Fourteen-year-old Allie Little lives in a perpetual Wonderland-with all the confusion and none of the wonder. Diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), she is continually forced into rabbit holes of misunderstanding and anxiety. Whatever she reads, sees, or hears often turns into nonsense, and the time to be "curiouser and curiouser" about her surroundings is a luxury she can't afford from the impatient people around her.But one day, during a field trip on a ferry named the Wonder, Allie meets an odd character named Charlie and sees the creative genius and unadulterated joy that madness can bring.A semi-autobiography of the author's personal experiences growing up with APD, reimagined through the lens of Lewis Carroll's timeless nonsensical classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, here is a contemporary fairy tale about learning-and accepting-the methods in one's madness to navigate the real world. Erika Lynn Adams was born in Helmstedt, Germany in 1986, but has lived in America since 1988. Before she was two years old, she was diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder, a central auditory condition that affects the way the brain takes in and processes information. As it impacted her memory retention and ability to understand through sound alone, this made reading next to impossible in her early years, and vocal communication and the forming of strong relationships with others a challenge as well. Thanks to help from numerous specialists, Special Education advisors, and IEPs throughout her school years, Adams' reading comprehension and academic performance greatly improved; she graduated from Lake Superior College with an Associate of Arts degree in 2007 and from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a Bachelor's degree in English in 2013.Ironically, APD is what helped to inspire and shape Adams' love of stories and a passion for exploring the various methods of storytelling--cinema, music, and interactive gaming, as well as literature--namely how and why they reach people on a deeper level when real life is unable to.When not writing books, she produces and hosts a non-profit radio program, The Tale Collector. She currently lives in Duluth, Minnesota and regularly indulges in anime, vintage science fiction, and Mexican food.
