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Any Which Wall

by Laurel Snyder (Goodreads Author)

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 245 ratings · 104 reviews

Four kids, a mysterious wall, and a good helping of common magic!

If you had a magic wall that could take you to any place and any time, where would you go? Would you want to visit castles and desert islands? Would you want to meet famous wizards, terrible pirates, beautiful queens, and dastardly outlaws? If so, then you are just like Henry and Emma, and Roy and Susan—and y...more

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published May 26th 2009 by Random House Books for Young Readers (first published May 9th 2009)

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The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Fantasy Goodreads for 9-12 years

105th out of 202 books — 261 voters

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Best Children's fantasy books for Adults

61st out of 161 books — 155 voters

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Dec 06, 2012 Dustin George-Miller rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A delightful book for the early-to-middle grades. There's magic -- that's obvious -- but it manifests itself in a way that both inspires awe and logical deduction. Snyder really knows how to write for her audience, as she presents dilemmas that are age-appropriate, conundrums that are interesting but not predictable, and includes really wonderfully written treatises on the nature of magic and its relation to "every-day life." The idea of a magical wall in the middle of a cornfield evoked both aw...more

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Jan 31, 2011 Kristine Asselin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grade-recommendations

I won this book from a Goodreads contest last summer--it was a surprise treat to receive it in the mail (signed) from Laurel. She also included a sticker, and a bookplate for another book (BAXTER, THE PIG WHO WANTED TO BE KOSHER). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to pick up the book until the late fall.

I read the first few chapters in November. Laurel's writing reminds me of timeless middle grade adventures from my childhood, updated for today. I mean, two of the kids have cell phones, but they ride...more

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Dec 29, 2009 Cheri Williams added it

Shelves: fiction-middle-grade, 2010

In Laurel Snyder’s second middle-grade novel, Any Which Wall, long-time friends Henry, Roy, Susan and Emma are out of school for the summer and bored, bored, bored in their sleepy little town, until, hidden in an Iowa cornfield, they discover a mysterious wall—and an even more mysterious key.

“They pedaled forward slowly, and in a few minutes, the tall dark thing became a bigger dark thing. Finally it turned into a wall made of gray and black stones, heavy rough squares, each about the size of a...more

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Mar 06, 2012 IndyPL Kids Book Blog rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, adventure

Susan, Roy, Henry & Emma live in Iowa. It’s summer, it’s hot and they’re bored. They do have bikes though, so they take off exploring. They really don’t expect to have much happen, but riding bikes is at least more interesting than sitting on the porch bored and hot. Imagine their surprise when they find a mysterious brick wall rising up out of the middle of a cornfield.

The kids try to think of all the different reasons the wall might be there. Thinking about this is at least interesting and...more

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May 22, 2011 Caren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children

Ms. Snyder has set out to continue the everyday magic found in the books of Edward Eager, and she has succeeded magnificently. She acknowledges her debt to him by mentioning his books within the story, and by including him in the list of people she thanks for making this book possible. As in Mr. Eager's books, the magic happens to four children who are neighbors and friends. The magic is found quite by accident, and then its rules must be uncovered and understood. I love, love, love Mr. Eager's...more

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Apr 17, 2010 Suebee rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I had been wanting to read this book for a while but was put off by the cover...and when I finally got to it, I couldn't put it down, and I read it in one 2-hour sitting! Kids WILL be put off by the cover...it's weird and unattractive and doesn't call to the imagination as this lovely little book does.

The book opens with a call to let yourself experience "common magic" - the kind of thing that most people are too busy today to notice....

We meet four kids in Quiet Falls, Iowa - Emma, 6, and her b...more I had been wanting to read this book for a while but was put off by the cover...and when I finally got to it, I couldn't put it down, and I read it in one 2-hour sitting! Kids WILL be put off by the cover...it's weird and unattractive and doesn't call to the imagination as this lovely little book does.

The book opens with a call to let yourself experience "common magic" - the kind of thing that most people are too busy today to notice....

We meet four kids in Quiet Falls, Iowa - Emma, 6, and her brother Henry, 10. They live next door to Susan, 12, and her brother Roy, 10. The four of them take an ordinary summer vacation bike ride (how ordinary is this anymore for American kids?), which leads them to a strangely weed-covered path in the middle of a cornfield. At the end of the path, they discover a strange stone wall which mysteriously rises out of the ground. When one of them happens to find a key along the ground, they discover that the key opens a tiny keyhole in the wall. They don't know what to do when nothing happens. They sit along the wall, frustrated, and in the hot sun, Susan wishes she could have an ice cream float...and wishes aloud that she were at the local ice cream shop. Presto! The kids magically find themselves sitting at the ice cream parlor. They are totally shocked but realize that the wall is a "wishing wall."

Their next trip to the wall changes their notions - it's not merely a "wishing wall" but a "transport wall." You can wish to be moved to a place/time in history or the future, but it has to be a building with a wall where you are moved to. Emma wishes for them to go to Merlin's Castle, and they find themselves in an old castle room, outside of which is a small lean-to in which Merlin lives. He's a crazy old man with bird poop in his hair, a sharp silver knife (for cutting roots for a magical potion), and a rat on his shoulder. He's friendly nonetheless, and the kids can understand him through the magic of magic translation, when what he is really speaking is "Celt-ish" of his fifth century England. Emma wishes to see Guinevere, the queen, but she gets into trouble when 3 of her friends are captured and put in the dungeon. Emma realizes she can transport herself without them, and then come back to rescue them each one at a time, using the wall's transport power. She does.

The group go on 2 more adventures - to "the worst pirate's house in the world," which turns out to be the house of Blackbeard's son, who is rather wimpy and not prone to adventure. When he discovers the magic of the wall, he at first tries to use it to go to bank vaults and steal gold, but gives up when he finds himself (with Henry) in the most ultra-modern bank with lasers and high security.

Their next adventure takes them to the American west, Quiet Falls, Iowa, during pioneer days, where an outlaw named Wichita Grim is seen torturing a dog and shooting his gun around. Emma, who is wearing a pioneer style dress torn off a clothesline, rushes out to help the dog, and nearly gets shot at herself. The townspeople rush around, and in the confusion, the kids manage to escape with the dog (but accidentally leave their sneakers behind!).

The kids seek help from the town's "chirky" (cheerful and perky) librarian, Lily, who agrees to help them take care of the dog for a few days. They enjoy a lovely afternoon at her house with some chocolate cake.

Susan's final wish is a trip to NYC, where they find themselves on a subway platform next to her old friend Tish, who she misses dearly. Tish and Susan talk and discover that they missed each other much more than they thought, and the day is spent at Coney Island with Tish's teenage babysitters.

The magic is not quite wrapped up, however....Lily cannot take care of the dog, Bertie, and brings the dog back to the kids. They decide to travel back to Merlin, where they see the first (and only) unicorn. They ask Merlin if he would be able to take Bertie, and he agrees.

To conclude the story, Merlin travels back with them to Quiet Falls, Iowa, and destroys the wall. They keep the key, though. Merlin and Bertie disappear into a cornfield.
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Jan 05, 2010 carissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: juvenile-fiction-adventure-books, juvenile-fiction-fantasy

Recommended Ages: grades 4-6

If you had a magic wall that could take you to any place and any time, where would you go? Would you want to visit castles and desert islands? Would you want to meet famous wizards, terrible pirates, beautiful queens, and dastardly outlaws? If so, then you are just like Henry and Emma, and Roy and Susan—and you will probably like this story a lot. In fact, you might even wish something similar would happen to you!

1 like · like · see review

Oct 30, 2009 paula rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s

When you develop a team of siblings whose job it will be to solve a mystery, survive an adventure, or deal with magic, you have three choices. You can establish verisimilitude by making them sniping, squabbling siblings who insult each other and barely endure each other's company, like the Grace family in Tony DiTerlizzi's Spiderwick stories; you can make them react believably to danger and uncertainty by banding tightly together, viz the Baudelaire siblings, who are as supportive and encouragin...more When you develop a team of siblings whose job it will be to solve a mystery, survive an adventure, or deal with magic, you have three choices. You can establish verisimilitude by making them sniping, squabbling siblings who insult each other and barely endure each other's company, like the Grace family in Tony DiTerlizzi's Spiderwick stories; you can make them react believably to danger and uncertainty by banding tightly together, viz the Baudelaire siblings, who are as supportive and encouraging of each other as the events surrounding them are unfortunate.

Or you can take the middle path. Think Aldens. Or Cassons. Heck, think of the March girls. They don't always agree, and sometimes a fit is pitched, but as far as I'm concerned, there's your verisimilitude. No hair-pulling required.

What I'm saying is: brave, considerate, honest and smart does not equal BORING. Laurel Snyder's Any Which Wall is a Penderwick-y book, a Nesbitty book, an avowedly Eagery book, featuring four children who discover a wall that works magic, and who must figure out how to use it and what it can do. Once they've got that sorted, the next step for each kid is to decide - what to wish for. What's YOUR heart's desire? Hard to say? Try making that decision when you're six.

But while each child makes this decision based on his or her own interests (Henry wants pirates, Roy chooses American history, little Emma wants a castle, while big girl Susan just wants to see her best friend again), their adventures give each kid the opportunity to stretch underused muscles: independence, honesty, logic, compassion.

The writing is clear and pleasant - Laurel Snyder has a particular gift for describing place, and her dialogue is natural and unaffected. LeUyen Pham I have to guess was just a gift from Laurel's editor. Nobody draws regular kids, with their quirks of gesture and occasional annoyed expression, like Ms. Pham. Between the two of them, they've created four children as real as the kids messing around on my porch at this very minute.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Nov 25, 2009 Raina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: funny, historical, j

Put together a Narnia-like plot device, Neil Gaiman's quirky narrative voice, and a setting which combines the modern world with throwback innocence. Add time-travel, a couple of great secondary characters, episodic structure, and didactic magic.
This is good old fashioned storytelling fun. At first, I thought the plot might be a little cliche. Four kids (two boys, two girls - aged 6-12) discover a wall in the middle of a field which will transport them to other times and places. The narrative vo...more

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Mar 10, 2012 Katie Boehmer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Any Which Wall is a book about four kids and their very eventful summer. In the beginning of the book, they decide to take a bike ride into the corn field down the street from their house. When they get into the corn field, Roy sees something that looks like a huge wall. As they get closer to the object, they realize that it is a wall. This is very surprising for them seeing that they go to the corn field all of the time, but have never seen the wall before. Then, Emma sees something shiny in t...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Kat rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: a younger crowd

it's a little impossible and perhaps for a younger crowd, nevertheless i enjoyed it's fun story about magic. :)

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Dec 22, 2010 Lizz rated it 4 of 5 stars

I can with confidence award this gem four stars. This book is what I imagine it was like growing up Burton: discovering magic walls, scientifically determining how said magic worked based on books read, and being generally adorable.

Snyder pays sweet, snarkish homage to Edward Eager's magic books of old. But the snark is loving and winking without being over-the-top, mean or too grown-up. This is one of the first books I've read in a long time in which both kids and adults can appreciate the wink...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Colby Sharp rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-chapter-book

If you would wish yourself to any place at any time how would you use that wish. In Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder four children find a wall that turns out to grant these wishes. Watching these children figure out how the magic works was tons of fun!

One thing that I struggled with in this book was separating the characters. I had no trouble keeping track of the oldest child Susan and the youngest Emily, but the two boys Roy and Henry kept getting mixed up in my head. This didn't effect the sto...more

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Jul 13, 2009 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars

I wish that I could give half stars, because 3 seems too low a rating for such an entertaining book. Yet, overall Any Which Wall does not quite measure up to the books to which I've given 4 stars.

The novel kept me turning the pages with an always-advancing plot, and I was interested in the characters' growth (except for Henry, whose character lacked a clear arc). I would certainly recommend it to 10-12 year old who is into adventure.

Unfortunatetly, at times the novel slipped too much into metafi...more

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Jul 11, 2011 Litland.com rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 10-14 year olds, boys & girls alike, traditional and homeschool class reading, book clubs

Shelves: adventure, fantasy, middle-school

“Is it a boy’s book or a girl’s book?”, I wonder. Neither...it is a fun book! And even the book tells us “...fun does matter. It matters a lot.” So next I wonder why this book is fun. Why is it different from the numerous adventure stories in the bookstore today? I’ve decided because it is true, sincere and pure fun. It is not the facade of fun had at the expense of the dignity of the characters or the reader. It’s the real thing. Without being “preachy” in any way, the author has taken us into...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Wendy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Wendy by: Jen Robinson

Shelves: 2009-award-possibilities

I'm hoping this will be a million times better than the last Edward Eager homage I read, Magic By the Book. I'm skeptical, but it sounds great: http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2009...

1 like · like · see review

Sep 14, 2009 Jenn Estepp rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kidlit, here-there-be-dragons-or-magic

3 1/2 really. light fantasy very much in the tradition of old school authors like edgar eager, whose actually mentioned more than once in the text. quick, enjoyable and should be fun to recommend to kids.

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Jun 15, 2009 Monica Edinger rated it 3 of 5 stars

Charming read. My dad introduced my sister and me to Edgar Eager during our bedtime read alouds when we were very young. Later I happily read and reread his books (and those of his inspiration, E. Nesbit) on my own and then again to my students when I began teaching. So I was eager (pun intended) to read this title.

Snyder does a terrific job channeling Eager --- the voice is pitch perfect. So are the kids, their adventures, and the gentle humor. I did wonder about the narrator now and then --- t...more

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Nov 11, 2011 Joshua rated it 3 of 5 stars

So far I like it... But it is very derivative of eager and lewis and looks dated. I know librarians will enjoy, kids? It was a cute book, but that cover...

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May 20, 2012 Vicki rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: juvenile-fiction, sci-fi

One of the strangest things about reading children's books as an adult is trying to shut off your adult brain. Most of the time, it's easy enough. This is a funny, fun and quick little book that sort of winks at itself and the question of fate, free will and time. Kids will like it because it has to do with magic, time travel and kids being clever enough to save themselves (I myself liked it for those very reasons). A lot of the time, I felt the dialogue was a little bit false -- grownups talkin...more

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Apr 13, 2011 Alice rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is sort of a tribute to Edward Eager's delightful "Half Magic" (which I recommend, by the way). Four children discover a magic wall which dispels their summer boredom, and, of course, they learns some lessons along the way. It's not as original as Half Magic (because, as the author will admit, she stole ideas from it), but it's lots of fun and kids will enjoy it. I appreciate books like this that entertain without using bad language or crude behavior, and have plenty of adventure and e...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Chase.curriculum added it

Shelves: e-510, vocab-from-novel, 4wk, reading-journal

"recommended for E510 winter syllabus "

2012 Nov, E510

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Jun 17, 2009 Vania rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-shelf

Though Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder is not in my young adult realm it is still a fantasy book and on that I greatly enjoyed. Despite its appeal to younger kids this book is filled with magical and adventurous schemes. The story goes like this: Susan (the oldest) Roy, Emma (the youngest) and Henry find a massive wall beyond their houses in a field. Accidentally they find out that they can be transported anywhere. But before they figure the secret of the wall they have to figure out the rules o...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Stacey marked it as to-read

Shelves: fantasy, juvenile-fiction, iowa

The kids are in Iowa!

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Oct 25, 2010 Emmag. rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! Why? Because it may be short but the author found a way to fit in all of Susan, Emma, Roy, and Henry's adventures into 244 pages. Also because it is a very simple book in some ways but very complicated in others, if you realy think about it. My favorite part was the chapters about the 'pirate'. I liked it because it was one of the longest adventures that they had and it really suprised me that when Henry wished to go to the house of the worst pirate in the world that the wall...more

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Apr 28, 2010 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, fantasy, fiction, youth

One summer day four bored kids discover a magic wall in an Iowa cornfield that can transport them to other times and other places.

Fantasy...adventure...magic (even Merlin makes an appearance)...kids should like this book. But they seem to not be picking it up because of the cover design. The cover color choices and graphics make this title look like historical fiction...or ???? I like the artist, who also did the illustrations for the Alvin Ho books, but the cover may be off-putting to the book'...more

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Oct 09, 2009 Connie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Ramarie Beaver

Shelves: j-fantasy, 2009

Initially I was indecisive as to whether to give this 3 or 4 stars! I finally enthusiastically settled on 4 since I did "really like" this quaint and gentle fantasy which blatantly channeled Edward Eager. Maybe it's because Henry, Emma, Roy and Susan remind me of my own childhood friends and the magic we could find in our own neighborhood. Plus, it reminds me that the magic of childhood is as real as we would like it to be no matter what our age. Now if I could only find that wall....!

Recommend...more

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Sep 02, 2009 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Like The Penderwicks, this book has a wholesome, timeless(or should I say "retro"?) feel. It's a fun and creative magical adventure, but the author's voice occasionally intrudes to talk about what the story is doing, sometimes through overt references to the genre or writing style.

But what else can an author do, if she's setting out to write an Edward Eager-style magical tale for kids today? If she didn't make her debts known, we'd criticize the book as derivative. So, in that sense, it works.

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May 25, 2009 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: second-childhood

This middle grade fantasy is a quick fun read which was written very specifically in the tradition of Edward Eager, whose books are cited several times in the text. Because I am lazy and not particularly good at reviewing, I'm referring interested parties to my sister's review on her blog (http://charlotteslibrary.blogspot.com/). I pretty much am of her mind on this one except I don't agree that the illustrations are appealing.. I found them unpleasantly cartoon-ish and distracting.

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Sep 03, 2009 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-humorous

In the middle of an Iowa cornfield four children find a magic wall that enables them to travel through time and space.

While Henry and Emma's parents are at work over the summer they allow a neighbor girl named Susan be their charge. Susan's parents who also work is also in charge of her younger brother Roy who is best buddies with Henry. On a very boring and hot summer day they decide to embark on a long bike ride where they encounter this magic wall.....or is it magic.

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About Laurel Snyder

Laurel Snyder is the author of four children's novels, "Bigger than a Bread Box," "Penny Dreadful," "Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains OR The Search for a Suitable Princess" and "Any Which Wall" (Random House) as well as three picture books, "Nosh, Schlep, Schluff," "Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher," and "Inside the Slidy Diner" (Tricycle).

A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a f...more

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