Wayward Children books in order

The Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire explores what happens to children who traveled through portal worlds and must readjust to reality, beginning with the Hugo-winning Every Heart a Doorway (2016).

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Every Heart a Doorway 2016 Seanan McGuire Buy
2 כל לב הוא דלת 2016 Seanan McGuire N/A
3 De brindilles et d’os 2017 Seanan McGuire N/A
4 Down Among the Sticks and Bones 2017 Seanan McGuire Buy
5 Beneath the Sugar Sky 2018 Seanan McGuire Buy
6 Sob o céu açucarado 2018 Seanan McGuire N/A
7 In an Absent Dream 2019 Seanan McGuire Buy
8 В небивал сън 2019 Seanan McGuire N/A
9 Juice Like Wounds 2020 Seanan McGuire N/A
10 Come Tumbling Down 2020 Seanan McGuire Buy
11 Across the Green Grass Fields 2021 Seanan McGuire Buy
12 In Mercy, Rain 2022 Seanan McGuire Buy
13 Skeleton Song 2022 Seanan McGuire Buy
14 Where the Drowned Girls Go 2022 Seanan McGuire Buy
15 Lost in the Moment and Found 2023 Seanan McGuire Buy
16 Mislaid in Parts Half-Known 2024 Seanan McGuire Buy
17 Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear 2025 Seanan McGuire Buy
18 Through Gates of Garnet and Gold 2026 Seanan McGuire Buy

The Wayward Children series is one of Seanan McGuire’s most acclaimed works. Every Heart a Doorway (2016) won the Hugo Award with its premise: children who found doorways to other worlds — Nonsense worlds, Wicked worlds, Virtuous worlds — and then were forced to return to reality. Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children takes them in, but the desire to go back never fades.

The series has grown to 18 entries through 2026, alternating between novellas that explore specific portal worlds (Down Among the Sticks and Bones, In an Absent Dream, Across the Green Grass Fields) and those that advance the main storyline. Each portal world has its own internal logic — some reward darkness, others light, some operate on logic, others on nonsense. The series asks what happens to the heroes of portal fantasy after the adventure ends, and the answers are often heartbreaking.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Wayward Children series?

There are eighteen books in the Wayward Children series, published between 2016 and 2026.

What is the first book in the Wayward Children series?

The first book in the Wayward Children series is Every Heart a Doorway, published in 2016.

What order should you read the Wayward Children books?

Start with Every Heart a Doorway (2016), which introduces Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children and the concept behind the series. The subsequent books alternate between exploring new portal worlds and advancing the overarching story. Publication order is recommended, though some books like Down Among the Sticks and Bones (2017) are prequels to earlier entries.

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