I wasn’t sure what to expect when I checked this book out from the library. I first came across the title at a Tony DiTerlizzi display at a museum. His beautifully imaginative and whimsical illustrations captivated me. They pepper The Search for WondLa, which was the main reason I wanted to read it.
The best way to describe The Search for WondLa is ‘fun’. The main character, Eva Nine, has lived he
r entire twelve years underground with her robot caretaker, Muthr. When they are thrust onto the surface due to a destructive alien huntsman, the world is not as they believed. Will Eva be able to navigate this new, alien world with just Muthr and a few new friends to find what her soul longs for–another human–while remaining unscathed?
I enjoyed encountering this new world with Eva, from the moving trees to the squabbling turnfins. DiTerlizzi is able to not only capture his wild imagination in images, but in words as well–what a treat!
I’ve never read a book (at least that I can remember) where the parental figure accompanies the main character on their journey, so it was a little annoying as Muthr kept acting like a well, mother, to Eva as they search for other humans. Thankfully, as Eva grew over the course of the book, this occurred less often. 
Make sure you read the epilogue because it contains a huge cliffhanger! That being said, if you don’t want to continue reading the series for whatever reason, you should skip the epilogue so you can leave with the lovely image of the last page lingering in your mind.
Despite a few other small irritating things about DiTerlizzi’s writing style (mostly how he deals with the MC’s thought life), I enjoyed the book and have check out the sequel–so it must not have been too bad!
The Search for WondLa is passion fruit ice cream sprinkled with chocolate in a homemade ceramic bowl: creative and tasty. 
What books have you read with a strong parental figure? Do you think this helps the main character’s growth or not?
