over by a world that treats nonsense as law. Their flight carries them past the grumbling Man in the Moon and into Fairyland, where courage, good manners, and kindness matter more than logic. A test of compassion comes when a hideous old woman proves to be a fairy in disguise; the barren land blooms into a jeweled garden, and a feast, a queen's dance, and the promise to "be brave and true" follow. But the boys' pass leads not to Wonderland, but to Blunderland, a parody world of railway stations, language jokes, mock history, and schoolroom chaos. From riotous classrooms to inverted shops and streets, the story delights in turning authority, language, and everyday life upside down with mischievous wit and affectionate fantasy. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.

À propos de l'auteur

Macdonald, J. H. A.

J. H. A. Macdonald, known to readers by the initials J. H. A., was a Scottish-born writer and illustrator whose career unfolded at the lively crossroads of journalism, humor, and children’s literature. Active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, he brought a sharp eye for social absurdity and a gift for playful invention to his work, helping shape the comic spirit of his era. He is remembered above all for his lighthearted, imaginative writing and for his ability to turn familiar forms into something gleefully unexpected, often blending satire, parody, and visual wit in ways that delighted both young readers and adults. Macdonald’s work frequently explores the delights of nonsense, the instability of ordinary rules, and the pleasure of seeing the world from a skewed, mischievous angle, themes that still feel fresh in a culture that values irony, creativity, and the freedom to question convention. His legacy lies not only in the amusement he provided but in the way he showed that humor can be clever, subversive, and artistically serious at once. Today, readers drawn to classic comic writing, inventive wordplay, and books that wink at the traditions they borrow from will find Macdonald especially rewarding.