Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There
by Lewis Carroll · Alice books series · Grade 4-6 · Ages Ages 8-12
Alice wonders what the world inside a mirror would be like, then steps through the looking-glass into a strange, backward place. There she finds a land shaped like a giant chessboard, where words, rules, and people do surprising things.
Key vocabulary
A looking-glass is an old-fashioned word for a mirror.
A chessboard is the square board used to play chess, with light and dark squares.
A pawn is one of the small chess pieces. It can move forward little by little.
In chess, the queen is a very powerful piece. In stories, a queen is also a royal ruler.
Nonsense is silly talk or writing that does not make ordinary sense.
A curtsy is a polite bow made by bending the knees, often used to greet someone important.
Contrary means opposite or stubbornly different from what is expected.
“Jabberwocky” is a famous nonsense poem in the book. Many of its words are made up to sound playful and strange.