The Looking Glass Wars is a novel by best-selling author Frank Beddor. This book takes a new look at the Lewis Carroll novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, telling the story from the point of view of a young girl who swears that her story is true and that Carroll twisted it to his own advantage. In truth, Alyss Heart is the daughter of a queen who was beheaded by her sister, Redd, forcing Alyss to flee into the Pool of Tears and a world where imagination is only a child's plaything. When Alyss returns to Wonderland, Redd has decimated what was once a happy, carefree place and turned it into a nightmare of Dark Imagination and injustice. The Looking Glass Wars is a unique look at a beloved story that pits good against evil in a landscape Carroll fans will recognize and with characters who seem vaguely familiar, yet completely endearing.

Alyss Heart is celebrating her seventh birthday at home in Heart Palace. Alyss is anxious for her father to return home and to share her celebration with her best friend, Dodge Anders. However, the celebration is abruptly ended when Queen Genevieve's sister, Redd, enters the palace and begins a coup to regain the queendom from her sister. Alyss is forced to watch as the grown ups who have shaped her young world are killed all around her. Genevieve pushes Alyss and her personal guard, Hatter Madigan, into a looking glass to escape the mayhem just moments before Redd beheads her.

Alyss and Hatter jump into the Pool of Tears as Redd's assassin, Cat, overtakes them. The next thing Alyss knows is she is in a world that is nothing like the bright colors of her home, Wonderland. Confused and frightened, Alyss spots a carriage that she believes is carrying her mother and she chases it through the streets only to discover it is not her mother. A young orphan boy comes across Alyss and takes pity on her, welcoming her into the bossom of his small band of homeless orphans. Over the next few weeks, Alyss uses her imagination to help beg money to feed this group of orphans, but in time Alyss's imagination stops working. In an attempt to steal food for the group, Alyss is caught and sent to an orphanage.

As Alyss spends time in the orphanage, Hatter Madigan finds himself in France, having pop through a different puddle of the Pool of Tears. For thirteen years Hatter searches for Alyss. At the same time, Alyss is adopted by a kind couple with two other daughters. Alyss meets a professor at the college where her new father is dean and finds in him a sympathetic ear to her stories of Wonderland. However, Alyss feels betrayed when this man uses her stories and twists them to write a novel that essentially makes light of her memories. From this moment on, Alyss conforms to the ways of her new world, almost convincing herself that her memories of Wonderland are only an overactive imagination, as everyone has told her. In time, Alyss finds herself engaged to marry Prince Leopold, the son of Queen Victoria.

Hatter stumbles upon a copy of Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and tracks down the author. Carroll tells Hatter where he can find Alyss, but when he tries to get past the security at Kensington Palace, he is accidentally shot by a guard. Hatter manages to escape into a puddle back to Wonderland where he is found and taken to the Alyssian camp for medical care. When Dodge learns that Alyss is still alive, he goes through the Pool of Tears to bring her back to Wonderland.

With Alyss back in Wonderland, hope once again fills the Alyssians who have fought for so long against Redd in Alyss's name. However, Alyss cannot remember how to use White Imagination and is worried she might not be able to lead her people to victory. However, after going through the Looking Glass Maze, Alyss grows more confident. In a battle with Redd, Alyss proves her superior strength, but is surprised when Redd jumps into the Heart Crystal with her assassin rather than allow Alyss to win the battle. Alyss is left to become queen and rebuild Wonderland.