Over the Woodward Wall (The Up-and-Under, 1)

Writing as A. Deborah Baker, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Seanan McGuire introduces readers to a world of talking trees and sarcastic owls, of dangerous mermaids and captivating queens in Over the Woodward Wall, an exceptional tale for readers who are young at heart.If you trust her you’ll never make it home…A 2021 Locus Award Finalist!Avery is an exceptional child. Everything he does is precise, from the way he washes his face in the morning, to the way he completes his homework – without complaint, without fuss, without prompt.Zib is also an exceptional child, because all children are, in their own way. But where everything Avery does and is can be measured, nothing Zib does can possibly be predicted, except for the fact that she can always be relied upon to be unpredictable.They live on the same street.They live in different worlds.On an unplanned detour from home to school one morning, Avery and Zib find themselves climbing over a stone wall into the Up and Under – an impossible land filled with mystery, adventure and the strangest creatures.And they must find themselves and each other if they are to also find their way out and back to their own lives.

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up—This book, written under a pseudonym, is a companion to Seanan McGuire's Middlegame—it's the protagonists' favorite novel—though it also stands alone. A master of fantasy and storytelling, McGuire departs from her previous urban fantasy fare to transport readers, along with young white neighbors Zib and Avery, from the earth they know and into a fantastical realm called the Up-And-Under, which is inhabited by a wide array of talking mythical creatures. Zib and Avery, who are opposite in almost every way, embark on an adventure to find a way home together, and must learn to trust each other in order to get back to Earth. Older teens will connect with classic bildungsroman elements, such as self-actualization, while enjoying the magical and mysterious setting. Like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland meets The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, McGuire weaves a whimsical world where it seems anything is possible, but mortal danger is around every corner. VERDICT With strong themes of self-discovery, friendship, and loyalty, this book will be enjoyed by teens of all ages. McGuire's lyrical prose is perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, and Madeleine L'Engle.—Melanie Leivers, Burnsville, MN

Publishers Weekly starred review

"With lyrical prose and deep stores of emotion, this grown-up fairy tale works on every level."

Kirkus Reviews More praise for the author

"A peculiar but often profound piece of metafiction whose emotional landscape offers more riches than its physical one."

Becky Chambers on Middlegame

"Has an uncanny knack for taking the worst things that lurk in the shadows and weaving them into an absolute delight."

NPR on Every Heart a Doorway

"A mini-masterpiece of portal fantasy―a jewel of a book that deserves to be shelved with Lewis Carroll's and C. S. Lewis' classics"

Charlaine Harris on Every Heart a Doorway

"One of the smartest writers around."

About the Author

A. DEBORAH BAKER is a pen-name of SEANAN McGUIRE, the author of Middlegame, the Hugo, Nebula, Alex and Locus Award-winning Wayward Children series, the October Daye series, the InCryptid series, and other works. She also writes darker fiction as Mira Grant. Seanan lives in Seattle with her cats, a vast collection of creepy dolls, horror movies, and sufficient books to qualify her as a fire hazard. She won the 2010 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and in 2013 became the first person to appear five times on the same Hugo ballot. In 2022 she managed the same feat, again!

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