The Stolen Child
#10603.74 adjusted 3.76 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2006 Reading commitment Low Keith Donohue Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
The Stolen Child is a 2006 standalone novel by Keith Donohue, published by Nan A. Talese in New York and inspired by the William Butler Yeats poem of the same name. In suburban America, seven-year-old Henry Day runs away from home and is taken by hobgoblins, who rename him Aniday and raise him in the woods. A changeling takes his place in the Day household and grows up as Henry, a gifted pianist. Alternating chapters follow the two boys as each struggles with identity and the memories of a former life, and their paths cross decades later. Donohue's later novels are separate stories, so the book stands alone.
Mythic fantasy, Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Stolen Child Keith Donohue
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Stolen Child | 2006 | 1 | core | 3.74 (11,751 ratings) |
A standalone novel about a boy taken by changelings and the impostor who takes his place.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Stolen Child? The Stolen Child's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Stolen Child finished? Complete (2006).
- How much reading does The Stolen Child take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Stolen Child ranked? #1060 in this site's official ranking, based on 11,751 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #1060?
Ranked #1060 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.74 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (11,751 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #1059, The Palm-Wine Drinkard (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 1 book · Complete · 12k ratings · Ranks #1060 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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- The Great Cities Duology Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.88
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.74 across 11,751 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 31 universes; 3 candidates ruled out; open items closed accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Keith Donohue Tier 2
- Publishers Weekly Tier 2
- Kirkus Reviews Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = The Stolen Child (2006).