ABOUT THIS GUIDE• Doesapersonrequireaguidetoread?Tolive?

Tobecomeanadult?

• Canonebetaughtsuchlessonswithabook?Orataschool?

Thesearetheexquisitequestionsatthecoreofthisgothicfantasyseries–questionsthatthisguidewillnotsomuchattempttoanswerastoinviteyou,thereader,tobuildupon,toexpandtouniversalform,andtoleadyoutoyourownexcellenceinword-craftandscholar-ship.

TheWaywardChildrennovellasspeaktobothadultandyoungadultreaders.CommonCore-alignedcontentisannotatedforhighschoolstudentsandeducators.Forcollegereaders,thediscussionquestionsandexercisesbelowsupportcourseworkingenrestudies(sciencefic-tion,fantasy,moderngothicnovels)aswellascreativewritingandliteraryanalysis.

TO BEGIN. . .The gothic fantasy novella1

1. FromclassicssuchasCharlesDickens’A Christmas Carol,toiconiccharacterstudiessuchasTrumanCapote’sBreakfast at Tiffany’stomodernmini-mas-terworkssuchasAnnieProulx’sBrokeback Mountain,thenovellaisaformthathasinspiredstunningworksbywritersacrosstheages.

1 Aligned with Common Core State Standards ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.10 and RL.11-12.10

READER GUIDE

a. Gotothelibraryoronlinetofindadefinitionoftheliterarytermnovella.

b. AsyoureadSeananMcGuire’swork,notethewaysinwhichthenovellaformisparticularlysuitedtotheplotsandthemessheexplores.

c. Makealistofatleastsixnotablenovellasyouwouldliketoread.

2. OnecouldarguethatthenovellasinSeananMc-Guire’sWayward Childrenseriesaregothicfantasies.

a. Gotothelibraryoronlinetofinddefinitionsfortheterms‘gothic,’‘fantasy’andtheliteraryphrase‘gothicfantasy.’

b. Makealistof4to6tenetsorfeaturesyouex-

optically-adjusted Stubby and Type to be used at small sizes and in web icons.

For print applications where the rocket is larger than 1” wide use the Original Stubby™

Red+grey optical small

publishing logo uses 60%K,

ten percent darker than

regular size

A Common Core–Aligned Guide to

THE WAYWARD CHILDREN SERIES bySEANANMcGUIRE

2 • wayward children series reader guide tor.com

pecttofindinagothicfantasynovella.LookfortheseasyoureadoneormoreWayward Childrenstory.

c. Writeashortessayorimagined‘lettertotheeditor’arguingthatthegothicfantasyisanessentialliterarygenreforteenandyoungadultreaders.Citeexamplesfromliteratureandlife.

3. Fromthetitleofthefirstnovellatothefinalwordofthelast,theword“door”isessential,iconic,mysteri-ousandfarmorecomplexthanareadercouldantici-pate.Beforeyoubeginreading,createadrawingorpainting,imagecollage,brainstormwordlistorpoeminspiredbythisseeminglymundaneword.

COME IN. . .

BOOK 1

EVERY HEART A DOORWAY

• WinneroftheHugoAwardforBestNovella

• WinneroftheNebulaAwardforBestNovella

• WinneroftheLocusAwardforBestNovella

• A2017AlexAwardWinner

• A2017RainbowListTop10Pick

• ALibraryReadsPick(April2016)

Discuss2, Analyze & Write

1. IntheChapter1descriptionofEleanorWest’sHomeforWaywardChildren,whatisimportantaboutthisplacebeingcalleda“home”andnota“school”?Whatisthemeaningofthefinaltwowordsofsub-text,“NoQuests”?

2. WhoisEleanorWest?Whymightshebe“danger-ous”andtowhom?

3. WhatmightbeimportantabouttheorderinwhichNancymeetsdenizensofEleanorWest’shome?

2 Aligned with Common Core State Standards ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1 and SL.11-12.1

4. Writetwo-sentencecharacterdescriptionsofSumi,Christopher,Jill,JackandSeraphina.

5. HowdoesKadehelpLundyandEleanor?HowmightKade’stalentforsewingbeparticularlysignificantintermsofhispathtoEleanorWest,andhisroleattheschool?

6. Asenseofplace–atruehome–canbeavitalpartofahappychildhoodand,perhaps,ahappyadulthood,too.AsJackexplainstoNancy,“Forus,placeswewentwerehome.Wedidn’tcareiftheyweregoodorevilorneutralorwhat.Wecaredaboutthefactthatforthefirsttime,wedidn’thavetopretendtobesomethingweweren’t.Wejustgottobe.Thatmadeallthedifferenceintheworld”(p.56).Writeyourownparagraphexplainingordefiningatrue“home.”

7. Whoisthefirsttodieinthestory?HowdoesElea-norreacttothishorribleevent?Whatbecomesofthebody?Whatothergruesomeeventsfollow?

8. WhydoyouthinkChapter11istitled“YouCanNeverGoHome”?WhatbecomesclearaboutJill’sidentityasthestoryends?Whatsacrifice(s)doesJackmakeinthechapter?

9. Lushwithevocativelanguage,McGuire’snovellaalsopositsmanyapparentoppositeorcontrastingwordsthatare,intheworldofdoorsandwaywardchildren,notcontrastsatall.Divideasheetofpaperintotwocolumnstofillwithatleastsixpairsof“opposite”wordtensionsinthenovel,suchas“living/dead,”“stillness/motion,”and“real/unreal.”Withfriendsorclassmates,discussthewaythesepairsexistintensioninyourownrealitybuthaveadifferentormorefluidrelationshipintheEvery Heart a Doorway.3

10. Onpage83,Nancyconsidersthewayherparentssortoflove“…wantedtofixher,andrefusedtoseethatshewasn’tbroken.”IsNancybroken,orpossiblyanorexic,inthe“real”world?Citeevidencefromthetexttosupportyourposition.Writea2-to4-page“prequel”chapterdescribingNancy’slifethedaybe-foreshefoundher“door.”Ifdesired,writeasecondshortchapterdescribingthedayshereturnedtoherparents’home.4

3 Aligned with Common Core State Standards ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4 4 Aligned with Common Core State Standards ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3

and W.11-12.3

wayward children series reader guide • 3tor.com

LOOK BACK. . .

BOOK 2

DOWN AMONG THE STICKS & BONES

• ALibraryReadsPick(June2017)

“McGuirehasamiraculoustalentforexaminingadolescentdiscontent,weddingthestrangewiththepoignant,thefearsomewiththefasci-nating.”—RT Book Reviews(TopPick!41⁄2stars)

“Beautifullycraftedandsmartlywritten,thisfairy-talenovellaiseverythingthatspeculativefictionreaderslookfor:fantasticalworlds,diversecharacters,andprosethathitshomewithitsemotionaltruths.”—Library Journal(starredreview)

“McGuire’sexquisitelywrittenfairytaleisaboutthechoicesthatcanalterthecourseofalifeforever,lostinnocence,andwhatitistoloveandbeloved.”—Publishers Weekly(starredreview)

Discuss5, Analyze & Write

1. Thisnovellabeginsinaworldsoliteral,sopedantic,thatitalmostfeelsmake-believe.Whydoyouthinktheauthorchosetobeginthestoryinthisway?

2. Gotothelibraryoronlinetofindadefinitionoftheliteraryterm‘originstory.’Althoughmorecommonlyappliedtothecomicbookgenre,couldyouarguethatitisaparticularlyapttermtoapplytothisgoth-icfantasy?Whyorwhynot?

3. WhattechniquesdoestheauthorusetoshowtheevolutionofJacquelineandJillian’ssensesofselfastheyjourneyacrossthemoor?Visitanartmuseumorexploreanonlineartsourcetofindimagesthatevokesimilartransformationalfeelingsasthosewordedbytheauthor.Shareyourfindingswithfriendsorclassmates.

4. Onpage40,theauthornotes,“Onthedayourstory

5 Aligned with Common Core State Standards ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1 and SL.11-12.1

trulystarts…JacquelineandJilliansatintheirroom,ontheirrespectivebeds,andtheroomwassofullofangerandsilencethatitscreamed.”Whatisimport-antaboutthismoment?Howdoesitencapsulatetherelationshipbetweenthetwins?Howdoesitforeshadowelementsoftheworldthetwinsareabouttoenterandthechoicestheymustmake?

5. Earlyinthestory,JaquelineandJillian’sgrand-mother,Louise,toldthemthattheywere“…perfectexactlyastheywere,andtheywouldneverneedtochangeforanyone”(p.25).Isthisthecentralcontradiction,crisisorlieofthenovel?Doyouthinkthetwins’doorwouldhaveopenedifLouise,andthemessagesherepresented,hadnotbeensentaway?

6. Inchapter5,JackchoosestogoimmediatelywithDr.Bleakbecause:“Shehadafeelingthatifshelin-gered,shewouldneverleave,andagain,thatwouldgopoorlyforhersister…Jilltrustedtooeasily,andgothurteveneasier’(p.91).IsJack’sinsightsurpris-ing?Isitcorrect?Doyouthinkshemakestherightdecision?

7. Arevampiresandmadscientistsopposites?Answerthisquestionusingquotesfromthenovelorinfor-mationfromothersources.Dovampiresandmadscientistssharesimilarorigins,akintotheparallelchildhoodsofJackandJill?Couldtheobservationthat‘Howquicklytheygrowapart,whenthereissomethingtobesuperiorabout’beappliedtothetwins,totheMasterandDr.Bleak,ortothegirls’parentsandothersintheirsocialandbusinessworlds?Isthisstatementtrueinyourownworld?Explainyouranswer.

8. Gotothelibraryoronlinetofindadefinitionoftheterm“binary.”Listatleastfourwaysthistermappliestothestory,impactstheliterarystructure,oraffectstherulesofmoorvillagewherethetwinsfindthemselvesathome.

9. Describeelementsoftheirmoorworldwhichthetwinsfind“good”orsatisfyingbutseemtothereadertoberatherhorrible.DoesJillianrealignallpossiblenotionsofgoodwithherattackonAlexis?HadyoubeenJack,couldyouhavefoundsomethingtoloveinJillafterthisattack?

10. WhatconfusesChesteraboutthegirlsupontheirreturnonthefinalpageofthenovella?Withfriends

4 • wayward children series reader guide tor.com

orclassmates,discusswhothe“smallboy”refer-encedonthepagecouldbe.Writea2-to3-pagescenethatimmediatelyfollowsthefinalmomentofthestory,takinganomniscientthird-personpointofviewakintothatofSeananMcGuire.6

REAWAKEN. . .

BOOK 3

BENEATH THE SUGAR SKY

• ALibraryReadsPick(January2018)

“We’retoldsomedoorsopenonlyonce,butreaderswillbegMcGuiretokeepthedooropentotheseworldsinperpetuity.Phenomenal.”—Booklist(starredreview)

Discuss7, Analyze & Write

1. Ifyouhavereadthetwopreviousnovelsinthisseries,doyouthinkDown Among the Sticks and BonescanbeviewedasaprequeltoEvery Heart a Door-way?And,ifso,howdoesBeneath the Sugar Skyfitintothistimeline–orchangeyoursenseoftime(orliterarytime)altogether?8

2. Earlyinthenovella,thenarratorsaysthatnoneoftheparentswhodepositedtheirchildrenatherhomecouldhavecalledEleanorWest“akiller.”Whymightthatwordevenbementioned?Whatdoesthenarratorwantreaderstounderstandaboutthe“home”Eleanorprovidesandthechildrenwhostaywithher?

3. WhenCoraarrivesattheschool,shebecomesfastfriendswithNadya.Whatphysicalandemotionalcommonalitiesdothegirlsshare?

6 Aligned with Common Core State Standards ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3 and W.11-12.3

7 Aligned with Common Core State Standards ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1 and SL.11-12.1

8 Aligned with Common Core State Standards ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.5 and 11-12.5

4. HowisRiniintroducedtotheEleanorWest?ExplainhowRini’spresenceinthestorymakestimeanes-sentialdriveroftheplot.

5. WhoisChristopher?Whatreal-lifetraumafromhislifeisreferencedinthestory?Howdoesthisalignwiththeworldtowhichheseekstoreturn?DoyouthinkChristopherisactuallystill“dying”inthe“real”world?Whyorwhynot?

6. PopularizedbyAmericanmythologistJosephCamp-bell,theconceptofthe“hero’sjourney”or“mono-myth”positsthatallmythictalesfollowauniversalcycleofawakening,journeyfromknowtounknownworld,tests,rewardsandreturntotheknown.Gotothelibraryoronlinetolearnmoreaboutthehero’sjourneyinliterature.DiagramtheplotofBeneath the Sugar Skyusingacircularformatasseeninmanyhero’sjourneygraphicplanners.Doyoufeelthisnovellafitsthehero’sjourneymold?Ifso,howdoesthistypeofanalysisenhanceyourunderstandingofthestory?

7. WhoisPonder?Whydoyouthinktheauthorgavehimthisname,andchosea“candy”worldanda“sugary”romancetobethesourceofRini’slife?WhenRiniinsiststhatsheis“important,”whatdoesshereallymean?

8. WhoandwhenistheBaker?Whereisshefrom?Doesherpowermakesense?Whyorwhynot?

9. Kadeaspirestomorefullyunderstandtheworldsofthedoors,andaspirestocreateacompasstoorganizehisknowledge.Usingcluesfromthisandothernovellasintheseries,drawyourowndiagramorganizingthedifferentnames,environments,rulesandtypes–nonsense,logic,etc.–ofworldsandtheirrelationshipsintheWayward Childrenuniverse.

10. Neartheendofthenovel,thenarratorexplainsthatthosewhohadfoundadoor“…hadaneedtrappedsomewhereintheirbones,gnawingconstantly,tryingtogetout”(p.157).Howmightthisbebothaliteralandametaphoricalexplanation?Isfantasyalwaysandunquestionablymake-believe?Createasong,poemorvisualartworktoelucidateyouranswer.

wayward children series reader guide • 5tor.com

FINALLY. . .Review, Consider & Imagine

1. Twotruthsandalie.Inviteyourselfintooneoftheabovenovellas.Inventanewnameforyourselfandchoosethreeessentialcharacterattributes,twoofwhicharetrulyqualitiesyoupossessandonewhichisatalent,quirkorflawofyourimagination.Writeyourselfintoafavoritescene.

2. HowmanycisgenderboyspopulatetheWayward Childrennovellas?Howmightthisseriesbereadasanexplorationofthetensionsbetweengender,physicalselfandpsychological/emotionalidentity?Explainyouranswers.

3. FromHogwartstoEleanorWest’sHome,whydoyouthinkboardingschoolsandsimilarestablish-mentsprovideessentialsettingsforfantasynovels?Citeexamplesfromthisseriesandotherfantasiesyouhavereadtosupportyouranswer.

4. Revisitthenovelstofindexamplesofreimaginedmythologies,suchasvampireandmermaid,andre-interpretedliteraryfantasyworlds,suchWon-derlandandOz.HowdothesecorrelatetospecificworldsintheWaywarduniverse?Howmighttheycorrelatetodifferentwayschildrenaremisunder-stoodintheir“real”worlds?Isareala“four-letterword,”asEleanorWestseemstobelieve?9

9 Aligned with Common Core State Standards ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.9 and RL.11-12.7

OR, NOT SO FINALLY. . .1. NeartheendofEvery Heart a Doorway,Nancydis-

coversanotefromSumiwiththewords,“You’reno-body’sdoorwaybutyourown,andtheonlyonewhogetstotellyouhowyourstoryendsisyou”(p.168).InBeneath the Sugar Sky,Nadyatakesadivebeforethefinallines,“Thereiskindnessintheworld,ifweknowhowtolookforit.Ifweneverstartdenyingthedoor”(p.174).Whatiskindness?Whatisa“door”?

2. Isholdingontochildhoodgoodorbad?Canonechoosetoholdontochildhoodatall?Ifso,shoulditbeagoalforadults?Whyorwhynot?

3. SeananMcGuireconcludesheronlineauthorinfor-mationparagraphwiththefollowingsentence:She writes all biographies in the third person, because it’s easier that way. HowmightthisconceptreflectanessentialthemeoftheWaywardChildrenseries?Definethisthemeandexplainyouranswer.10

10 Aligned with Common Core State Standards LITERACY.RL.9-10.2 and RL.11-12.2

About the Author

Seanan McGuire istheauthoroftheOctoberDayeurbanfantasyseries,theInCryptidseries,andotherworks.ShealsowritesdarkerfictionasMiraGrant.

Seanan lives in Seattle with her cats, a vast collection of creepy dolls, and horrormovies,andsufficientbookstoqualifyherasafirehazard.

Shewasthewinnerofthe2010JohnW.CampbellAwardforBestNewWriter,andin2013shebecamethefirstpersonevertoappearfivetimesonthesameHugoballot.