Keep up with your cardio; you never know when you might need to run away from a dinosaur.
Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children novellas tell us about mysterious doors that appear to children in places no doors should be, with the words ‘Be Sure’ prominently displayed. And if that child, who usually doesn’t quite fit in their world, chooses to open that door and go through they will find a place more amazing than their wildest dreams. Usually the doors choose the right child, but not always. Some dreams are actually nightmares. And some children end up back in our world, still not fitting in and dreaming that their door will find them again. Those children may find refuge at Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children. No solicitation. No visitors. No quests.
This is Antsy’s story and that of the Shop Where the Lost Things Go. In Lost in the Moment and Found, we meet young Antoinette Ricci and find out why she needs a door to escape through to the Shop. Through her adventures there Antsy gains the ability to find anything that was once lost. You can see why this is a problem in Mislaid In Parts Half-Known when Antsy ends up at the school full of children desperate to find their doors again.
As these are books 8 and 9 of the Wayward Children series it’s not really the spot to jump in, though Antsy’s story itself is completed in these two. They are novellas so easy to finish in an afternoon or a weekend. The series really is a joy to read. What seems like whimsical stories of quests and magical doors is used to address big issues such as found family and living as our true selves. I wish these books had been around when I was a teen struggling to find my place in the world but I love them just as much as a grownup who knows my place is wherever I want it to be.
