The Boy Who Dreamed of Doors

From New York Times bestselling author Chuck Wendig comes a fantastical adventure with an evil AI twist, for fans of The Last Kids on Earth, The Whisperwicks, and Mighty Jack.

Noah wakes up one day in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. He can’t remember how he got there, but he knows he has to get home. So when a door appears in the cabin wall, he opens it…and is thrust into the bizarro world of Dream Else. 

In this strange land, no two creatures look alike: There are giant beetles with human hands, smiling pink blobs of slime, and a walking teakettle who sells the best meatshroom pies you’ve ever tasted. Amid the chaos are other lost kids who want to find their way home, as well as a mysterious man named Sebastian who knows much more than he’ll say. Now Noah and his new friends must navigate the wildly unpredictable dangers of Dream Else as they uncover its secrets and write their own story—literally.

New York Times bestselling author Chuck Wendig tells an original and oh-so-timely tale in this unforgettable adventure about the power of storytelling and friendship.

• Praise for Monster Movie!
• An Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Selection
• "In this gleefully off-kilter ode to late-night B movies and classic kids’ horror tales like Goosebumps, Wendig (Dust & Grim) skillfully tempers terrifying events with a tint of absurdity, playing them against Ethan’s all-too-relatable worries. It’s a fast-paced and intense adventure that never loses sight of its human elements."
  Publishers Weekly
• "Suspenseful and engaging, with a truly terrifying monster—but also full of funny, exaggerated characters and descriptions that keep the tone light.... This funny, fast-paced celebration of horror movies will appeal to fans of Goosebumps and similar series."
  School Library Journal
• "Wendig expertly ratchets up the terror and suspense to a feverish pitch.... Top of the class when it comes to frights."
  Kirkus Reviews
• "While this horror novel glows with enough gruesome detail to rival the best B-rated monster flicks, it’s the sci-fi twist at the end that will keep readers up at night. Recommended for the Goosebumps crowd and fans of classic horror."
  Booklist
• Praise for Dust & Grim:
  
  A New York Times Bestseller
  An Amazon Best Children’s Book
  A TXLA 2023 Lone Star Reading List Selection
• * "Playing to strengths demonstrated in his many comics and tales for older audiences, not only is Wendig a dab hand at concocting extremely creepy critters, but here he also pulls together a secondary cast of quarrelsome but supportive allies for the beleaguered teens."
  Kirkus, starred review
• * "Wendig charges onto the middle-grade scene with a monstrously fun tale of family and funerary arts.... [The] easy writing style is a perfect vehicle for the humor and rapidly paced shenanigans that propel the narrative.... Monstrously fun.... A sure pick for those enamored by Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book and Tahereh Mafi’s Whichwood."
  Booklist, starred review
• * "Wendig thrills, enchants, and amuses in equal measure.... Peppered with nail-biting action scenes, the well-paced storytelling is as heart-felt as it is heart-racing, and readers who appreciate word play will love the snark-filled banter and witty narrative voice.... The ideal read-next for fans of Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, this is also perfect for readers who embrace the weirdness of family."
  BCCB, starred review
• * "A spooky, heartfelt, darkly funny adventure.... The importance of relationships, regardless of blood relation, runs deep and gives an endearing core to this perfect Halloween read."
  Shelf Awareness, starred review