Shannon's Library

LET’S GET EXCITED ABOUT THIS BOOK!

Set in the early 20th century, “The Ten Thousand Doors of January” features a book within a book, hidden doors that move between worlds, villains with evil plans, and a wise, bookish girl named January. January is a mixed-race girl living in a vast estate filled with eccentric items from around the world. She is the ward of Mr. Locke, a wealthy businessman and archaeologist. When January is seven years old, she stumbles upon a door to another world, right before it is closed forever. Years later she receives a leather-bound book that reveals impossible secrets about magical doors, the forces working to close them and unexpected clues to her own past.

When Alix E. Harrow was asked to describe her book in five words, she said… “Girl finds door. Adventures ensue.”

Adventures most certainly ensue in this oh-so magical book!

Shannon’s Rating — PG-13

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LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK!

You see, doors are many things: fissures and cracks, ways between, mysteries and borders. But more than anything else, doors are change.

Books are magical doorways. Opening a book is as simple as opening a door in the real world – but often much more rewarding! And magical doorways within books are something extra special. A character who passes through a doorway into a world of adventure mirrors the adventure of the reader themselves. These doorways charm and intrigue us as readers. We imagine that maybe, just maybe, one day we will open an ordinary door and find ourselves in a real-life adventure.

For many kids, including myself, the first time we had these excited feelings about enchanted doors was after reading, “The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe,” by C.S. Lewis. This enchanting adventure begins with an ordinary child who steps through an ordinary door and proceeds to have the most extraordinary adventure in the magical world of Narnia. If you opened every closet door with a little hope in your heart after reading this book, rest assured, you weren’t the only one!

As a grown woman, a piece of me still gets a little excited about old doors. Can I possibly walk through them? Where will they lead? Narnia? A Secret Garden? And now, after reading “The Ten Thousand Doors of January,” by Alix E. Harrow, I’m certain every old door will lead to a new, magical world. While writing this review, I got very distracted looking at beautiful old doors on the internet. I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to include 10,000 pictures of doors for you all, in honor of “The Ten Thousand Doors of January?”

Turns out 10,000 doors would be a little much. (Especially for my short-attentioned children who already can’t make it to the end of my reviews! Alex, Meg, Tess – if you’ve made it this far…I’m proud of you. And you’re welcome for not putting 10,000 doors in here!)

But I digress. Back to the book. “The Ten Thousand Doors of January” is magical in every way. The writing is magical. The romance is magical. The lessons learned about family is magical. The heroine is magically endearing. The adventure is magical. And, yes, the doors are truly magical.

When I was seven, I found a door. I suspect I should capitalize that word, so you understand I’m not talking about your garden or common variety door that leads reliably to a white-tiled kitchen or a bedroom closet.
When I was seven, I found a Door. There – look how tall and proud the word stands on the page now, the belly of that D like a black archway leading into white nothing. When you see that word, I imagine a little prickle of familiarity makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

January Scaller

“A prickle of familiarity” was within me while reading this book. Maybe it’s because of the wardrobe door leading to Narnia or the gate leading to The Secret Garden in my mind from childhood. But “The Ten Thousand Doors of January” prickled my nostalgia for magical doorways in just the right way. And maybe, just maybe, if I keep looking and imagining – I’ll finally find my own magical Door someday. (Notice the capital D.)