A groundbreaking hero’s journey from National Book Award and Newbery Honor winner, Daniel Nayeri! A young boy, a mouse, and a dog set out to find their purpose in this fairy tale adventure told in an innovative visual format that offers a one-of-a-kind reading experience.
THIS IS A DOOR
by Daniel Nayeri
Stonefruit Studio/Sourcebooks, October 2026
This is the tale of a boy named Nothing the Younger, who lives in a city on the mountaintop of a far-off and long-lost country. Everyone calls him Ing, and while he has no parents, he does have two friends: a dog, Pöppy, and a mouse, mOmO. When King Cyrus calls for a hero to find and defeat the Giantess ravaging the countryside, the king’s son, the Wander Prince, answers the call and Ing decides to follow. Along the journey, Ing (and his friends) must traverse the Land of the Dead, survive an encounter with the terrifying wimmelworm, and discover the truth of his mother and father . . . so that he may find what he’s been seeking all along―his best purpose.
The text on each page snakes, climbs, jumps, and explodes into shapes and forms that unravel the story. This Is a Door is full of fun surprises and poignant musings that flip the classic hero’s journey on its head―all in an artistic and inventive package that is a wonder to behold.
Daniel Nayeri was born in Iran and spent some years as a refugee before immigrating to Oklahoma at age seven with his family. He is the author of several books, including Everything Sad is Untrue (A True Story), winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, the Christopher Medal, and the Middle Eastern Book Award, The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams, winner of the Newbery Honor, and The Teacher of Nomad Land, winner of the National Book Award. He lives in the U.S. with his wife and son.
Astra Fox longs to be a wonderworker, traveling the world and casting fantastical illusions. But as a ward of the awful Sisters of Sorrows’ Foundling Home for Friendless Children, her dreams seem impossible. Then Astra’s fate takes an incredible turn when she’s granted an apprenticeship with the Bellamys, a prominent family who made their fortune manufacturing wonderwork into everyday products.
Fiamma has never trusted her fire magic. It’s volatile, unpredictable—destructive. All she wants now is to leave her past and her magic behind her, and search for the parents who vanished long ago.
Witty, offbeat, and lavishly illustrated in black-and-red, in this irresistible and markedly singular diary, Emily the Strange grapples with a wicked case of amnesia while on a mysterious mission with her black cat posse.