Wayward Children

Wayward Children is a series of fantasy novellas by American author Seanan McGuire. It takes place at a boarding school for children who have journeyed to magical lands and been forcibly returned to the real world. The volumes alternate between being set at the school versus showing the lives of the children while they were in their alternate worlds.

In 2022, the series won the Hugo Award for Best Series.

Main characters

* Antoinette "Antsy" Ricci: the protagonist of ''Lost in the Moment and Found'' and appears in ''Mislaid in Parts Half-Known''. After her father's death, she escapes her step-father's abuse and finds herself in the Shop Where the Lost Things Go. She is described as squirmy, rowdy, and happy.
* Christopher Flores: a main character in ''Beneath the Sugar Sky'' and ''Mislaid in Parts Half-Known''. He lived in the skeleton world of Mariposa before arriving at the Home for Wayward Children. He is of Mexican descent.
* Cora Miller: the protagonist of ''Where the Drowned Girls Go'' and a main character in ''Beneath the Sugar Sky'', ''Come Tumbling Down'', and ''Mislaid in Parts Half-Known.'' She lived in the Trenches, after which she developed blue hair and sparkling skin. She is short, round, and athletic, and experienced a lot of bullying due to her appearance.
* Eleanor West: the proprietor of Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, a boarding school for children who have journeyed to magical lands and been forcibly returned to the real world.
* Kade Bronson/West: related to Eleanor West, Kade helps care for the Home for Wayward Children and is a main character in ''Every Heart a Doorway'', ''Beneath the Sugar Sky'', and ''Mislaid in Parts Half-Known''. He lived in Prism, a world with goblins and fairies, before the world learned he broke the rules, given that it only allows girls to be heroes. Kade is transgender. Kade manages the school's wardrobe and is an accomplished tailor.
* Katherine Lundy: the protagonist of ''In an Absent Dream'' and character in ''Every Heart a Doorway''. She lived in the Goblin Market, where everything was traded for Fair Value. After returning to Earth, she ages in reverse.
* Nadya: the protagonist of ''Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear'' and a main character in ''Beneath the Sugar Sky''. She lived in Belyyreka. Nadya was born in Russia and adopted by American parents. She was born missing the lower part of her right arm.
* Nancy: the protagonist of ''Every Heart a Doorway'' and a main character in ''Beneath the Sugar Sky''. She lived in and returned to the Halls of the Dead, where she stands as still as a statue.
* Onishi Sumi: the protagonist of ''Beneath the Sugar Sky'' and main character in ''Every Heart a Doorway,'' and ''Mislaid in the Parts Half-Known''. She lived in Confection, a candy world, in which she was made of gingerbread following her death. Sumi is described as being of Japanese descent and has a daughter, Rini, in the future.
* Jacqueline "Jack" and Jillian "Jill" Wolcott: twin sisters who appear in ''Every Heart a Doorway'', ''Down Among the Sticks and Bones'', and ''Come Tumbling Down''. On the other side of their door is the Moors, a world of vampires and mad scientists; there, Jack trains under Dr. Bleak, and Jill is daughter to the Master. Jack has obsessive–compulsive disorder.
* Regan: the protagonist of ''Across the Green Grass Fields''. She discovers a magical portal to a land filled with centaurs, unicorns, and other equine creatures. Regan is intersex.

Books

# '' Every Heart a Doorway'' (2016)
# '' Down Among the Sticks and Bones'' (2017)
# '' Beneath the Sugar Sky'' (2018)
# '' In an Absent Dream'' (2019)
# '' Come Tumbling Down'' (2020)
# '' Across the Green Grass Fields'' (2021)
# '' Where the Drowned Girls Go'' (2022)
# '' Lost in the Moment and Found'' (2023)
# '' Mislaid in Parts Half-Known'' (2024)
# '' Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear'' (2025)

Short stories

* "Juice Like Wounds" Tor.com (July 13, 2020)
* "In Mercy, Rain" Tor.com (July 18, 2022)
* "Skeleton Song" Tor.com (October 26, 2022)

Awards and recognition

'' Locus'' has regularly included the ''Wayward Children'' books in their year-end list of the best novellas of the year, including ''Every Heart a Doorway'' (2016), '' Down Among the Sticks and Bones'' (2017), '' Come Tumbling Down'' (2020), and ''Lost in the Moment and Found'' (2023). The American Library Association selected ''Every Heart a Doorway'' for their 2017 Rainbow Book List.

In 2017, ''Booklist'' included ''Down Among the Sticks and Bones'' on their list of the year's top ten science fiction and fantasy books.

Film adaptation

In July 2021, Paramount Pictures acquired the film rights to the ''Wayward Children'' series.

Book ban

''Every Heart a Doorway'' was banned in 2023 in Clay County District Schools, Florida.

References

External links

Wayward Children - Author Site

{{Hugo Award Best Series

American speculative fiction novellas
Novellas by Seanan McGuire
Portal fantasy
Fantasy books by series
Book series introduced in 2016
Boarding school fiction
Hugo Award–winning works