In "Once Upon a Wardrobe," Megs Devonshire grapples with the heartbreaking reality that her eight-year-old brother, George, is seriously ill and enchanted by C.S. Lewis's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Desperate to fulfill George's dying wish to discover the origins of Narnia, Megs finds herself at the Kilns, the property of the famous author. Sitting on the fence, she contemplates approaching C.S. Lewis and is pleasantly surprised when both Jack and Warnie Lewis warmly invite her in for afternoon tea. As Jack shares poignant stories of their own childhood in Ireland, Megs becomes the bridge between the Lewis brothers' past and her brother's present, ultimately gifting George and herself a world of make-believe, fairy tales, and the solace found within the pages of a book. The narrative beautifully explores the profound love between siblings, the wonders of the natural world, and the enchantment nestled in both castles and the realms between book covers.

Once Upon a Wardrobe is the perfect novel to curl up with on a cold weekend with a warm blanket and a strong cuppa. Patti Callahan (Henry) explores C.S.Lewis' world as a child and illustrates how powerful the art of storytelling can be.

I'm not sure if this book can be considered a companion novel to "Becoming Mrs. Lewis" but it is a solid historical fiction novel and educates the reader without being too lecturing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the chance to read this novel.

Ever since I read Becoming Mrs. Lewis, I knew I had to read Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan! Once Upon a Wardrobe Tells the story of brother and sister duo George and Megs. Megs is a young college student whose younger brother George has a weak heart and loves The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. George asks Megs to ask Mr. Lewis his questions about Narnia since their colleges are in the same town. As Megs seeks answers from Mr. Lewis a friendship strikes up, causing Megs and George’s sibling bond to be stronger. I loved the story from beginning to end. Ms. Callahan’s writing is so vivid that I feel like I am right in the middle of the story with the characters! I highly recommend Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan! Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. My review is also on Goodreads.

Perfect for fans of The Chronicles of Narnia! This felt like a glimpse into part of an origin story. Megs is a university student at Oxford and she is on a mission for her dying younger brother, whom is obsessed with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and he wants an answer to one question: where did Narnia come from? and Megs is determined to find the answer for him. She gets to meet C.S. Lewis and hear his stories and learn all that she can to relay to her brother. The writing was great and had so many beautiful descriptions of landscape and lovely quotes that will warm a book lover's heart. She really brought the magic to life with this story. It pays homage to Narnia but also explores the importance of literature. This book felt like a warm hug on a wintry day. So, if you want a heartfelt story that shows the importance of stories and family, give this one a try.

This is simply a very sweet story. Story about one extremely smart and sensitive boy, his sister´s love for him and one wise author who is telling his life´s story. This author is no one but C.S.Lewis himself and the quest here is to explore how the Narnia was born in his mind.

While the story is not the most intellectual or challenging one, it is definitely not a shallow one. It is - sweet. It offers hope in a hurting world, it offers results than can come out of life, even a short one or one full of complicated events. It shoes how details of a lived life can offer the results here - like how the childhood and young years of live of C.S.Lewis can lead into creating a completely new imaginative world. Also it offers some food for thought - simply served, but bringing some good nourishment.
While I would not recommend this novel as a biography of C.S.Lewis, I would say it can bring an interesting piece into the mosaics. And - it grows on me, the more I think about it, the more it grows. Maybe this is all the magic needed in a good book.

Amazing. For anyone who read The Chronicles of Narnia or is just a fan of fantasy within a mystery/historical fiction, this is for you. I so enjoyed how the story is about another story story and its author and the search for meaning…..trying to find whats written between the lines. Quite a lovely book with a tug at the heartstrings.

Excellent writing. Took me back to my younger days when I read CS Lewis. I was drawn into the story very quickly. Highly recommend!

Everyone needs to read this Christmas story. From the publisher: College student Megs Devonshire sets out to fulfill her younger brother George’s last wish by uncovering the truth behind his favorite story. What transpires is a fascinating look into the bond between siblings and the life-changing magic of stories.

If you have ever dreamed of opening a wardrobe and walking into Narnia, this book is absolutely for you. This gorgeously written story delves into where stories themselves come from by asking C.S. Lewis himself. Undertake the adventure of a lifetime yourself within these pages and see how one of the most well known stories came into existence and how it continues to impact those who read it.

This is a story set in 1950 about Megs ( a student in England) and her brother George. George has a weak heart and is dying and he asks Megs to find out where Narnia is. She sets out to ask CS Lewis and the book goes through the stories he tells her and George's reaction. It was very moving story.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Muse for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I really enjoyed this one the plot kept me interested until the end which is not easy, and the characters were engaging and believable. I highly recommend this book.

Once Upon a Wardrobe takes the story of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to a whole new level. The ties between Megs and her brother George are solidified by Jack's stories of his early life. This book will intrigue you and tear at your heart strings for all Megs wants is to answer her little brother's question, "Where did Narnia come from?" before he dies. What Megs will truly discover is the magic in stories and the power of the written word.

This was such a charming story with loveable characters. It pulls you right in and doesn't let you go! It'll remind you about the power of imagination and break your heart all at once. The writing itself is beautiful and I just wanted to stay in Megs world.

“No matter your age, may you never, ever grow too old for fairy tales.”
—Patti Callahan, Once Upon a Wardrobe.

I couldn’t have loved this book more. It started and ended with a flourish in moving, heartwarming, and magical prose. I loved learning about Jack Lewis’s life (you probably know him as C. S. Lewis) and the imagined inspiration for his classic book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This novel about faith and hope is utterly enchanting. 5 enthusiastic stars.

Megs Devonshire is brilliant with numbers and equations, on a scholarship at Oxford, and dreams of unraveling the mysteries of physics. She prefers the dependability of facts—except for one: the brother she loves with all her heart doesn’t have long to live. When eight-year-old George becomes entranced by a brand-new book called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and begs her to find out where Narnia came from.

Despite her reservations about approaching the renowned author behind the book, Megs soon finds herself taking tea with the Oxford tutor and his brother, Warnie, imploring them for answers. Why won’t Mr. Lewis just tell her plainly what George wants to know? What Megs learns in these sessions is far more precious than any facts or figures. They regale her with tales of the author's life, of the joys and sorrows that shaped him into the person he became. As she listens to these stories, Megs learns that the truth lies both in physics and in fairy tales.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

📚Book Review 📚

Title: Once Upon a Wardrobe
Author: Patti Callahan
Publisher: Harper Muse
Edition: Kindle
Date(s) read: May 9-14, 2022

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Dreams of Narnia and Aslan fill young George’s mind. Childhood illness prevents him from adventuring the way young children should. Instead, he escapes through books, specifically ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’ by CS Lewis. So when he finds out his sister, Megs, is attending school where Mr. Lewis teaches he naturally wants all his curiosities answered.

Megs, analytical in all she does, would do anything for the younger brother she cherishes. It doesn’t take much convincing before she sets out to meet Mr. Lewis. Along the way new friendships are born and Megs realizes answers don’t always come in proofs, theorems, or diagrams. Sometimes they are born from people to their stories passed along.

This book was as magical as a CS Lewis but written by Patti Callahan.

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan is a lovely, imaginative look at the work and life of C.S. Lewis through the eyes of a pair of siblings in 1950.  Megs and George are simply delightful together, and the way Megs wants to find her brother all the answers is heart rending.

I obviously adored this book, and more than anything, it makes me finally want to add more C.S. Lewis to my list this year. If you're a Lewis fan, or you just enjoy cozy, magical stories, this one should be on your reading list.
 
This is an excerpt of my full review at: http://thebiblioblonde.com/2023/02/07/book-notes-once-upon-a-wardrobe-by-patti-callahan/

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a complimentary digital review copy of this title.

I read the entire The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe series when I was a teenager, recovering from having all of my wisdom teeth removed. I'll never forget how grateful I was to be glued to its pages to distract me at such a miserable time. I'm a big fan of wondering what inspired famous authors to write a particular novel (I did just that with my own novel, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte, which examines Charlotte's inspiration to write Jane Eyre.)

So, I was excited to read Patti Callahan's book which I found delightful. Megs Devonshire is a very intelligent Oxford student who loves her young brother George, who has been sick all his life, and may not live another year. George adores a brand-new book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and wants to know its origins. Megs tracks down the author, learns magical childhood tales that give us a better understanding of C.S. Lewis as a person. I laughed, I cried, and I smiled through this lovely novel, a wonderful mix of history and fiction.

This book was received as an ARC from Harper Muse through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved Becoming Mrs. Lewis and Patti Callahan's interpretation of the love story of C.S. and Mrs. Lewis. When I found out she wrote another book about what inspired one of my favorite book series of all time, I had to jump at the chance to read it. Patti Callahan did not disappoint with this one. The story of Megs (love the name already) bondly relationship with her younger brother George, and his fascination with the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe sparked his curiosity to find the inspiration to create a place such as Narnia. I admired Megs determination to spark some positivity with her brother which turned into her absorbing all the stories C.S. Lewis and his brother Warnie, but most importantly encourage Megs and George to come up with their own conclusions based on the true gift Lewis gave them, hope. I was so grateful and inspired by Lewis' message, I felt I was part of that tea conversation, thank you Patti Callahan for such a rewarding experience.

A gift of hope opening the eyes to a world of imagination like no other. This book deserves 5 stars.

I am not sure what I expected when I opened this book. But I was pleasantly surprised that it pulled me so quickly. I fell in love with Megs and her brother, George. The interactions with C. S. Lewis and his brother, Warnie, were delightful. You will find yourself cheering Megs on as she works to provide the best gift she could possibly give her brother … the answer to where did Narnia come from.” You will shed a few tears as you journey through the pages and discover what happened once upon a wardrobe.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

You know that moment, Dear Readers, as you are engrossed in a book and suddenly realize that you have a smile on your face so long your cheeks hurt, with warmth in your heart, a lump in your throat, and tears pricking the corner of your eyes?

That was my state of being as I made my way through ONCE UPON A WARDROBE by Patti Callahan—A beautiful and touching historical fiction story that opens in December of 1950 in Worcestershire, England, wherein we meet eight-year-old George Henry Devonshire and his seventeen-year-old sister, Margaret, or Megs, for short.

Unable to venture outdoors due to illness and explore the world around him, young George transports himself to Narnia in C.S. Lewis’ novel, THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE.

When George learns that the author of his favorite book is an English literature tutor at Magdalen, an all-male College near Somerville College, where his sister attends, George presses Megs to ask Lewis one question: “Where does Narnia come from?’

Rather than answering her question outright, Lewis tells Meg stories about his own life whilst relaying each story to George that opens with …

‘“Once upon a wardrobe, not very long ago . . .”’

‘“And not very far away,” he says.’

Highly Recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Muse Publishing (HarperCollins Focus LLC), for providing me with an eBook of ONCE UPON A WARDROBE at the request of an honest review.

Megs Devonshire is a lover of logic and math and has little time for stories. However, her little brother, George, loves them. When he reads The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, he wants to know where the story came from. He asks Megs to find out, so she seeks out C. S. Lewis at Oxford to find out. This is a sweet story about the love between siblings and where stories really come from. Patti Callahan really knows how to dive deep into characters and their relationships. I've seen where some have said this book is overly sentimental and I can see that, but I believe it's absolutely necessary in this book. This is one I'll definitely reread.