Lost in the Moment and Found

Lost in the Moment and Found is the eighth installment in Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series. The story centers on Antoinette "Antsy" Ricci, a young girl who escapes a difficult home situation by discovering a magical door that leads to the Shop Where the Lost Things Go. In this otherworldly shop, Antsy works alongside the mysterious keeper Vineta and a talking magpie named Hudson. Her days consist of traveling through magical doorways to different worlds, where she participates in trading lost objects and learning the workings of the shop. The narrative follows Antsy's experiences in the shop and her gradual discovery of its true nature. Time moves differently in this realm, creating consequences that Antsy must eventually confront and understand. The book explores themes of childhood trauma, survival, and the price of escape, while examining how young people navigate difficult truths about the adult world. The Shop Where the Lost Things Go serves as both sanctuary and challenge, representing the complex nature of finding one's place in the world.

Readers value this entry in the Wayward Children series for addressing heavy themes like grooming and abuse while maintaining hope and empowerment. Many note it works as a standalone story despite being book 8. Readers appreciated: - The portrayal of trauma recovery - The unique magic system involving lost objects - Character development showing Antsy's growth - Balance between dark themes and lighter moments Common criticisms: - Less world-building compared to other books in series - Side characters feel underdeveloped - Some found the pacing slow in the middle sections Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 4.25/5 (13,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (1,100+ ratings) StoryGraph: 4.07/5 (2,800+ ratings) One reader noted: "McGuire handles difficult subject matter with care and grace." Another mentioned: "The Shop's magic system is clever but I wanted to spend more time exploring it."

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The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern A graduate student finds a mysterious book that leads him into an underground world of stories, secrets, and magic.

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins A woman raised by a god-like figure in a vast supernatural library must confront her past and her powers.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert A teenager's search for her missing mother leads her into the dark fairy tale world that inspired her grandmother's stories.

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire Two artificially created children with extraordinary powers discover their connection across distance and time.

🌟 The Wayward Children series, in which this book appears, won three consecutive Hugo Awards for Best Novella (2017-2019) 🚪 The Shop Where the Lost Things Go draws inspiration from folk tales about magical shops that appear and disappear, a concept found across multiple cultures 🖋️ Seanan McGuire also writes horror fiction under the pen name Mira Grant, and has published over 40 books across both names 🎭 The author deliberately structures the series to alternate between "portal fantasy" stories like this one and tales set at Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children 🌈 McGuire identifies as neurodivergent and actively works to include diverse representations in her writing, including characters with different neurotypes and orientations