ACHUKA Book of the Day 3 Jul 2026
Publisher: Firefly Press
ISBN: 9781917718202
See also:
The Infinite [ACHUKA Book of the Day 13 Apr 2020]
“There are novels that tell you about a world, and then there are novels that put you inside one, pulsing with music, smelling of hairspray and sea air, alive with longing and belonging. Wonderland is emphatically the latter… What makes this book extraordinary is the verse. Agbabi slips between poetic styles with breathtaking ease, and the form is never decorative; it is structural. The poetry beats like the music Tamilola lives for, propelling the narrative forward while simultaneously giving it texture and depth. ” BfK 5-star review
I grew up on Colwyn Bay Pier, dancing to Northern Soul and live 2 Tone bands.
When it was demolished in 2018, I was devastated and wanted to bring it back to its heyday.
Listen to Patience Ababa being interviewed on The Island of Brilliant podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-island-of-brilliant/id1684242951?i=1000766443702
Colwyn Bay, 1980. Sixteen-year-old Tamilola has moved up from London; everything’s different, everyone belongs except her. Then she discovers an amazing Northern Soul club at the end of the pier with its athletic dancers and rare records. But conflict comes with a rival nightclub. This book’s about finding your tribe, finding a record, finding romance and finding yourself.
Unique and beautifully told, Wonderland by Patience Agbabi overflows with music, heart and the joy of the 1980s. This Welsh YA verse novel will catch readers by surprise, pulling them into a refreshing time and place.@FireflyPress pic.twitter.com/Is48pgr9MY
— Kate Heap: Scope for Imagination (@KateHeap1) June 8, 2026
It’s North Wales, 1980s and a Northern Soul nightclub at the end of the pier. I read Wonderland by Patience Agbabi in one sitting: loved the immersive feel of this YA verse novel and the voice of the main character. It’s so vividly told I felt I was there! @FireflyPress pic.twitter.com/zf20iZf6OV
— Jo Bowers (@Jo_Bowers) March 17, 2026
'I love working with rhyme, I don’t care whether it’s in fashion or not, I love the SOUND of words and the SHAPE of words on the page.'
– Patience Agbabi (@PatienceAgbabi) #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/ZcYUFK3Uy6
— Royal Society of Literature (@RSLiterature) October 29, 2021
Leave a Reply