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…

Another fantastic short story written by Seanan McGuire, who for some odd reason is writing under a pseudonym even though this is clearly a Seanan McGuire book.

Avery and Zib are opposites. The only thing they have in common in that they live on the same street. One day on the way to school they end up in a different realm. Together they must understand each other as they overcome obstacles to get home.

This is a well written fairy tale. Like all fairy tales written by McGuire, this has thorns that make the characters bleed and reveal their personal demons. This story is just short enough to be packed full of adventure. My only question at the end is, is this going to be a series? Because Avery and Zib's story should continue.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker was a book I was really anticipating, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.

This story follows our two main characters, Avery and Zib. Avery is a cautious perfectionist, while Zib is wild and daring. They are each special in their own ways, but lacking many commonalities, they aren't the fastest of friends. Despite their differences, when they stumble into a different world, they must come together and learn to trust one another if they ever want a chance of making it home.

While I enjoyed Baker's fairytale-esque writing style, I also found it difficult to connect to. The writing wasn't full enough for me to get a complete picture of the setting or the plot. I found myself confused many times throughout, unable to conceptualize what was happening. I had trouble understanding the plot - nothing felt very high stakes and most of the side characters were difficult to tell apart. I did really like Avery and Zib and seeing their friendship and connection grow. But, overall, this book wasn't for me.

This is such a Wonderfull book, so full of adventure and magic. Like a beautiful fairy tale set in a nice and slow pace the author takes you over the Woodward wall and on an adventure your are going to enjoy.
The setting and the characters are well written and this book is great for children from the age of 10 up to 99 :)

Thanks for letting me read this great book.

This book was really cute and heartwarming! It reminded me of The Wizard of Oz and those kind of stories that everyone can enjoy, not only kids.

For those who didn't knew, this is a companion novella for Middlegame by Seanan McGuire and the author use the pseudonym of A. Deborah Baker. I ´ve not read Middlegame yet, but these no need to do it before this novella.

We follow two kids: Avery a boy whose life is rule by logic and the security of common sense, and Zib, a girl whose life is unpredictable. They both live in the same environment, but their lives can't be more differents. One day, something that will attach them happen, a wall appears in the middle of the street. When both kids decide to go across the wall, they end up in a magic world where the only way to return to reality is to stay together. But that will not be something so easy to accomplish…

I recently finished the Wayward Children series and since then had felt the need to read something similar. Over the Woodward Wall was exactly what I was looking for, a lovely story full of adventures with an amazing development of characters. It always amaze me the skill of Seanan McGuire to portrait children, with deep feelings, fears and desires. In this tale Avery and Zib have to go through many situations where they must face their insecurities and rethink their moral values. Those moments were my favorites and made me empathize a lot with the characters.

Another thing I love about Seanan is the worldbuilding in each of her books. She is the queen of portal fantasy! And in Over the Woodward Wall we get to know the Up-and-Under, a imaginative and enchanting world with a lot of original element that I loved going through discovering.

The only thing that didn't work for me was the ending, I felt it was abrupt and anticlimactic. But at the same time I'm excited for the sequel to meet the kids again and to know what will happen with their adventures.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for providing me an e-ARC of this book.

Maybe I need to revisit Middlegame to see the significance of this book, but even if that's the case, I don't know that I see the meaning of this book in its own right, so I can't give it more than three stars. it was entertaining enough, it was nice to see our characters influencing each other to adapt and change as necessary, but I got more Wayward Children vibes from this than I had expected, and the tone was a little off for that reason.

It’s a Tor published novella so right there you should know you’ve got a pretty safe bet that you’re looking at a good quality read packed into a small package.
It’s a fairy tale of two very different children who find themselves one ordinary morning on an Adventure. Adventures are a bit frightening and a lot odd when you find yourself in another world but you do have a opportunity to learn if you’re (un)fortunate enough to find yourself on one. This is a book that an older child or teen would enjoy (and content appropriate) and a book any adult that hasn’t gotten too adult can enjoy every bit as much. Did Every Heart a Doorway speak to you? This book will too.
Ps, if you haven’t already looked it up, yes, this is a pen name for Seanan McGuire.

I really enjoyed this story!

PROS:
~ The entire middle of this book was so fun to read about and I LOVED the adventure of it and the nonsensical sort of whimsicality of it. I haven't read MIDDLEGAME, but I still really enjoyed the adventure of this story and the people we meet along the way
~ The characters were so so so so so fun to read about!
~ The world was incredibly interesting and I cannot wait to read more!
~ The pacing was super fast and the book was easy and fun to read through. I read the majority of this book in a singular day.

CONS:
~ The beginning was hard to get through.
~ The ending was pretty abrupt and I felt like we ended in the middle of a story.
~ The book was a little too short with me (which is a similar to the way I feel about Wayward Children but....it is what it is, I guess)

OVERALL:
It was really fun and I will continue on!

I don't know anyone writing today who is as skilled at capturing childhood wonder and logic and fear as Seanan McGuire. That skill is as much on display here as it is in the Wayward Children series. In many cases, adult fiction has a hard time capturing what it's like to be a child. Authors oversimplify emotions, or the kids come off as whiny and immature. Seanan McGuire writes real children, full and wild and wise in their own ways.

You don't have to have read MIDDLEGAME to enjoy this portal quest. It follows pleasurable archetypes (for a very good reason) and has a lush world. But you'll get a heck of a lot more out of OVER THE WOODWARD WALL if you devour MIDDLEGAME before or after reading. (For one, the ending will be a heck of a lot more meaningful.)

At this point, I'll read anything McGuire writes, under whichever pseudonym suits her. She is assuming her place as a modern genre giant.

I love this book. But I don't know what to say. I knew this might be the first of the series. What I did not know was that the story would stop right at the climax.

It feels like it's a little incomplete and I'm not sure if that's a criticism or just the kind of series it is. It isn't like the Wayward Children series; those series those stories are concise with clear endings. It feels more like the Lord of the Rings with a story that clearly isn't over.

The story is clearly meant to continue, so the question then becomes is this book sufficient as the first in this series. I think so.

I didn't expect it to end like this. However I can see there was a clear evolution in our characters and in the plot. Essentially leading us to a new stage in the story with new characters (figuratively speaking) new goals and potentially a new ending.

Of course, I love Middlegame, so I'm desperate to find reasons like this book. Luckily he isn't that hard.

4.5/5 stars bc the conclusion still didn't feel entirely natural but I'm rounding it up because it was written by the Queen of Stories (aka Seanan McGuire).

If ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ and ‘The Wizard of Oz’ had a baby... this would be it.

Okay no one can deny the genius of Seanan McGuire, and writing under a different name definitely didn’t change that. If I had to describe this book in one word it would be: Vibrant. All of the creatures and characters were verbally painted so well and I was really able to envision everything.

I definitely did enjoy my time reading this, I docked one star because I felt like the lead up took SO long and then abruptly the story was over, I am assuming there will be a sequel (or maybe this is where Middlegame comes in??) because the ending really leaves you with nothing 😂 but all things said and done this is a very fun middle grade book and I would recommend it to my friends, especially those with kids they could share it with.

When this title was announced I was so excited, as I am a huge fan of Seanan McGuire and particularly Middlegame. This story was full of adventure, facing dangers, forming friendships and talking owls. The writing is whimsical and nostalgic. Whether you are already a fan of Seanan McGuire’s work or craving a magical, fairytale-like story, then you should definitely pick this one up when it is released.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for supplying me an e-arc of this book.

Over the Woodward Wall

Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker (AKA Seanan McGuire AKA Mira Grant) is an unsettling, but beautiful childhood fantasy. The story is atmospheric and quirky. Seanan McGuire is a master at writing these types of fairytales. Reading her stories is like waking up from a dream while everything still makes sense, but the more you think about it everything starts to unravel, but you can't figure out why. It's great.

When I found out that the children’s story from Middlegame was being turned into a full book, I was ecstatic. I really loved Middlegame and I was really intrigued with the story being told. The main characters Zib and Avery are a charming and hilarious duo.

It is reminiscent of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol and Coraline by Neil Gaiman. It is dark and funny. It’s one of those stories that children and adults can both enjoy.

I found Over the Woodward Wall absolutely enchanting. The writing is wonderful, intelligent, witty and imaginative. I immediately felt the need to snuggle in and read the tale of Avery, Zib and their fantastical adventure. The book reminded me a lot of Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. Despite being a children's book, I really enjoyed the tale and it made me feel a bit nostalgic for other books of its type. Even though I've read the ARC, I'm actually planning to purchase it and add it to my collection (and our library's collection). I highly recommend this read..

A huge thank you to NetGalley the publisher for the opportunity to read and reveiw Over the Woodward Wall.

This is a delightful tale of the Up and Under! I really loved Middlegame, so I was anxious to get back to the Improbable Road. This book reads a bit like a children's story, but the world building is so great that I was able to enjoy it nonetheless. I look forward to seeing how this series plays out.

Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker (pen name of Seanan McGuire) is of course really the book from the novel Middlegame which was released in May 2019. Because it was the basis for much of the character development and backstory of THAT title, it was really cool to be able to read it now. It appears, too, that this will also become a series, which is super exciting for fans of Seanan McGuire. This reminded me a lot of the writing style and characters of her Wayward Children series, more than the style of Middlegame. I enjoy most of what she writes, and this was no exception.

This story is the first story I've read by Seanan McGuire, and I am excited to add her other works to my TBR. The writing style is playful and unique. The world was familiar yet it had elements that you wouldn't expect. While reading it I got strong Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz vibes, but it didn't detract from the story. I loved Zib and Avery's characters and how Seanan developed their personalities and quirks in a fun way.

Seriously, is there anything Seanan McGuire can’t do? This was atmospheric, character driven fantasy that set me on edge and kept me turning the pages. Loved loved it!

Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this ARC. This was a very sweet, easy to read fantasy story that will be enjoyed by many, and is perfectly appropriate for middle graders. I have not read Middlegame by this same author, so I may have been missing a little information pertaining to where this story comes from. However, it stood alone fine on its own and appears to be the first in a series.

Obviously I came to this book after hearing about Middlegame. I got very "Over the Garden Wall" vibes from it (though of course not necessarily on the same scale) and found it interesting enough.