Search for WondLa

Tony DiTerlizzi is co-creator of the international bestselling series, The Spiderwick Chronicles. He has illustrated numerous picture books for children, including Ted, G is for 1 Gzonk and the critically acclaimed The Spider and the Fly, which won the Caldecott Honor. Tony lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with his wife, Angela, and their baby daughter, Sophia.

"The Search for Wondla" by Tony DiTerlizzi, about young Eva Nine and her search for other humans on the planet Orbona, is perhaps the strongest of the three books mentioned here, with passages that are reminiscent of Arthur C. Clarke. The book's Web site, at wondla.com, is the main stage for something called WondLa-Vision, a tailored version of what is generically called augmented reality, the practice of superimposing data over photographic or video images (think of Terminator-vision, with its tracking targets and data streams.) WondLa-Vision works in concert with your PC's webcam. There are three illustrations spread throughout the book that can be "recognized" by WondLa-Vision. If you hold any of these up to your webcam while at the site, you will unlock an online map of Orbona (different images open different parts of the map.) Books, movies and video games will all contribute to this new form of storytelling, and I would not be surprised if it happens to children's and young adult literature first. We may scoff at so much gimmickry, but what adults call gimmickry kids call something else: awesome." New York Times Book Review, 7th November 2010 "The illustrations, also created by the author, are a marvel in themselves...Young readers will have no difficulty in relating to Eva. The only problem will be containing one's patience for the next book." The Bookbag, Nov 2010 "Tony DiTerlizzi honours traditional children's literature in this totally original space age adventure: one that is as complex as an alien planet, but as simple as a child's wish for a place to belong..." Tatty's Treasure Chest, 25 Nov 2010 "Particularly interesting is the way Muthr grows just as much as Eva - maybe more - during the story, as her assumptions are challenged and she's forced to allow Eva to take risks and truly grow up." SFX Magazine, Dec 2010 "One neat touch is that the flora and fauna of the world Eva explores appear to be based on microscopic organisms. Also noteworthy are DiTerlizzi's full-page illustrations, clean-lined and impressive in their use of stippling and spot colour." Financial Times (UK & Ireland), 6 Nov 2010