The Wonderling has a beautiful steampunk style cover and illustrations done by the author. Both the artwork and the writing should be experienced as a single piece of art. This book will appeal to many different kinds of readers. Whether you a a fantasy fan, are interested in social commentary (bullying, discrimination, slavery, class struggle, etc,), are into steampunk, delve into Arthurian literature, prefer adventure book or like the arts it's all here. The fact that the book has so many layers and themes makes it dense and chaotic at times, but Bartok overcomes that easily. Just take your time absorbing it all.

Many other reviewers saw links to other literature like the writing Charles Dickens, J.K. Rowling, Sir Thomas Malory. Yes, this book is a mix of all those influences, but the plot remains original with a few unexpected twists. The only thing that bothered me was that the ending seemed to come together a little too easily after all those arduous and complex adventures.

I saw Mira Bartok speak at the Boston Book Festival. She said that the main theme of the book is compassion. She hopes that the reader even has compassion for the most evil characters. Keep that in mind when you read it! ( )

(Review by Zoe, aged 6.) This is one of the best books I have ever heard. It's super super super good. It's got lots and lots of adventure. It's set in imaginary places: Mrs Carbuncle's home, the wild, and the city. The main characters are one bird named Trinket and one sort of fox, sort of kangaroo-ish, sort of doggish animal, which has one ear, named Arthur – but at the start of the book he is named an unlucky number, Number 13. I think this book would be appropriate for people aged five and over. ( )

Delightful, magical, and lovely! An immersive, fully imagined world that's like our own at first glance, but with an added layer of steampunk, anthropomorphic animals, and magic. I sincerely hope the rest of the series measures up to this strong debut. ( )

With a lean toward Oliver Twist, this is a story about friendship set in an imaginative and amazing world.

The groundling (a half-human, half animal person (?)) is raised under very harsh and difficult conditions in an orphange and is only known as Number 13. When a young bird groundling, Trinket, appears, he receives the name Arthur. Together they decide to escape and head out into the adventure of life, where Arthur also hopes to find out more about his own origins.

The world building in this book is amazing. The scenes are described with enough detail to draw the reader in and allow them to experience the rich world, which also includes a few steampunk-ish aspects. The beautiful illustrations add to the story and are fun to simply flip through. The author takes their time in letting the characters and scenes unfold, allowing the world to gain a solid footing as the story unfolds.

The story carries a mix of bitter-sweetness and exciting fantasy. The characters have a rough past and stand before more than one challenge. They are, especially Trinket, a delight to accompany during their adventures. Unfortunately, the plot isn't there. While Arthur does flea the village and face the world with Trinket, he doesn't have a true direction. This becomes more obvious as they discover various objects, which appear to have a purpose but then are either forgotten, lost or stolen...each time without any influence on the story. Arthur is tugged along as things happen, but never takes real stands or decisions, which influence the story, on his own. Still, it's an entertaining world for the right readers and has many aspects which create a lovely children's tale.

I won a copy through Library Thing and enjoyed the richness of this tale enough to want to leave my honest thoughts. ( )