Seanan McGuire (as A. Deborah Baker) writes a fun children's story through a fairytale land, similar to The Wizard of Oz or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This is serviceable and at times quite enjoyable, but pales next to the worlds she is weaving in the Wayward Children series.

As a companion to Middlegame, however, it is a must-read as I want every scrap of interconnected, interwoven information I can get about that world. (This book features as a quoted backdrop to several chapters in Middlegame.)