The Ten Thousand Doors of January

The Ten Thousand Doors of January

• Genre: Fiction; young adult fantasy
• Originally Published: 2019
• Reading Level/Interest: Grades 8-12
• Structure/Length: 13 chapters with additional chapters representing the protagonist’s discovered text, The Ten Thousand Doors; approximately 374 pages; approximately 12 hours, 20 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The novel follows January Scaller, a 17-year-old girl living in Vermont during the early 20th century. January discovers a book that tells stories of magical doors to other worlds, and as she reads, she realizes that these doors are real and that her own life is entangled with them. The central conflict revolves around January’s journey to uncover the truth about her own past, her family’s connection to these doors, and her determination to explore the possibilities and worlds that lie beyond them.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Racial and gender prejudice and discrimination; animal cruelty; violence and murder; loss of parents; involuntary institutionalization; supernatural elements
• Please note: As this novel contains an embedded narrative with a very similar title, the following conventions will be used throughout this Teaching Guide to distinguish between the two texts: References to “the novel” and chapter numbers without titles affixed refer to Harrow’s novel, The Ten Thousand Doors of January; references to “the embedded text” and chapters labeled “The Ten Thousand Doors” refer to the story-within-the-story that January reads throughout the novel.

Alix E. Harrow, Author

• Bio: American author known for her imaginative and lyrical storytelling; debut novel The Ten Thousand Doors of January received critical acclaim for its unique blend of historical fiction, fantasy, and exploration of storytelling; writing often delves into themes of agency, identity, and the power of stories; recognized for her ability to create vivid and immersive worlds; continues to gain recognition for her contributions to speculative fiction
• Other Works: The Once and Future Witches (2020); A Spindle Splintered (2021)
• Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (finalist, 2020); Nebula Award (finalist, 2020); World Fantasy Award (finalist, 2020); Locus Award (finalist, 2020)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Power of Words
• Maintaining Power Through Subjugating Others
• Love as a Means of Empowerment

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Explore background information on embedded narratives and the portal fantasy genre to increase their engagement with and understanding of The Ten Thousand Doors of January.
• Read/study paired texts and other brief resources to deepen their understanding of themes related to The Power of Words, Maintaining Power Through Subjugating Others, and Love as a Means of Empowerment.
• Demonstrate their understanding of the novel’s use of embedded narrative by creating a nested narrative within the novel’s embedded text.
• Analyze the significance of various elements of the novel, such as foreshadowing, imagery, characterization, narrative voice, plot detail, audience, figurative language, and symbolism, and construct essay responses tying these to the novel’s meaning.