Alice Alexis Queensmeadow is born with no color — hair, and skin as white as milk, only a touch of honey in her eyes. This might not be so significant had she not been born into a world where color is everything. In Tahereh Mafi’s “Furthermore,” the land of Fernwood is drenched in color, which its colorful citizens use like currency, right along with magic. Poor, colorless Alice is looked down upon and underestimated because of her pallor. Her father, the one person who believes in her, has mysteriously disappeared, having taken with him only a ruler, and leaving Alice with a grief-stricken mother who does not care for her or seems to love her. Alice determines to win the “Surrender,” a test in which the 12-year-old children of Fernwood perform special bits of magic. All who pass are given tasks to complete, matched to their magical abilities. But not only has she not declared the winner, but Alice also fails the test entirely. Despairing, and with few other options, she embarks on a journey to find her father. Luckily — for her, and for this book’s readers — she discovers Furthermore, a place so full of enchanting beauty and topsy-turvy adventure, it even calls to mind Wonderland and Oz. As she sets out on her quest, Alice teams up with Oliver Newbanks, a boy she despises for his rudeness and deceitful nature. But he claims he knows where her father is — and as it turns out, Oliver has been assigned the task of finding him, but needs Alice’s help in order to succeed. It’s Oliver who leads her to Furthermore, where the rules change at every turn and some citizens eat outsiders (yes, as in cannibalism) in order to absorb their magic. Together they travel through various lands of Furthermore — Slumber, Still and the land of Left (which hasn’t had a visitor for 56 years, the land of Right being the more often preferred). Alice struggles to survive, without much thanks to Oliver, who holds his knowledge of Furthermore over Alice’s head, doling it out in bits and pieces only when backed into a corner. There are adventure and danger at every turn, upside-down rules, and twisted logic, but Alice perseveres for the love of her father. In the end, her inner journeys — of self-acceptance and of her developing friendship with Oliver — prove every bit as complex and difficult as the trip through Furthermore.

I thought the book Furthermore was really good. Twelve-year-old Alice Queensmeadow, with the help of her friend Oliver, travels through the dangerous, magical land of Furthermore in order to rescue her missing father and prove her own magical abilities. Furthermore is a modern fairy tale about a girl named Alice who is born without pigment within a colorful world called Fernwood. Because Alice lacks color, she is seen as an outcast since color means magic in this world. This is a fantasy book and I don't like reading the genre fantasy. The plot was exciting , interesting, and good. I think the climax ended unexpectedly and there was a twist. The climax ended too soon. The climax was really good and wanted it to expand it. I wish both Alice and Oliver had more powers so they can accomplish the mission which was finding their father. I like the adventure they go on since I am an adventurous person. Furthermore is a place where magic has been used for filling their souls. And by the way, some things that will you understand is that getting maps in the book is an impressive feat. I really enjoyed reading this book.