Every Heart a Doorway
Seanan McGuire
2016, Tor
9780765385505
Fantasy, Adult Crossover
Reading Level: not available
Interest Age: 14-18+
Annotation: Nancy wants to return to the fantasy world she once visited, but in the meantime she is at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, where everyone has been to strange worlds of their own.
Plot Summary: Nancy once went through a door, not to Alice’s wonderland, but to her own magical world. All of the children at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children have had experiences like this, though each one was unique. They all have trouble adapting to the normal world again, and they are all searching for a way back through to their own fantasy world. Shortly after Nancy arrives at the Home, tragedy strikes. She and her classmates have to figure out who is doing these terrible things, and why.
Critical Evaluation: This book is well-written and truly beautiful. Although it is not intended for young adults, I think it would appeal to them since the characters are mainly in that age group. It is also really appealing to young people because each of these kids got to find a place that was truly home for them, where they fit in without question. Even Eleanor West, the woman who runs the school and home, would still love to go back through her own door. Adults crave acceptance just as much as young people. The world-building of this book is so interesting. It is really a building of infinite worlds that fall under general categories such as light or dark, logic or nonsense. These categories can be combined in various ways and the specifics of the worlds can be anything. It is a fascinating concept, and, while we get a glimpse at Nancy’s world and hints at the worlds of her friends and classmates, I would love to read more about specific worlds. I was not at all expecting the murders that occurred. Honestly I would have been happy with just an exploration of the emotions that surround the situation these kids are in, but the mystery elements added so much more. This is a fantastic book for people of almost any age.
Author Biographical Information: Seanan is the author of the October Daye urban fantasies, the InCryptid urban fantasies, and several other works both stand-alone and in trilogies or duologies. In case that wasn’t enough, she also writes under the pseudonym “Mira Grant.” For details on her work as Mira, check out MiraGrant.com. In her spare time, Seanan records CDs of her original folk music She is also a cartoonist, and draws an irregularly posted autobiographical web comic, “With Friends Like These…”, as well as art cards. Seanan was the winner of the 2010 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and her novel Feed (as Mira Grant) was named as one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2010. In 2013 she became the first person ever to appear five times on the same Hugo Ballot. (source: seananmcguire.com)
Ties to Curriculum Units: none
Booktalking Ideas:
- Discuss the different possible types of fantasy worlds
- Talk about Jill’s attempts to return to her fantasy world
Challenge Issues: LGBTQ themes, violence
Challenge Defenses:
- Mention awards the item has won or been nominated for
- State the library’s collection development policy
- Reference the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights
- Provide rationale for the item being in the collection
- As a last resort, offer the patron a “Request for Reconsideration” form
Katey's YA Collection 