Over the Woodward Wall is such a good middle-grade fantasy. It is a great edition to Middle Game. You don't have to read Middle Game first which I appreciate.

*I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This one was just...okay? I love McGuire's fairy tale writing in the Wayward Children series but this one fell a bit flat for me. I might not be the right audience for tie-ins to book series. I am excited about the Middlegame sequel!

I've been looking forward to this book since learning about it at Seanan McGuire's Middlegame launch event! For those who aren't aware, Over the Woodward Wall is an in-world book in Middlegame.

Other than it being referenced in Middlegame, I wasn't sure what to expect. Having read it now, I think it might help others' to set their expectations. It has Seanan's usual cleverness and dark whimsicality. Of all her series, I would liken it most to the Wayward Children (first book: Every Heart a Doorway ). In fact, it is quite similar in premise, being a novella about two kids who find themselves accidentally transported into another world where the rules are topsy turvy. They're on an improbable journey to find their way home.

Overall, it was a fun book, though nothing wildly new. As always, Seanan writes real world issues into the story in a way that's explanatory, smart, and doesn't push you out of the story. I would recommend it for fans of the Wayward Children series -- especially Beneath the Sugar Sky.

3.5 stars!

Thank you Tor.com Publishing for providing a free advanced copy of the book via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This was such an enchanting little story! It reminded a lot of the author's other series, the Wayward Children, it felt like it was part of the same world. It was beautifully written, but I hadn't expected anything else. Truly loved it!

I have not read Seanan McGuire's other books (though I plan to in the very near future!), but I was captivated by the idea of her writing about a fictional story mentioned from one of her fiction series. This is a great story that was very refreshing. It felt like a cross-over between Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, but I found it unpredictable despite the comparisons. I am very excited to read the rest of the series to find out what happens with Avery and Zib.

Seanan McGuire for a younger crowd. This book was enjoyable though not necessarily innovative. Seanan McGuire is familiar with her audience and yet somehow falls flat of the mark. She typically writes for teens and adults and that shows. There are other middle grade books I would recommend over this one, and other Seanan McGuire I would recommend over this one. I will probably read the sequel to see if the plot goes where I'm predicting it will go but I was a little disappointed to be honest.

So if I'm not mistaken, Seanan McGuire is one of the only writers currently writing portal fiction. (If I'm wrong, please let me know!) This book is an adjunct to Middlegame and gives Middlegame an extra layer of depth.

Over the Woodward Wall is interesting, as it's explicitly stated in Middlegame that it's an allegory for alchemical processes. Seanan pulls it off -- you can see the start of the allegory forming. Nothing is explicitly stated in Wall, but it sounds like more is coming in this world (and can I say that it looks from here that Wall may intersect with the Wayward Children series.) which can only be a good thing.

The writing is just a shade different than Seanan's usual tone, I can't quite put my finger on it, but it does serve to differentiate between the voices. The story is good and leaves you wanting more. Which, really, all of Seanan's books do.

Read Middlegame and then Wall or the other way around, they compliment each other and add layers to the story.

I recieved an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion

#OverTheWoodwardWall #NetGalley

I absolutely adore Seanan Mcguire's Wayward Children's series. This story, however, did not catch me in the same way. The story's structure was good; it followed a believable sequence of events, and included interesting characters and locations (I especially loved the Crow Girl!) Some of the elements were familiar and comfortable: two unalike children thrust together on an adventure, talking animals, candy-like lands, a road you must follow. I am interested to see where the next book will go.

This book was much more like a children's book than I expected. While it was full of adventure, it didn't break my heart the way I typically expect Seanan's work to. Still, how could you not love this supplement to Middlegame?

I love the whimsical feel of this book. It's like returning to Narnia and a whole new story. But there's something... missing. Maybe it's because the story is so short - Narnia books (and most books I read at that age) were all wrapped up in time for dinner, so to speak. All self-contained. The fact this story is a cliffhanger just feels odd, I'm not sure exactly why.

So, if you have followed me for a while, you know I am trash for Seanan McGuire and her various nom de plumes. They are full of action and beautiful fantasy and this is no different. Honestly, it’s a beautiful tale of new friendships, found family and the ever present theme of coming together in the face of adversity. It is also another bite sized morsel, coming in at just over 200 pages.

As is usual with anything McGuire/Grant/Baker, it’s characters are beautifully formulated and fantastically flawed. Zib is the carefree child, always fighting conformity and doing the unexpected at every turn. Avery on the other hand is such a perfect child, one worries about whether he has in fact had his childhood stolen. Together they made an unexpected pair which makes them all the more perfect to take the Improbable Road. When combined with a girl made of crows, a page with an icy heart and an extremely wise but secretive owl, the whole tale takes on a kind of Wizard of Oz-esque flavour.

Now as I said earlier, this one comes in at the size of a novella, a niche that McGuire fills out so well in their own special way. While Middlegame and her other full length novels are spectacular, there is just something about the way McGuire manages to cram so much content into so few pages that keeps me coming back for more (seriously I need the next Wayward Children novella like yesterday).

But will it appeal to me? You ask. Do you like fun? Adventure? Cute kids with massive personalities? Magical beings that give zeros cares about your feels? If you answered yes to any of these questions, stand still while I through this one at you and scream ‘just read it’ at the top of my lungs. Its honestly well worth the time investment because a) its super fun but also heart-warming; b) its only short so there’s minimal time required; and c) if you haven’t read McGuire/Grant/Baker before then this is a pretty great place to start. Also, it’s from my favourite sci fi peeps Tordotcom so you got to keep the greats in business to keep the amazing content flowing.

This is a novella from the adult novel, Middlegame, by Seanan McGuire about two children who live on the same street, are the same age, and end up being diverted from their usual walk to school. As a result they climb a peculiar wall to a fantastical world called the Up-and-Under.

I had major Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, and Chronicles of Narnia vibes in this book. All the vibes! Zib and Avery couldn't be more opposite and that's what makes it so interesting. Seanan McGuire writes in such a lyrical and visual way so that when you meet all of these magical creatures and visit different parts of the world, it can be quite scary. If I read this as a child it'd give me the heebie-jeebies!

Ultimately it's a story about stepping outside of your comfort zone, finding out things you never knew you were capable of, and that not everything is cut and dry.

I’ve been devoting everything by this author in all of her incarnations. This was a story within a story within the book Middlegame. There were “excerpts” at the beginning of the chapters and now it’s a whole book on its own. It might be helpful to read Middlegame first to get the sense of the “real” word this story takes place within.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this novella!

Rating: 4.5 stars

I was over the moon when I first found out one of my favourite authors was publishing another novella under the pen name of A. Dedorah Baker. The Wayward Children series is one of absolute favourite series and "Over the Woodward Wall" did not disappoint in the slightest! The writing style was amazing, engrossing and hooking, the main and side characters were well written and very intriguing, the world was so interesting and definitely reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland!

Overall, this is a book about friendship, adventure, finding your way back home and being brave. A very sweet story with a lot of feeling, I can't wait to pick up "Middlegame" even more now and I hope there will be more books in this world too!

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley (thank you!). Opinions expressed are my own.

I will always read everything of Seanan's--or at least give it a solid try! Seanan McGuire is writing under her second pseudonym with this book--A. Deborah Baker. This is the book that was excerpted and featured in the much-celebrated (and rightly so!) Middlegame, as a sort of primer for the world in which its set. (The extent to which you don't know until much later.)

It's definitely not "typical" (if you can even say that, with as varied and prolific as she is) Seanan. You can tell she really embraced the character and wrote it how A Deborah Baker (who was really Asphodel the alchemist, planning to change the world) would have. Layers! Talent!

As a complete standalone, I probably would have skipped it. As a companion to Middlegame, the series a must-read. But, it works perfectly well for a younger audience as an introductory(-ish) fantasy series!

Two children walking to school on opposite sides of the street find themselves in a strange new world on a quest they barely understand--nor did I as a reader. I wonder about the audience for this book. It lacked focus, and although I enjoy both fantasy and juvenile fiction, it failed to engage me as an adult. Unfortunately, I don't think juvenile readers would find it compelling, either, due to allegorical obfuscation. A shame, as this author, writing as Seanan McGuire, has written the wonderful Wayward Children series, each title of which has been a gem.

I will read anything that Seanan McGuire writes, but I have discovered that I much prefer her fantasy series October Daye and zombie sci-fi fantasy Newsflesh over her Wayward Children series. I adore classic fiction like the Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland though. Tricksy tricksy. There's no denying that she is a great storyteller. Her words suck you in weaving the story around you.

Something was just missing here for me. The world-building was .fantastic. There were so many unique and whimsical moving parts. The characters were well fleshed. I do think it's a bit heavy-handed on the lessons that it intended to impart but overall, it was enjoyable and lyrical and everything that her work usually is.!

4.5 stars.

I adored this book! It is Alice in Wonderland meets Wizard of Oz with a dash of Middlegame. Seanan McGuire is a master storyteller for all ages. I highly recommend this to all fans of whimsy. There were so many good quotes, the characters were fun, and the atmosphere was at it's peak. Highly recommend!

This was very slow moving and didn't capture my interest. It felt a bit like a retread of the Wayward Children books (I know it's the same author, which makes that even weirder).

A. Deborah Baker is, in turns, the second pseudonym of Seanan McGuire (after Mira Grant) AND a character in McGuire's quite excellent novel Middlegame. In the novel, Baker was an alchemist and the author of a children's book that was used as a bit of a framing device throughout the novel as well an internal device used by the character Baker to influence the world of Middlegame.

That children's book was spun out in drips and drabs throughout Middlegame, but now, writing as A. Deborah Baker in our world, Seanan McGuire tells that complete story of Avery and Zib - two characters which mirror those of Roger and Dodger in Middlegame. I'll admit to being curious as to the price of admission for Over the Woodward Wall. This is Seanan McGuire's first middle grade novella and it works as a straight up adventure story, a bit of a portal fantasy as is McGuire's wont. I think Over the Woodward Wall works on its own because, frankly, I don't remember the specific ways it ties into Middlegame. I do wonder, though, if a reader had no knowledge of Middlegame would still have that same reaction.

Though it is directly tied to Middlegame, Over the Woodward Wall is almost more properly related to McGuire's Wayward Children series despite the fact that it has absolutely nothing to do with Wayward Children - but it is that sort of story. Over the Woodward Wall is a story of children who don't quite belong and the juxtaposition of children who are almost exact opposites and are exploring a world that is not their own. As a middle grade novel, I'd love to know how it works for middle grade readers. For longtime readers of Seanan McGuire who loved Middlegame, it works and that's what matters.