I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker Published by Tor.com on October 6 2020
Genres: Middle grade, Fantasy
Pages: 160
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Two children enter a magical land and learn some hard lessons in this tale-within-a-tale by Seanan McGuire.
“People say I look like a girl, but that won’t ever make me one.”
Zib blinked. “You’re not? But I thought–”
“Oh, I’m a crow girl, but I’m not a girl girl.” The crow girl’s smile was swift, there and gone in an instant. “I’m a murder. The skin’s only for the outside people. The real me is all feathers and thorns, and not a girl at all.”
You probably already know by now, but “A. Deborah Baker” is a pseudonym for Seanan McGuire, and this novella is the first installment in Baker’s Over the Woodward Wall, a “book” that is featured in McGuire’s novel Middlegame. Baker herself is a character in Middlegame, and her book is a child’s fairy tale full of Baker’s hidden beliefs and teachings (think The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis). Are you still with me?
If you haven’t read Middlegame, then Over the Woodward Wall is a perfectly delightful fairy tale geared toward the middle grade crowd—this is definitely a children’s story as opposed to YA—that really doesn’t require any knowledge of its source material to enjoy. However, if you have read Middlegame, you’ll discover some interesting parallels that might make you want to do a reread, at least that’s what happened to me.
The story takes place in a small, ordinary town where nothing earth shattering ever happens. Hepzibah, or “Zib” as she likes to be called, is an exuberant child who loves to explore the nearby woods, can’t keep her clothes neat and clean to save her life, and loves math. Avery is the same age as Zib but is the complete opposite: he’s always neatly buttoned up in freshly pressed clothes and shiny shoes (that will be important later). Although both kids attend the same school and live on the same street, they have never met before.
But all that changes one day when, on their respective walks to school, Avery and Zib run into road construction and are forced to take a detour through the woods. Not too far in, they stumble upon a wall that shouldn’t be there. Because why would there be a wall inside the woods? Nevertheless, they can’t get to school unless they climb the wall, and so they do. But once they get to the top, they’re shocked to see that their little town has vanished. With no other choice, the kids climb down the other side, and that is where their adventures begin.
They have arrived in a land called the Up-and-Under, populated by ruthless Kings and Queens, talking owls, and girls made of crows. And the only way home, it turns out, is to follow a road of iridescent bricks called the Improbable Road to the Impossible City, where the Queen of Wands awaits to help them.
If you think that sounds familiar, then you’re probably right. I mentioned this in my review of Middlegame, but there is a definite Wizard of Oz vibe to Over the Woodward Wall. I also felt twinges of Alice and Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, not to mention McGuire’s own beloved Wayward Children series. Yes, it’s a mixture of many familiar riffs and themes, but it also has a charm all its own that I really enjoyed.
Along their weird and fantastic journey, Zib and Avery meet all sorts of interesting side characters, who—in typical fairy tale fashion—impart nuggets of wisdom to our clueless children while offering them friendship and hope. By far my favorite of these characters was Crow Girl, a sweet but sad girl who is actually made up of crows. She can magically burst into all her crow parts and fly away, then transform back into a girl again. There are several mentions of Crow Girl’s past before she was captured by the Queen of Swords and turned into a Crow Girl, and I would love to read that story sometime.
And because this is a Seanan McGuire story, you can expect lots of diversity. There are both trans and non binary characters, and McGuire’s trademark message of “be yourself” shines through. Because of this, I’m pretty sure anyone who is a fan of her Wayward Children series will enjoy this story.
As to how this fits in with Middlegame, Zib and Avery are reminiscent of Roger and Dodger, the children in that story. Baker is connected, in a sense, to both sets of children, which raises lots of questions. I mentioned before that I’d love to read Middlegame again, if only to pay closer attention to the Woodward Wall sections to see how they relate to each other.
I believe this is only the beginning of a series, although on Goodreads it’s hard to tell, since the series name isn’t listed. But I’m definitely on board for any future installments, as Baker’s story isn’t resolved at the end. Readers who enjoy magical stories that dig into the emotions of childhood will love this.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
I don’t think I knew that A. Deborah Baker is a pseudonym for Seanan McGuire. And a tale-within-a-tale is always interesting to me, although I haven’t read Middlegame.
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Review: The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes
It’s actually the author in McGuire’s book Middlegame, which is such a cool idea:-)
This is such a great idea! I’ve not read the source book, but I love the idea of creating a book mentioned within another book. It’s an entire different level of enjoyment.
It was really cool. Of course being Seanan McGuire is a good way to get publishers to let you do something like this;-)
Got my copy, can’t wait to start!
Hope you enjoy!
Excellent review, Tammy. I first thought you had made a mistake in the 1st para where the author’s name didn’t match the name on the book cover. I didn’t know Baker is a pseudonym for Seanan McGuire. The story seems wonderful. Definitely adding it to my TBR. btw, the cover is so pretty.
Debjani recently posted…16 Incredible Books To Read in Fall 2020
It really is good, and I’m anxious to read the next installment:-)
Aw, I love how this sounds, Tammy. I didn’t know she had a pseudonym, and I love the novel inside a novel concept. Terrific review!
Thanks Jenni:-)
It was so cool to know how meta this was. 🙂
I agree, I love the way it all ties together:-)
This sounds super interesting, I’ve got Middlegame on my kindle, so I guess I’ll postpone it until after I’ve had a chance to read this
I think you could read them in any order!
Glad you enjoyed this as well! Re: if this is the start of a series – McGuire has tweeted that she has more books written/planned, but this book was to sell well enough for the next to be published.
I did hear that. I hope it sells well and somehow I think it will.
I…had no idea this was Seanan! So this is news to me lol. Glad that you enjoyed this one! I remember I was interested in it and it sounds like a fascinating read.
Unless you have read Middlegame, you probably wouldn’t know it was a McGuire story:-)
This sounds so cool. I want to read it too. For some reason, whenever I see the cover I think it’s the second book in a series. I don’t know why I keep thinking that.
I mean technically it is? Because Middlegame came first.
I wasn’t a big fan of Middlegame, but you know I love Seanan and Wayward, and I’m excited to read this one. 🙂
This can be read without knowing anything about Middlegame or even liking it, I think:-)
Ooo… this sounds like so much fun – not to mention something that I’d enjoy. She is crazily productive! A lovely review, Tammy – thank you for sharing.
Thanks Sarah. Yes she is very prolific!
Fantastic review, Tammy! I didn’t even know about its parallels to Middlegame and that has me even more intrigued by it all considering how much I enjoyed Middlegame! I love the sound of it having all those classic vibes too. I need to try it out ASAP! 😀
Thanks Lashaan:-) If you’ve read Middlegame, you might recognize parts of this story:-)
While I would not usually consider reading a middle-grade book, I would not think twice about one written by McGuire – particularly when it’s closely connected to one of her books I enjoyed very much. And your comment about the links not only to Middlegame itself, but to the “flavors” of her Wayward Children series, is a further encouragement to add this one to my TBR as soon as possible. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…SISTERS OF THE VAST BLACK – Lina Rather
I love the idea for this – of course I’ve not read Middle Game, but the whole premise of using an author within that story to write this one – it’s brilliant. And I guess the title is a slight play on Over the Rainbow??
Lynn 😀
Lynn Williams recently posted…#SPFBO Review : The Usurper (Brutal Saga #0.50) by James Alderdice
You got a lot more out of this than I did! Just finished, and it was a struggle. I loved Middlegame, but this book just baffled me and not in a good way. Argh.