"When college student Megs approaches author C. S. Lewis with her younger brother’s request to find out if Narnia is real, he instead takes her on a magical journey through the moments in his life that led to his greatest creation."
I am also in book hangover after finishing Patti Callahan Henry's magical Once Upon a Wardrobe. When books move me to tears and this one moved me to full out crying, I have a very hard time moving on after. In fact I have a hard time even describing how much I loved this book.
As a former elementary school teacher of 3rd and 4th grade students, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a much loved book. We also took the students to see the play and I adore the movie, so naturally I was attracted to this book. It is so much more though than it's relationship to LWW, it's about family loving, losing, trying to find our place in life and even reminded me of the song from Hamilton, Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story. I would give this book 10 stars if possible and I will forever now being looking for lions.
Patti Callahan always delivers books that pull you and do not let you go until The End. This was another great one. with characters you will not soon forget. Truly a magical read.

This is a fictional retelling of the year that C.S. Lewis published The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The setting is Oxford, England. The point of view is a dying eight-year-old boy and his college-aged sister. The themes are love, family and hope. What it lacks in plot, it makes up for in warmth and sentiment. Read this when you are in the mood for a cozy book to curl up with this winter. Bonus points if you are a fan of Narnia. Best paired with toast and jam and a poached egg. XO, Tara

I wanted to love this oe. I love Narnia so much. I really enjoyed Becoming Mrs. Lewis. But this one was so treacly sweet and I just wasn't really interested in it while reading.

Once Upon a Wardrobe brings you back into Narnia with another little boy and his older sister. A great, magical historical fiction book that explains how C.S. Lewis came up with this story.

Perfect for fans of CS Lewis and Narnia. A bit too saccharine for my regular taste, but a holiday read? Yes please. Charming, through and through.

A young boy asks his older sister to find the true Narnia. As the sister meets with CS Lewis and his brother, the story of how the series came to be unfolds. To truly appreciate this book it would be best for the reader to be familiar with The Chronicles of Narnia and have some familiarity with CS Lewis.

Patti Callahan has found her niche, writing about C.S. Lewis as a side character in her fiction. This book is another hit at our library, and I will definitely recommend it to our patrons.

I absolutely love this book! It is written so well and disruptive that you can see yourself sitting there listening as Mr. Lewis tells his stories to Megs. And George always laying there in his bed! Fantastic book Patti, I loved every minute I got to spend in your book and it ended much to soon! Thank you for writing such a wonderful book!

What a sweet, heartwarming story. I loved the relationship between Megs and her brother in this one. I loved the emphasis on story throughout. I absolutely loved learning a bit more about CS Lewis's life through the memories he shared with Megs and she then shared with her brother. It brought tears to my eyes a few times and I absolutely loved it.

Patti Callahan had done it again! Beautifully written Once Upon a Wardrobe is the story of college student Megs Devonshire. When she finds out some devastating news, she approaches author, professor C. S. Lewis with her brother’s request. What she finds along this journey is so much more magical than she could ever have imagined. Outstanding work! I only wish I could give this book more than 5 stars!

C.S. Lewis appears as a character in Patti Callahan’s Once Upon a Wardrobe. Lewis’s childhood and the origin of the expansive, imaginative world of Narnia weave themselves through story into the life of Megs Devonshire. When her little brother George introduces her to Aslan, she is drawn into the wonder herself, first as a means of connecting with George in his world made small by a serious heart condition. Eventually, however, she begins looking for answers for herself in the world beyond the wardrobe, and she goes directly to the source!

Set in mid-twentieth-century England, Megs’s life as a student at Oxford puts her in contact with the jovial and welcoming Lewis brothers. Callahan has painted a very believable picture encompassing a full and rich fictional world that intersects with the theology and practical wisdom found in Lewis’s writing. As always, when I read Lewis’s words anywhere, I’m challenged to “suppose that there was another world, and God entered it in a different way than he did here on earth.”

Readers who struggle with the futility of reducing the work of God to something logical that lies within their mental grasp will enter fully into Megs’s conflicted emotions as she stands with one foot in imagination and the other in a world where charts and lists bring understanding and order.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.

Once Upon a Wardrobe is the story of Megs Devonshire and her younger brother George. In 1950, Megs is a student at Oxford, while her 8 year old brother George is battling serious illness. George has discovered a book he loves - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Since C.S. Lewis teaches at Oxford, George asks Megs to meet him and find out the story behind the book. Over the next few months, Megs meets Jack (C.S.) Lewis and his brother Warnie and develops a friendship with them. Although she is a student of mathematics, she learns the power of imagination - and she gives a precious gift to her younger brother.

I wanted to read this book because I love Patti Callahan's writing. Her novel Becoming Mrs. Lewis is one of my all time favorites. I also am a fan of C.S. Lewis's fiction since childhood, so this novel was especially intriguing.

Once Upon a Wardrobe is my favorite read of the year. I love the story about imagination and the magic of creativity. I especially love the characters of Jack and Warnie Lewis, and the warmth and kindness they show Megs and her brother George.

The writing is beautiful, with lyrical descriptions and passages like this:

"Connections are coming to me: Mr. Lewis’s voice, his laughter, and his hints. Lucy is his goddaughter. The lion might be from dreams or from Mr. Williams’s stories. Or somewhere else. The idea had come with a picture of a faun when he was sixteen. He talked about the firmament of stars and planets. These things begin to turn into a catalog of facts. I am scribbling as though the world is held together by these very notes, as if the planets spin according to the correct order of all that could have contributed to the universe that is Narnia. As if I can unravel the beginnings of this world the way Einstein tries to unravel the beginning of our universe" (eBook location 2116).

I cannot recommend Once Upon a Wardrobe highly enough, especially for fans of historical fiction and anyone interested in the life and work of C.S. Lewis. This book is a treasure, and it is one I look forward to reading again.

This book was confusing and I just couldnt get into the switch between first person and third person. I kept reading hoping it would improve. But I couldnt finish the book. Since I am not a fan, no reviews will be posted online.

This was a very well written novel that provokes many thoughts about life. I enjoyed it very much, just as I’ve enjoyed Patti’s other books. I recommend this book highly.

Once Upon a Wardrobe is the perfect book to read this Winter, snuggled in a blanket, with a cup of coffee by your side. Patti Callahan recreates the time of author C. S. Lewis, about where his inspiration came from. The relationship between brother and sister was endearing and heartbreaking. I also loved the description of London and other towns in this book, it transported me to the mid-1950s. A must-read if you are looking for inspiration, layered with happiness, tragedy, and romance.

I loved the magic of Once Upon a Wardrobe. I loved the flashbacks to C.S. Lewis's childhood as Patti Callahan tries to describe the events of Jack's life that inspired the enchanting word of Narnia. I loved the story of a college student who tries so hard to bring some answers and hope to her dying brother. This was a wonderful story full of interesting historical context and a beautiful relationship between siblings.

Since Susan had already reviewed Once Upon a Wardrobe, I decided to wait until my holiday vacation to read this book. I knew that once I started it, I would not want to put the book down. And that is exactly what happened.

I picked it up while the dark chocolate biscotti was baking and my Kindle was charging. I thought I would just read a few chapters and then go back to the book I was reading on my Kindle. That was about 3 pm. At 12:15 am, I turned the last page.

I cried at the beginning of the story and I cried again at the end of the story.

It is set at Christmas but it is at the same time not a Christmas story and is a Christmas story. I think if it had been set at any other time of the year it would not have had the same impact.

The English winter setting and a terminally ill child who may never see Christmas is the perfect parallel to learning the secret of where does Narnia come from. Megs, the child's sister, attend Oxford University in 1950. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was recently released and C. S. Lewis is in residence as a tutor. Megs will do anything for her brother and when he insists that she ask Lewis where Narnia came from she knows she will have to figure out a way to approach this famed author. What follows is a sharing of stories by Lewis (mostly) and his brother Warnie in their Oxford cottage.

I read Callahan's Becoming Mrs. Lewis in 2020 and fell in love with her storytelling ability. I had never been particularly interested in Lewis's life but she brought him so alive in her book that I wanted to know more. So I was excited about Once Upon a Wardrobe and learning more about what brought Lewis to write a "children's" book. This book did not disappoint and I loved that I could read it straight through. If reading is the only thing on your schedule today, then I highly recommend reading this book.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Friday, Dec. 24 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/12/celebrate-jolabokaflod-with-these.html

In Once Upon a Wardrobe, we meet 17 year old, college student Megs Devonshire, and her eight year old brother, George. George has a terminal illness and Meg will whatever she can to make him happy. He is enthralled with a new book, "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" and he wants Meg to find out where Narnia comes from. As a student at Oxford, she approaches Mr. Lewis for answers about where Narnia came from. When Megs has the opportunity to talk with Mr. Lewis to ask about Narnia, he shares stories about his life, and then Megs shares those stories with her brother, who loves them as much as the book. This is a beautifully written, imaginative story that is both uplifting and sad. It is a story of dealing with the emotions of being close to the end of life of yourself or a loved one. There is hope, love and wonder. A great story by Patti Callahan. I am now going to have to read, Becoming Mrs. Lewis.

This book was heartwarming to me. I did not know a lot about CS Lewis and I enjoyed learning more. I will definitely be looking up more from Ms. Callahan.

To be fully honest, I was a teensy bit reluctant to read this because (and this isn't a spoiler as it's clear right from the beginning), there's a tragically ill child at the center of the story...and I usually just can't handle stories like that! But having read Becoming Mrs. Lewis and being profoundly impacted by it, I knew I couldn't skip this and, oh, it was so, so worth braving. It's beautiful and thought-provoking and gorgeously written. It's filled with history and hope, and the emphasis on stories—where they come from, their mystery and power and imprint on our lives—was especially moving and meaningful to me. I have a feeling I"ll be reading this every Christmas!