This Is a Door

by Daniel Nayeri

Genres: Middle Grade

400 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication October 27, 2026

About the author

Daniel Nayeri is a writer and editor in New York City. He wrote and produced The Cult of Sincerity, the first feature film to be world-premiered by YouTube. He has had all kinds of jobs around books, including book repairman, literary agent, used bookstore clerk, children's librarian, Official Story-Time Reader Leader, editor, copy-editor, and even carpenter (making bookshelves). He's also a professional pastry chef. He loves Street Fighter 2, hates the word "foodie," and is an award-winning stuntman.

Daniel and his sister/co-writer Dina were both born in Iran and spent many young adult years in Europe. There they learned several languages between them and tried Frosted Flakes for the first time.

Reviews

[Resh (The Book Satchel)]

A unique middle grade reading experience! I loved the author's note at the end where he explains his thought process of structuring the story and how he included his ideas that deviate a bit from the theory of narrative structure, yet sticks to a stricture. He calls This is a Door 'an illustrated book with no pictures' and there is no better explanation for it.

In this story a boy named Nothing embarks on a journey through a door, with his friend dog Poppy and mouse mOmo to find his purpose in life. He wants to know his name, what profession he is meant for in life, and he wants to be loved. I loved this particular quote that says "He realized that half the task of being a hero was wanting to do it in the first place. the other half was doing it."

The interesting thing about the book is how visual it is—so words will form a figure, sounds will be told in words, 'spread away' would be written in a way that gives you a feeling of something spreading away. Words appear as sounds, landscapes, actions, emotions, descriptions etc. Since this is a visual book, please get yourself a physical copy. E-copy (I read an e-galley) does not do justice to the beauty of the book unless you keep tweaking font sizes and other things.

For a middle grader, this book might be an interactive read about sounds and a sense of purpose. As they grow older, they might be able to appreciate the cyclical nature of stories, how different characters have a journey or purpose, and ponder on the idea that 'whose story is it anyway?'. I enjoyed the book!

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC. All opinions are my own.
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[LORIANN (my opinion doesn't mean much, but ...) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale of a boy who wants to find out who he is and to find his way in the world. In order to do this, he must walk through "the door" of the long-lost kingdom and survive the kingdom of the dead. He has a walking stick, his scarf, and his two misfit friends, Poppy who is a dog and mOmo who is a mouse. Along the way these three will find who the boy really is.

A new way and a new twist on a way to write fairy tales! The way Daniel Nayeri brings the animals to life and into the story is incredible. You will find yourself looking at you own animals afterward in a whole different way. This book is a must read for people who like to read different versions of updated and fractured fairy tales and like stories.

THANK YOU NETGALLEY for the ARC COPY of this book. All opinions remain my own.

[Jan Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fairytale and Nayeri. “This is a Door” had to be splendid and unique with just those two words. Then add clever, warm, rich, surprising, A boy named Nothing. A mouse. A dog. Adventure. Discovery. Family. A red scarf. A Bell. A walking stick. The weaving of the story only gets stronger with how the words are placed on the page. This book for all generations could not be more wonderful. Tuck in with a copy all your own. It’s just that perfect.

[Allison Ruffolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

the most unique book i’ve ever seen/ read. will be perfect for gifting all year round!!!