The eighth installment of the Wayward Children series was certainly an emotional gut punch for me. Having said that, it might also be one of my favorites in the series. We meet Antoinette or “Antsy” to her loving parents, whom we briefly met in the previous book. We learn about her life before she came to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.
Antsy lives a happy life until the sudden death of her father. When her mother remarries shortly after, the man she marries drives a wedge between her and Antsy and has sinister intentions toward his stepdaughter. Antsy runs away and finds the door so many children before her have found with the words “Be Sure” printed on it. When she goes through, she finds herself in the Shop Where Lost Things Go. If you’ve ever lost anything, from an earing to a pet, it will be in the shop. Antsy goes to work opening the many doors that open to her and enjoying the oddities and treasures they offer. But she will find out opening the doors comes with a cost that might not be worth it.
Antsy’s goes through an intense emotional journey where she is forced to grow up too fast in more ways than one. She has grown into one of my favorite characters along with Jack Wolcott. This might be my new favorite in the Wayward Children series.
SPOILER/TRIGGER WARNING: CSA is strongly implied but does not occur.