Magical and Moving. I cried by the end of the book because it is not just a book, it is a life changing journey. One that I feel Mr. Lewis would be quite proud of. So,

Once upon a wardrobe, not very long ago, and not very far away: When I was in kindergarten, our teacher read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe to us and it changed me. I remember feeling a variety of feelings that I didn’t fully understand at the time. And I remember when it had concluded, I asked my mother to purchase it for me. I still have that copy. And multiple other copies as it is one of my favorite series even into adulthood and now motherhood. I’m excited to share it with my children. Once Upon a Wardrobe has awoken that same feeling in me, that joy that I had so long ago. It’s a book I will reread again and have already preordered. I cannot recommend it enough. If you love C.S. Lewis, Narnia, and/or Patti Callahan, you will love this book.

This is such a wonderful book with so many layers to it. Our protagonist Megs is a very logical young woman who loves math because it has order and always has answers. She is devoted to her younger brother George who she knows will not be alive much longer. He is enamored of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and asks her to find out where the story came from. This leads her to C.S. Lewis who of course does not have a straight answer for her because life is not like equations. She then in turns tells her brother these stories. From those stories we get Mr. Lewis telling the stories of his life which are important to the man he becomes and perhaps to where Narnia comes from. Along the way Megs finds herself looking at the world differently and understanding what Lewis means when he says you are never too old for fairy stories. It’s a very unique abridged autobiography told in these story vignettes while becoming enchanted with Megs and of course tear struck over George. A very moving and wonderfully layered story. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am so happy I was approved for this book. I loved Narnia and I loved this book. The writing was so well done and I could not put it down.

So, being the massive Narnia fan that I am, when this cover popped up on NetGalley, it immediately grabbed my attention! I’d never read one of Patti Callahan’s books before, but I knew, between the title and the cover picture (how pretty is it by the way?!), that it had to have something to do with Narnia, and I was instantly intrigued!! Then I read the blurb and was further intrigued!! (Swipe to read the blurb for yourself) So, fair to say, my expectations of this book going in were set ridiculously high! And let me just say…

This book is pure magic!! My mind is still reeling that someone was able to capture the essence of C.S. Lewis so well on the page. She has somehow managed to turn what essentially amounts to a telling of C.S. Lewis’ biography through fictional eyes, into every bit as much a fantastical story as any fairy tale. And honestly, the way she’s captured it all - the storytelling, the whimsy, C.S. Lewis’ voice - she’s made his life story feel just like another Narnia story! It sweeps you away in the telling, every bit as much as any of the Narnia books do, and she’s captured that same feel and depth and essence of all stories telling part of another, bigger story.

If you are in any way, shape or form a fan of Narnia, then this book is an absolute must read! And I don’t know how else to adequately put words to how incredible this book is, other than to echo the words of C.S. Lewis’ stepson Douglas Gresham in his note at the end of the book - ‘I advise you to read this book, then wait for a while and then read it again, for while it may not be Narnia, there is magic in it.’

Thank you for the ARC @harpermusebooks and @netgalley I was only required to provide an honest review in return, and here it is… and not only that, I’m off to order my own copy to read again and again and again…

I read Patti Callahan's "Becoming Mrs. Lewis" last summer and fell in love with the book, with Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis and reread the Narnia Chronicles. Now after reading "Once Upon a Wardrobe" I find myself wanting yet again to return to Narnia. This time with a whole new perspective to explore.
This is a beautiful story of love and loss and how all lives are made up of stories upon stories, it is also a wonderful way of telling C.S. Lewis' story.
Megs is a physics student at Oxford University in the 1950s, her world revolves around numbers, equations and solid tangible truths, facts, with little or no time for story making or telling. Her 7 year old brother George is ill and dying, but George realizes the importance of stories and becomes entranced in one story in particular, C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". When George seeks Megs help to find an answer to one question he simply must know the answer to, Megs embarks on a journey, seeking facts, but finding stories that will change Megs herself in unexpected ways. Asking Mr. Lewis George's question, he answers in a series of stories of his life, opening Megs to the world of imagination and truths, myths, and facts that she must come to her own understanding of in order to deliver the answer George is seeking.
This a beautifully written account of C. S. Lewis's life told through a series of stories, heartbreaking, joyous and just wonderful to read. This book itself is magical, carrying all the magic and wonder of Narnia with it. I believe Patti Callahan outdid herself with this one. Make sure to have a box of tissues handy, you will need them as you, along with Megs come to realize the importance of stories in all of our lives.
I would give 10 stars if possible, I recommend this book to everyone, simply everyone should read it. It publishes on October 19, 2021, do not miss it. I would like to thank the publishers at Harper Muse and Net Galley for the free ARC of this novel, I am leaving my honest review in return.

Patti Callahan did wonderfully when she wrote becoming Mrs. Lewis. Ms. Callahan shines in her latest book Once Upon a Wardrobe. This story is beautiful and is an excellent read. I highly recommend it.

Megs Devonshire is the best sister in the world, her little brother George is eight, seriously ill and enthralled by a new book called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He begs Megs to find out where Narnia came from, and how can she refuse the request of her sweet brother and grant him his dying wish.

Megs is sitting on the fence of the famous author’s property called the Kilns in Oxford, and she wonders how can she approach him, and ask C. S. Lewis her young question? She has no idea, that Jack and Warnie Lewis are the kindest of men, they invited Megs in for afternoon tea and she explains her situation. Jack Lewis shares with her stories about himself and his brother growing up as young boys in Ireland and she shares these with George.

Both Megs and George are given a gift, where a world of make believe, fairy tales, books and drawing, brings hope to a young boy, who's only months away from death, and peace to his sister who doesn’t know how she can go on without him. Once Upon a Wardrobe is a delightful story, about the love between siblings and you find wonder in the natural world, castles and in between the pages of a book. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for my copy, I sobbed at the end, and five big stars from me.

On the surface, Once Upon a Wardrobe may seem like a simply story: a sister, at the request of her dying brother, speaks with author C.S. Lewis to discover where his Narnia stories came from. But Callahan takes this simple premise and creates a wonderful, deep, and magical tale that shows the power of love between siblings and the power of stories.

Once Upon a Wardrobe tells two parallel stories: the story of Megs and George and the story of Lewis' life. The latter is told in bits in pieces as the author shares the stories of his life with Megs. I enjoyed learning more about Lewis' life and seeing bits and pieces of inspiration for Narnia, and I appreciated the unique format of what is essentially a dual-timeline story. Megs and George's story is the main storyline, and the relationship between the siblings is so sweet. Megs would do anything for George, even overcome her shyness and her logical nature to discuss fairy stories; it's wonderful to see Megs grow as she learns to appreciate the mysterious, sometimes illogical nature of storytelling and sees the wonder that stories like Narnia can bring. George himself is precious, the sort of character that burns briefly but brightly and changes everyone around him for the better. We can all learn something from George and his imagination. The ending of the siblings' story is bittersweet, and readers may very well find themselves tearing up as Callahan ties up Megs and George's lives with such beauty.

By creatively blending fiction and history, Callahan has created an immersive, heartwarming story that reminds us of the importance of stories to bring hope and light into the world as well as the wisdom of dreamers both young and old. Fans of Narnia, strong sibling relationships, and stories about stories will love Once Upon a Wardrobe.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Muse for the opportunity to read and review this book. I loved Patti Callahan's two previous works - Surviving Savannah and Becoming Mrs. Lewis. I have also read just about every one of Lewis's books, as well as many books about him. I fear I am not the correct audience for this particular book. I grew tired of Megs continually going to visit Jack and Warnie and then coming home to tell those stories to George. It felt like a roundabout way to write a biography of Lewis, which has been done many times. I did enjoy revisiting the Kilns from Becoming Mrs. Lewis, but it was not enough to keep me invested in this story. I abandoned this one after about 30%. I will continue to read the author's historical fiction, and I'd really like to see her move on to another topic. I will not be posting this review online since I did not finish.

This is not my typical book; I’m not a CS Lewis fan nor do I like fantasy. However, I previously read Callahan’s Becoming Mrs. Lewis which, although it took me a while to engage with, I really liked.

Callahan writes beautifully and this was such an imaginative way to share some of CS Lewis’ life. There are many superlatives I could use here (and others have)…..
heartwarming, captivating. Suffice it to say, if you enjoy reading good writing, be sure to put this on your TBR list.

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan Henry is a fabulous story. The reader knows the ending from the beginning but what happens in between is magical. This is the story of Megs, a student at Oxford, and George, her ill little brother, whose wish is to learn where Narnia from the story The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe came from. Megs will do anything for George so she sets out to meet CS Lewis to find the answer to his question. I waited a couple of weeks to write this review because this book moved me so much that I just wanted to savor it.

Thank you NetGalley for a galley copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Reason is how we get to the truth, but imagination is how we find meaning."

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

Such a moving, beautiful story that had me crying at the end.
A sister who will do anything for her terminally ill brother. Megs finds a way to meet C.S. Lewis to hopefully get answers for her brother George.
A wonderful magical journey that had me wanting to know how C. S. Lewis created Narnia. I wanted to crawl into C.S. Lewis's magical wardrobe with George.
An enchanting story that will give you a peek into the childhood of C. S. Lewis, as Megs and George through her story telling get to know him better.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse Publishing for the opportunity to read this fascinating book.

This book is utter magic, just like the great Mr Lewis himself. An engaging tale about the beginning of all tales and why they are told. An exploration of those deep, otherworldly moments we call joy. #onceuponawardrobe #patticallahan #netgalley #goodreads

Lovers of all things Narnia rejoice! Patti Callahan has written an enjoyable and nostalgic feeling novel. I think she did an excellent job of characterizing C.S. Lewis and his fictional interactions with Megs. The characters and the relationships were heartwarming. Patti does a superb job of drawing the reader into the story from the first page. Highly recommended.

What a wonderful and heartwarming story! I've seldom felt this touched as I was by this novel.

If you ever wondered what inspired C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, this is the book for you. If you love hopeful stories about finding meaning in adversity and seeing the bright side of life through exploring stories and the art of storytelling, this is the book for you.

"Once Upon a Wardrobe" is the story of a nine-year-old boy named George, ensnared by the magic of Narnia and having a heart condition that doesn't leave him much time to live, so he begs his sister Margaret, a student at Oxford, to do him the favour of going to one of the famous dons to ask him where Narnia came from, convinced in his childlike innocence that it carries the answers to the most pressing questions in life. Hesitant to pester C. S. Lewis, Megs has nonetheless to overcome her reluctance for love of her little brother, and, much to her surprise, she is befriended by Lewis' kind elder brother, Warnie, who paves the way for her to meet his famous brother, giving her the opportunity to pass on her own brother's question to the author in person.

But C. S. Lewis isn't a man to give simple answers to a complex question like Megs is expecting. "Where did Narnia come from?" doesn't have the answer she wants it to have, that it's merely a product of imagination, all made up, all fantasy, and nothing more. Her hyper-logical mind is wired to deal with advanced mathematics and Physics formulas, she refuses to see the value of stories, refuses to see the impact of fairy tales, and it's this aspect of her worldview that Lewis works his own magic on through the stories he and Warnie tell Megs to take home to her bed-ridden brother. By telling the Devonshire siblings the story of his own life throughout several visits to his Oxford home, Lewis answers George's question in a roundabout manner, and at the same time, gifts the boy with the same means he, himself a sickly boy in the past, had to cope with the long days of confinement, of losing his brother to boarding school, his mother to cancer, and having to grow up and adjust to adult life.

I adored these stories! It's all here, from the aforementioned key moments in his childhood to his teenage years in boarding school, his education, the misery and wounds and traumas of World War I, sheltering children at his home during World War II, the Inklings, the day he started his book series... I'm not versed in Lewis' life as I am in Tolkien's, so I learnt a lot besides enjoying the snippets on their own as stories. They're interspersed chronologically and cut by returns to present day Lewis, his work as a tutor in Oxford, his pen friendship with his future wife, his loving brother; all told in a nice prose that's pretty without being overwrought or wordy. It's so sweet and cozy that it made me want so badly to reread Narnia once more!

There's tragedy, too, of course. The novel is going to make you very sad in certain parts, and I wouldn't blame you if you bawled sometimes. But it's not bleak. Neither will you get all the answers worded neatly and ready to consume, because there can never be one answer for each question, as one exchange between Lewis and Megs goes. But you'll know far more than you did when you started. At least, that's been the experience for me, and I do want to not just reread Lewis now but also read more of Callahan's books. She sure knows how to tell stories!

"Warnie stops, stamps his feet on the brick entryway, and opens the door. A pale lemony light falls out, and even if I’ve changed my mind, even if I’ve second thoughts, there is no turning back now. Golden light beckons me into the home of Jack Lewis and his brother, Warnie...C. S. Lewis sits in a large leather chair with a book on his lap and a pipe dangling from his mouth. His eyes are clear and cheerful as he looks right at me."

I could have chosen a million excerpts from this special book for this review, but I picked this one because what I will remember about Once Upon a Wardrobe is the surreal feeling that I had somehow magically stepped into a room with C.S. Lewis himself. The imagery and prose used to draw the reader into the space is absolutely incredible. I highly recommend to C.S. Lewis lovers solely for that unique feeling! It will stay with me a long time.

Moving beyond my C.S. fangirling, I loved Callahan's approach to fairy tales through the eyes of the main character, math student Megs Devonshire. Her trepidation before entering into this new world of imagination was potent and powerful. I felt her hesitancy and embarrassment, even her fear. The evolution of her character absolutely did it for me. And Padraig...a dream!!! But we cannot forget George and Aslan. So well done. I was crying during the last pages as this story is incredibly emotional and does deal with tough themes which I will put in the comments. But don't despair- the reader will finish the last line with a HUGE smile as Callahan takes us to the end...the very, very end. A grand finale of emotion. I was totally satisfied. Bravo!

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperMuse for the eARC. All opinions expressed are my own. TW for chronic childhood illness, childhood death. Once Upon a Wardrobe is out October 19. I highly recommend!

Who wouldn't love the chance to sit and have tea with their favorite author and learn how their stories came to life on the page? "Where did Narnia come from?" is the question a dying boy poses to his sister. This propels her on a quest to find answers, forge new friendships and in the process discover more about herself and the One who created her.
I was first introduced to Patti Callahan when I read Becoming Mrs. Lewis. A marvelous story about the pen friend who became the wife of famed author, C.S. Lewis. I am not a huge fan of Narnia, I have only read The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and watched the movie, but I was compelled to learn more of this well loved author and his background. Once Upon a Wardrobe reflects on C.S Lewis himself and the experiences from his life that led him to Narnia, and it is fabulous!
I just love Patti Callahan's writing style...her stories feel surrounded by warmth and love....like being snuggled in a warm blanket in front of a fire while someone you love whispers stories you love to hear. I loved learning more about Mr. Lewis and his life. George and his relationship with his sister pulled at my heartstrings. By the end, I was moved to tears. You don't have to be a fan of C.S. Lewis to enjoy this book or the one previous, but there are references to some of his famous book characters that would be unfamiliar to you if you haven't read any of his Narnia series. I highly recommend!

This was a book that had to be read and then let rest a while in your head and your heart before writing a review. The basic story is about a young boy who has a serious illness and doesn't have long to live and his older sister who attends college where C.S. Lewis is a teacher. The young boy asks his sister to find out where Aslan in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe came from. The sister, Megs, befriends C.S. Lewis and his brother who answer her question with a series of stories about their childhood and early adult years. As she writes down these stories to be able to retell them to her brother, she goes through her own learning of life lessons and the experience changes her. I would definitely recommend this book. It does help if you have read C.S. Lewis' Narnia books because there are a lot of references to these books and the characters in them that you wouldn't understand if you hadn't read them first.

”After a book is written, it is hard to say where it came from.”

“Every life should be guided and enriched by one book or another, don’t you agree? Certainly every formative moment in my life has been enriched or informed by a book.”

I can recommend this one with all my heart. This is an amazingly beautiful story.

My thoughts after reading the first chapter - wonderful. My thoughts after reading the entire book- wonderful. I read the Narnia book for the first time when I was 9 and fell in love with them and often wondered what C.S. Lewis must have been inspired by to write such a magical series that transported me out of my humdrum life in suburban New Jersey to a wintry land, replete with talking animals as well as one amazing lion, not to mention the adventures that were the perfect amount of ‘ooh, an adventure’ to a little suspenseful. Before I go off on a rambling tangent about Narnia, let me say how much this book enchanted me.

Patti Callahan Henry has already written an amazing read about Joy Davidman and now she gifts us with this tale of Lewis and his brother, and Megs and hers. The character of Megs is a very likable one; she’s very close to her family and has an amazing bond with her much younger brother, George; she’s also wonderfully intelligent and studying maths at Oxford on a scholarship when she develops a friendship with C.S. Lewis and his brother, Warren. The story unfolds with ease and draws us in from the start, all but promising magic in the pages ahead. That magic? It’s there.


Thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for an eARC of this title. Opinions shared are influenced by nothing other than my reading experience.

I have not read Chronicles of Narnia and I was unsure if I should read them before I started this book. I took the leap and started reading and boy what a great read. I loved this book and I think it will be a classic. Thank you Netgalley and Patti Callahan for the advance copy.