★ 10/11/2021
McGuire’s outstanding seventh Wayward Children fantasy (following Across the Green Grass Fields) comes in darker than the previous novellas, tackling identity, body image, and trauma. Cora Miller has walked through magical doors, turned from modern girl to mermaid, been possessed by eldritch gods, and been spat out of her newfound home back to Earth all before the story begins. Exhausted and wanting nothing more than to forget her adventures, she eschews the comfort of Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, which caters to children who’ve gone on magical quests, for its rival, the Whitethorn Institute, which houses similar students, but encourages them to “believe that everything that happened on the other side of the door was just a dream, or a delusion.” As Cora’s sense of self crumbles under Whitethorn’s rules, the institute turns from school to prison, and Cora and her peers risk losing their identities—and their doorways home—forever. Throughout Cora’s harrowing adventures, McGuire’s sense of whimsy never falters. She delivers a plot dense enough for a full-length novel in her signature lyrical prose, exploring the effect of cruel, oppressive systems on children’s psyches, while keeping the series’ fairy tale tone intact. The result will captivate both longtime Wayward Children fans and new readers. Agent: Diana Fox, Fox Literary. (Jan.)
"[Where the Drowned Girls Go] highlights the horror of a world that requires you to deny what you know to be true because it doesn’t quite fit, and it is a fantastic and tension-filled addition to the Wayward Children series." —Booklist
“Outstanding… Throughout Cora’s harrowing adventures, McGuire’s sense of whimsy never falters… The result will captivate both longtime Wayward Children fans and new readers.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"The message of owning one's truth instead of losing one's individuality will resonate. Highly recommended." —Library Journal
Praise for the Wayward Children series
“A mini-masterpiece of portal fantasy that deserves to be shelved with Lewis Carroll's and C. S. Lewis' classics.” —NPR, on Every Heart a Doorway
“Anyone who appreciates off-the-beaten-path adventures will be swept away.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review, on Across the Green Grass Fields
“One of the most extraordinary stories I've ever read.” —V. E. Schwab, on Every Heart a Doorway
“Seanan McGuire has long been one of the smartest writers around, and with this novella we can easily see that her heart is as big as her brain.” —Charlaine Harris, on Every Heart a Doorway
“This is a gorgeous story: sometimes mean, sometimes angry, and always exciting.” —Cory Doctorow for BoingBoing, on Every Heart a Doorway
“So mindblowingly good, it hurts.” —io9, on Every Heart a Doorway
“A gorgeous standalone. The prose is emotional and moving and will speak to the hearts and minds of readers.” —Kirkus Reviews, on Across the Green Grass Fields
“A great read for middle and high schoolers who enjoy themes of friendship and family, and a magical world of unicorns and centaurs.” —School Library Journal, on Across the Green Grass Fields
03/01/2022
McGuire's latest installment in her "Wayward Children" series (after Across the Green Grass Fields) focuses on Cora Miller, recently returned to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children. Cora is a girl in this world, but in her watery portal world, she is a mermaid. Since returning to the school after narrowly escaping the menacing world of the Moors, she has been pursued by the Drowned Gods, who infiltrate her dreams and try to take her back. Desperately hoping to eliminate their hold upon her, Cora transfers to the Whitethorn Institute, an anti-magical school that promises to make her forget magical worlds and become a normal girl once again. With clear, age-appropriate character voices, Whitney Johnson depicts the diversity and breadth of the students at the institute, from upbeat Sumi to the miserably frightened Girl with No Name. She communicates the dread that all of the girls feel in the repressive school, where punishments are severe and individuality is stamped out. Listeners will be buoyed by Cora's growing confidence as she begins to realize her own power and agency, abandoning her fear and taking on the mantle of protector. VERDICT Strong crossover appeal. Recommended for both fans and new listeners, particularly where interest in fantasy is high.—Sarah Hashimoto
10/01/2021
Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children serves as a sanctuary for children who have passed through portals to other worlds and can't cope with their old home upon return. Not every child fits there comfortably, however; stubborn Cora asks Eleanor to transfer her to the Whitethorn Institute, which is not warm or cuddly or particularly safe. With a 60,000-copy first printing.
2021-10-27
In the seventh Wayward Children tale, students plan to escape from a brutal institution designed to crush the magic out of them.
Cora, a strong swimmer constantly tormented by her peers for her weight, went through an underwater door to the Trenches, a magical undersea world where she was a mermaid and a hero, valued for her bulk and her strength. But a whirlpool spat her out again into our world, leaving her bereft. Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children brought her among other young people who had traveled through a door and returned here, often unwillingly. Cora then passed through another door leading to the creepy world of the Moors, where the sinister Drowned Gods claimed her for their own. Even back at the school, Cora can’t block out their voices or deny their marks on her skin, so she makes the desperate choice to switch to the Whitethorn Institute, which, rather than helping children while they wait for their doors to reappear, encourages them to reject their magical pasts and accept this world as home. Sadly, Cora almost immediately understands that Whitethorn’s philosophy is less about giving its students the strength to move on with their lives and more about breaking their spirits and ruthlessly molding them into a miserable conformity. But dropping out isn’t an option the school offers, and Cora and her friends realize that Whitethorn has more than mundane means at its disposal to keep them there. McGuire’s themes—let people be themselves and don’t treat being fat as some kind of moral failing or physical issue that’s easily addressed—won’t surprise readers of this series and her other works, but her usual arguments remain sound, and she tells a good story. There are also some deeply chilling moments in the experiences of the other students, particularly in the case of a girl cursed by the Rat King to shrink into a nameless rat.
A journey into familiar territory with a skilled guide; but here’s hoping that future trips head into the unknown.
