Ready to leave the sticky summer heat behind? Invigorate your soul as you crunch through the snow with Megs in 𝑂𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑈𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑊𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑒 by Patti Callahan.

This beautiful story, set in the 1950’s, follows Megs, an Oxford student whose younger brother George is terminally ill. George, delighted by reading the recently published book, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑒, begs his sister to find out where Narnia comes from. So Megs sets out to find answers from the author himself, who happens to teach at her university. But the answers don’t come as easily as she hoped, and Megs finds herself visiting C.S. Lewis often, listening to stories of his life and trying to gather insights from them.

The book is beautifully crafted and, although fictional, relates true stories from Lewis’s life. But Megs’s own story is just as captivating as Lewis’s. I see much of myself in Megs, a pragmatic girl searching for logical, definitive answers to the deep questions of life. I love watching her heart stretch and grow as she grapples with themes of life, faith, loss, and hope.

Megs and the other characters are endearing. I find myself thinking of them long after reading the book. There’s an innocent romance and a deep sense of family connection. As a Narnia lover, it’s fascinating to encounter a fictional version of C.S. Lewis.

I highly recommend this book! You can find the author’s website at patticallihanhenry.com