I was enthralled by the "behind the scenes" look at Chronicles of Narnia series. It really isn't all about those books at all. It is about so much more.

Enchanting, magical, and heart-warming!

From the master storyteller, Author Patti Callahan returns following her popular historical fiction titles: Surviving Savannah and Becoming Mrs. Lewis with another enchanting and captivating "story behind the stories"—ONCE UPON A WARDROBE and the early life of C.S. Lewis and our favorite childhood stories of Narnia.

EXQUISITE! Callahan has definitely mastered the art of storytelling! A captivating and powerful story about the transformative power of stories assured to warm your heart.

The author magically transports readers to the early 1950s winter in Worcestershire, England, where we meet a lovely close-knit family.

It is December, and George Devonshire, eight years old, the youngest member of the family, suffers from a congenital heart condition. He is an old soul and wise beyond his years. Readers will fall in love with this kind and intuitive little boy. He loves to read, and this helps pass his time while he is at home.

His favorite, of course, is the book just published, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by author C. S. Lewis. He has always thought this lion on the cover might hold the key to all he desires to know. He knows there is no secret back to the wardrobe, the snowy forest, the lampost, and the adventures, but he can sit inside a wardrobe and take himself to that imaginary world.

This famous author, C.S. Lewis, must know more about the storybook he has written and the stories of Narnia. There are also other books his aunt dropped off for him called The Screwtape Letters and more.

Where did Narnia come from? George must know.

He decides to ask his older sister, Megs. After all, she is brilliant, and the professor who wrote about this magical place is in Oxford, England, where Megs attends school. She will help him find out more about where Narnia came from.

Margaret Louise Devonshire (Megs), who attends university, age seventeen, loves numbers and equations and desires to solve the greatest mysteries of physics.

She loves George and the little stone cottage in the quaint village where they reside with their Mum and Dad. She must remain cheerful around George, even though she fears how much longer he has left. His mother is concerned he is spending too much time with his dreaming and hiding in his books. George finally convinces his family, this is not just a children's book.

Meg knows of author C. S. Lewis, but how can she just ask him a question like this for her younger brother? He teaches at Magdalen, and she is at Somerville, but her little brother is insistent that it is still Oxford University.

She would do anything for her little brother. She begins reading the story to George and she begins to understand how much this means to her brother. She will help her brother find the answers he is searching for.

In the falling snow, Megs follows C.S. Lewis to his house, The Kilns. Mr. Lewis invites her in and she begins visiting him and his brother Warnie and listens to his stories by the fire. He tells her about his childhood but never really gives her the answer. He insists that she go home and write down the stories and read them to George. George is enamored with the stories. She finds herself looking forward to returning.

Megs starts out every session with George with "Once Upon a Wardrobe" and he cannot get enough. George also has a special wish for Christmas. Can Megs help make his wish come true?

During this time, as she is walking in the snow to meet up with C.S. Lewis, she meets a new friend, Padraig Cavender, another Oxford student. (loved him). They seem to develop a bond, and he may be just the one to help Megs and George experience a Christmas miracle with an adventure to Ireland to a special place he had read about in the story.

A courageous and brave boy, he understood more about life than most adults. All the while, Megs thought she was helping George; however, in turn, she is changed by learning some important life lessons about heart, love, hope, faith, and the power of story.

What a poignant, compelling, and inspiring story! One of my favorites. No one could have written this story, but Patti Callahan (she was born to write). She has a rare talent for capturing the essence of her characters, setting, time, and place like no one else.

Her fans have heard how much she loved C.S. Lewis' writings, and her passion shines throughout. A beautiful, bittersweet love story that will resonate while making you cry and smile. Not only will you fall in love with the unselfish giving characters, the prose, the idyllic winter England setting, but you will also experience a heart-felt gift to treasure through the holiday season.

Timely, emotional, and full of heart, readers will remember these characters and this captivating journey long after the book ends. A classic for all ages—Narnia and C.S. Lewis fans will be raving! Joy and C.S. Lewis would be proud.

"There is a light, a bright lantern light where all stories begin and end."

ONCE UPON A WARDROBE is a compelling must-read for the fall and holiday season! One of the author's best! Highly recommend.

“Each and every one of us is born with our own stories and we must decide how to tell them.”
—Patti Callahan, Once Upon a Wardrobe.

A special thank you to #NetGalley #HarperMuse for an advanced reading copy! Also pre-ordered the audiobook narrated by Fiona Hardingham.

Blog Review:
#JDCMustReadBooks
@JudithDCollins
My Rating: 5 Stars ❄❄❄❄❄
Pub Date: 10/19/21
By: HarperMuse
Top Books of 2021

This book was pure magic. I can’t wait to read another book by this amazing author. As someone who has never read any of the books by the very popular CS Lewis, I am now very intrigued to learn more about him.

Oh my goodness. I chuckled aloud at several points, and in the end wept for the beauty of it. Patti Callahan just understands truth and beauty and goodness, how hard stories can be to explain and yet how very important they are for our souls. As Douglas Gresham says in his note, "while it may not be Narnia, there is magic here."

~

"Do you know Psalm 19?" [Lewis] asks.
I think for a breath and then another, moving myself backwards through my memory to catechism days. "The one about the heavens or the sky showing God's handiwork?"
"Yes. The cosmos reveals God's handiwork."
"So you're saying maybe stories are the same? That they reveal... God's handiwork?" I think for a better word. "Or truth? They reveal some kind of truth about the universe? That's what physics is all about."
"Yes, that is partly what I am saying. Megs, stars are made of dust and nitrogen; they are balls of gas and hydrogen. But that isn't what a star is; it's only what it is made of."

~

It was the absolute perfect book to be reading during the Hutchmoot conference, where "The Rabbit Room cultivates and curates stories, music, and art to nourish Christ-centered communities for the life of the world." It's the cozy, beautiful book you're looking to curl up with a blanket and read this fall or winter. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

I adored Patti Callahan’s earlier historical fiction book, Becoming Mrs. Lewis, about the love story between C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman, so I was excited to see she was telling another story about Lewis, Once Yes Upon a Wardrobe focuses a bit more on Narnia, the first book in particular. And while there’s great concepts here, I don’t know if they were ever fully realized.

The problem lies in the way it kinda-sort-of has two stories, but doesn’t flesh them out enough for them to be fully realized. On the one hand, there’s Megs, whose terminally ill younger brother George loves the newly released The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and is desperate for more information about Narnia, prompting Megs’ acquaintance with C.S. Lewis. Then, there’s flashbacks-via-storytelling covering Lewis’ early life. I just didn’t care for either of them. I felt a little sad because of the idea that a boy would die not knowing how his favorite story would end, or that a young woman would lose her brother. But there just wasn’t any soul here that made me really connect to the characters, the way I became emotionally invested in Joy and Jack and their circle of friends in BML, in spite of already knowing the outcome.

I will say I do appreciate Callahan’s attention to historical details, and even if the book didn’t grab me, it felt fairly believable. And I liked the inclusion of a note at the end from Douglas Gresham, one of Lewis’ stepsons from his marriage to Joy and the one actively involved in managing his estate today. While it’s not uncommon for historical authors to reach out to people who were acquainted with the subjects of their historical fiction books to add more credence to their research, I loved the endorsement he gives of both Callahan’s books about his stepfather, and I still couldn’t help but be touched by his kind words, even if I didn’t enjoy this one. If you love Narnia and/or other works by C.S. Lewis, I think it’s still worth a try for this reason.

What a well written book! The book was both fantasy and fiction combined into one. I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a long time ago as a child, so I don't remember a lot of the story. I also didn't read any of the other books written by C.S. Lewis, but that didn't prevent me from enjoying this book. This was the first time I read a book written by this author and I look forwarding to reading more. I think readers who enjoy fantasy, as well as readers who enjoy fiction will enjoy this book. #NetGalley #OnceUponaWardrobe

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan is a magical Christmastime tale of a sister's love and the influence of writer C.S. Lewis. Megs Devonshire, a maths student at Oxford, is dismayed when asked to discover the origins of Narnia by her sickly younger brother. Reluctantly she agrees to ask the author himself and tracks him down to his home of Kilns, where she is regaled with tales of his past. This book was absolutely astonishing, refusing to shy away from hard issues such as war, loss, and coupling these issues with tales of love, learning, the power of stories, and above all else, hope. This book is the perfect holiday read for readers of any genre, but especially readers seeking to return to Narnia and their childhood stories this holiday season. A masterpiece!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the Advanced Reading Copy of this one.

I requested a copy of this book because I enjoyed Patti Callahan's Becoming Mrs. Lewis and was curious as to how she would further explore the life of C.S. Lewis in this story. I was not disappointed. In Once Upon a Wardrobe, Callahan has crafted a beautiful story of a young boy, George, who is unable to experience life in the manner of most active boys due to a heart condition, so he turns to stories instead. When George becomes enamored with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, his sister who is a student at Oxford, manages to meet up with C.S. Lewis to converse with him about the story's origin. As she meets with Lewis, he begins to tell her his life story and we are taken on a journey to see how life and imagination interweave.

This is a story that will make you want to light a candle, put on some tea, and curl up by the fireplace under a blanket. Perfect reading for fall into winter.

This is a beautiful heartwarming story that you don't want to miss. This is a book I will read more than once. If you are a fan of C.S. Lewis or the Narnia series you will love this book. I received a complimentary copy from Harper Muse via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This charming and heartwarming novel explores the early life of C. S. Lewis and how it led to his creation of the beloved Chronicles of Narnia, as told to Megs Devonshire, a young Oxford University student whose eight-year-old brother George has a heart condition that may soon end his life. Although, for whatever reason, I didn’t read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as a child (despite being an absolute bookworm), I did read it and its sequels to my own son.

The links that emerge between Lewis’s history and his fictional world are fascinating to any writer, but the true poignancy of this story lies in Megs’ struggle to reconcile the concept of emotional truth with her own search for a single right answer, the reason she is so drawn to mathematics. The contrast between her straightforward approach and George’s instinctive wisdom make this both a delightful and thought-provoking read. The developing relationship between Megs and Padraig Cavender, a fellow student working with Lewis, highlights and promotes Megs’ dawning awareness that reality can’t always be crammed into a mental box and imagination may have a value she has failed to see. I requested this book from NetGalley and was so glad to have the chance to return to Aslan’s universe through the eyes of an author I hadn’t encountered before.

You can, and should, read this two ways- as the story of a sister's love for her dying little brother and the story of CS Lewis and his inspiration. George is fascinated by Narnia and Megs, hoping to make him happy, tracks down and spends time with CS Lewis. - Jack- and his brother Warnie, The two tell tales of their childhood, which has some parallels to that of Megs and George. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's a sweet story that will be welcomed by fans of Narnia.

Once upon a wardrobe by Patti Callahan is a moving, thoughtful book that will take the reader down an unexpected path of wonder and insight. This is definitely a book that one must read at least twice because there are revelations that will be missed on the first go around.

I can’t necessarily explain how wondrous I feel this book is. It is about so many of life’s emotions all tangled into one beautiful and amazing story. It is about fear and bravery, sadness and joy, logic and imagination and the deep abiding love of family.

While the story is about the gift of imagination it contains so much more. It is about a young woman who tries to give her brother the best Christmas gift ever. In searching for that elusive gift she encounters the author C.S. Lewis and Warnie Lewis, his brother. In order for her to deliver this gift to her brother she must let go of what she knows. She is a mathematician and her world revolves around logic. To be able to give this gift she must abandon all she has to abandon her world of logic.

The characters are strong, caring, brilliant, brave, heartbroken and adventurous. The characters each have a depth to them that is strikingly wonderful. They are so rich and so deep that they will stay with you long after the story is done.

Ms. Callahan’s gift is nothing short of amazing. Her use of language is stellar. She sweeps the reader into a world that is breathtaking. Her description of the settings are so real you can picture them as if they appear right in front of you.

Yes, the story is about C.S. Lewis’ book “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” and the search for how it came to be yet it so much more. It is about finding ones self, about not being afraid to let go of your reality and take a step into your own imagination.

This is the second book I have read by Ms. Callahan and I promise you it will not disappoint. I thought her recent book “Becoming Mrs. Lewis” was a joy but this book was even better than that. I will warn you that as you progress through this wonderful book you need to have the tissues at the ready. I highly recommend this book and plan on taking my own advice and after a while, I will re-read it in order to find more magic. I can’t possibly imagine what Ms. Callahan has in store for us next but I eagerly await its arrival. Exceptionally well done!

I would like to thank Patti Callahan, Harper Muse and NetGalley for the honor of receiving an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ONCE UPON A WARDROBE
BY PATTI CALLAHAN

Patty Callahan is a new Author to me but in her moving and magical prose of "Once Upon a Wardrobe," she has enchanted me in the best way possible. I did not expect such a Brilliant novel that I wouldn't dream of changing a thing because it is perfect! She has written a masterpiece that was magical and gave me the gift of warmth and a riveting story that I enjoyed every single word as she carried me away with her stunning prose. I felt like I was a child again as I experienced being pulled into the joy and pleasure filled with hope and wonder as I read this astonishing tale that encompasses the powerful love of family as well as the remarkable early years of the iconic C.S. Lewis. She captured my heart as I started reading from the very first page. I didn't want this charming allegorical tale of the power of reading and the glorious rewards we are gifted with as we so often are by our imaginations when we read book that we love. This is the perfect example of a much loved book that I feel so extremely grateful and quite lucky to have chosen with no preconceived notions of how delighted I was every chance that I got to read it. It is that rare gem that you happen to come by that totally blows you away with all of its wonderful feelings you have while reading it!

Patti Callahan creates for us the vivid and fierce love in her characterizations of Megs and her humble family whose love for her eight year old younger brother George is all consuming. Megs feels fortunate to be accepted in the women's section of Oxford to study Math equations and Physics. Her beloved brother George is eight years old and won't likely see his next birthday because of his heart defect. He is one of those precocious children who is wise beyond his year's. Spending his time being bed ridden he reads and already knows the uplifting satisfaction that reading can bring to greatly enhance our lives. His older sister Megs finds her passion in the truth of solving complex math equations and the laws of Physics. These two opposite philosophies really resonated with me. George knows that Megs sees C.S. Lewis on the campus of Oxford. George asks Megs where Narnia comes from and where it exists. George is enamored with the book "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," written by C.S. Lewis. Patti Callahan weaves together the setting of 1950's Worcestershire, England with colorful imagery that I could see clearly as she brings it to life. I could imagine the spires of Oxford University and a pure more simpler time period than the present in which the world we now inhabit is much more fast paced. George sets Megs on a quest to find the answer of Narnia's origins by her visiting C.S. Lewis and his brother Warnie. The sibling extreme love was evident to me between the Lewis brothers as with Megs and George. Megs knows George doesn't have long to live and she is willing to go outside of her comfort zone to try to find the answers to the questions George has regarding Narnia.

C.S. Lewis and his brother Warnie welcome Megs into their home and as a Physic's and Math major she believes there is truth attained only when she is solving equations and the theories of Einstein and Newton. I fell under the spell of Patti Callahan's depictions of a logic minded Megs trying to get answers for George as she portrays C.S. Lewis's difficult childhood as he gives examples of his lonely teenage year's and into early adulthood each time Megs visits the Lewis's home. She simply wants C.S. Lewis to tell her where he came up with Narnia and Lewis gives her examples of his bleak youth. During each visit Megs is perplexed by how C.S. Lewis tells of his hard life and we as the reader gain knowledge of the interesting early years of this beloved Author. Megs outlook expands and transforms while her character evolves into gaining insight into to the power of the imagination versus knowledge. She takes notes of Lewis's upbringing and even reads some of Lewis's books that he cites. The more that Lewis shares of his education and tales of his life we learn that the question of Narnia's origins is more complex than receiving a simple answer. It is mesmerizing learning about C.S. Lewis's early life. He does have a lesson to impart by sharing his early years. The answer of how he came up with Narnia was as delightful for me to learn as for George. Each nugget of his life trajectory was fascinating to learn. Megs takes notes and George is just as interested as I was.
Megs slowly begins to understand the gift of being carried away by great literature and realizes that stories can offer to the reader to be as equally fulfilling as her scientific theories.

I LOVED everything about this novel. I loved and was enamored with Patti Callahan's ability to seamlessly transport me into the deep bonds of love shared by family. I loved learning about the inner workings of C.S. Lewis's early years which before reading this fantastic historical novel I knew nothing about. This is the best of storytelling because I felt so extremely invested in the privilege of my serendipitous discovery of this talented and gifted author's every sentence crafted. I fell in love with the descriptive setting and these lovely characters. I feel that my review doesn't do justice to this flawless novel. It was pure magical escapism and I am so sad that it's over. I think that I will pick this up and re-read this as soon as I post my review. I am over the moon in knowing that I have her previous work yet to savor and look forward to. I will be purchasing the physical hardcover for my favorites collection. I will begin spreading the word to all of my friends who read as well as family as this is just so well written and captivating it will appeal to everyone that loves to get lost in a great novel. I highly, highly recommend this and this is truly the rarest of favorites. Heartwarming, Bittersweet and Unforgettable!!! 100 Stars easily!

Publication Date: October 19, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, Patti Callahan and Harper Muse Publishing for generously providing me with this fantastic ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#OnceUponaWardrobe #PattiCallahan #HarperMusePublishing #NetGalley

“Where did Narnia come from?”
The answer does not come easily to George Devonshire, a sweet young boy with a terminal illness. His love of the book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has left him with many questions. Being realistic about his illness, he insists that his devoted sister Megs help him find the answers he so desperately seeks. Megs is a brilliant student studying math and physics at Oxford, and cannot understand her brother’s obsession with the book. However, her love for her brother overcomes all and she sets out to get George his answers. Little did she know, like Narnia it would be a magical experience for both the siblings.
The author Patti Callahan takes her readers on a brilliant journey in this book. The characters are well developed and believable. The story is both heartwarming and enchanting. I would highly recommend this book to others.
Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse, and Patti Callahan for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There are no words that could express how much I love this book. Patti Callahan has outdone herself. This is definitely my Number One read of 2021. I loved everything about it, the characters, the setting, the story itself. Megs and George have to be two of my favorite characters of all time. Their story is pure delight, even though there is a lot of sadness to it. Reading about C.S. lewis’ (Jack’s) formative years and his relationship with his brother, Warnie, was icing on the cake. If you loved reading about Jack in Becoming Mrs. Lewis, you should run, don’t walk, to wherever you get your books. I loved that one, but this one will stay with me for a long time and will definitely be reread. I’ve already ordered a hardcover copy so I can hug it to me!

Although this is not the type of book I usually read, I was pleasantly surprised! I love Patti Callahan’s books, so I decided to give it a go. I was instantly drawn into the storyline and characters. Georgie is such an old soul and Megs’ love for him pure and unwavering. I laughed and I cried. Amazing book.

Once Upon a Wardrobe is a beautiful and lovely story of C. S. Lewis in his younger years and a young boy dealing with an illness along with his older sister. Megs, the sister, is away at Oxford while her young brother, George, is home and always looks forward to a homecoming with Megs. George reads The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and is fascinated with the story. C. S. Lewis is a professor at Oxford and Megs tracks him down. They strike up a wonderful friendship as C. S. Lewis (Jack) shares stories about Narnia along with many stories of Jack as a young boy and a young man. This is such a wonderful story, I loved it! Thanks to #NetGalley#OnceUponaWardrobe#HarperMuse

This is a story filled with hope. It’s a story of great love between Megs and her younger brother George, who is sickly and will not live a very long life. Megs goes above and beyond to fulfill George’s wishes to find out from Mr. C.S. Lewis, or Jack, as she comes to know him, one of the professor’s at Oxford College, where she is studying, where he came up with the idea of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, George’s very favorite story. Along the way in her quest to find out information, she learns about Jack and his brother Warnie’s lives, which were filled with some sorrowful and scary times. As she recounts tales she hears from Jack to her brother George, George begins to draw connections between things in Jack’s life and his fictionalized details created in Narnia. Once Upon a Wardrobe is touching, heartfelt, and the perfect feel good story for the holidays.

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe will always be one of my favorite books. And so, when I saw Patti Callahan had a new book featuring CS Lewis and the world of Narnia, I was immediately in!

Once Upon a Wardrobe is a beautiful story that retells much of Lewis' life through the eyes of a fictional character, Meg. The writing is captivating and I absolutely adored the character of little George and his desire to know where Lewis had gotten the inspiration for Narnia from.

As always, Callahan isn't afraid to explore themes of grief and loss, but through it all, there's also a constant thread of hope and love. For fans of Becoming Mrs Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia, this is an enchanting and heartwarming tale.

4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley & Harper Muse for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

I loved this! It's now on my favorites shelf. The writing was excellent - beautiful, descriptive, original. The engaging characters were vividly portrayed and memorable. The heartwarming story drew me in and I couldn't stop reading. Five stars are not enough.

Megs is a mathematics student at Oxford in 1950. She thrives on facts and the absoluteness of a correct mathematical equation. Her beloved eight-year-old brother George is artistic and enthralled with stories, especially the new novel that has just been published: "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. "Due to George's terminal heart condition, he spends much of his time in bed with his imagination. When he implores Megs to ask author and Oxford professor C.S. Lewis where Narnia came from, she overcomes her shyness to approach him.

Interspersed throughout much of the novel, C.S. Lewis (Jack) recounts his childhood and early adult experiences. Megs writes these stories in her notebook so she can later read them to George, who devours them like a starving baby bird. Much to Megs' frustration, Jack doesn't specifically explain the origin of Narnia. Though as the novel progresses, George realizes how much of Jack's experiences are reflected in Narnia. And Megs learns that the world of fantasy, myths, and fairy tales "are stories that make us remember something we forgot...they wake us up - stories can't be explained, but only felt - like love."

Don't worry if you are not familiar with the Narnia stories. There is so much in this novel that is magical and heartwarming and so special regardless of your reading background. And I encourage you to read it for yourself before reading too many descriptions and reviews, so that you can savor the wonder and beauty of this amazing story.