This one hits a little differently than the prior Wayward Children books. Antsy has lot a lost in her life, starting with the loss of her father when she was five. Her mother meets someone new, and that causes another kind of loss. She knows that he is no good, but no one will believe her, and that’s her second loss – the loss of trust. When it’s bad enough, she leaves her home, and find her way to the Shop Where all Lost Things Go.
Like all the stories, Antsy finds a home at the Shop, where she’s able to explore other worlds, and help other children find their lost things. But there is a very definite price to living in the Shop, and that shapes the end of this story, which made me sad and a little angry in a way none of others have done so far. Poor Antsy.