Booklist Review

Issue: August 12, 2021

Once Upon a Wardrobe.

By Patti Callahan

Oct. 19, 2021. 320p. Harper, $24.99 (9780785251729)

"Eight-year-old George has a weak heart but big plans for his limited time. He’s inspired by the

recently published The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis, and is sure that if he

can learn how Narnia was created, he’ll be content. He pleads with his sister Megs, a physics

student at Oxford, to seek Lewis out and get the answers. Megs isn’t really interested in stories,

or in making friends, for that matter, but her brother is dear to her. She manages to meet the

esteemed tutor and share George’s request with him. Over several visits, Lewis tells Megs

stories of his life, which she brings home to George. Along the way, and with the help of a

handsome fellow student, she learns that truth lies both in physics and in fairy tales, and new

worlds open for her family and herself. This is a heartwarming tale about the transformative

power of books, with engaging and detailed descriptions. George’s earnestness and imaginative

nature uplift his family and will charm any reader who enjoys looking at the stories behind our

favorite childhood stories."

— Maribeth Fisher