If you like The Land of Stories series, you might like this classic!

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Have you found modern books that you love and wonder if anything has been written like it before? I often wonder about this.

Where did this idea come from? Has it been done in the past?

I believe the short answer here is yes, every idea has been seen before.

But, the idea has never been shared in this way by this person before—that’s what makes reading new stories so much fun.

One popular modern-day series that made me wonder about its literary predecessors is The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer.

I have only read the first in the series, but it had some familiar elements to it. However, the writing also left some things to be desired.

It had a fairly juvenile feel to it. Which can be fine—not all books are meant to be classics—but I did think of a classic series that I would love my children to enjoy more than this contemporary counterpart.

Here are a bit about the two series—maybe you’ll want to try one or both of them for your kids or yourself!

So, if you like…

📚 The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer

Alex and Connor are twins who discover that a book gifted to them is actually a portal to a fairy-tale world. They are transported to a world of magic and familiar stories, and they are given a specific quest to accomplish before they can return back home.

Buy: Bookshop | Amazon
Add to your TBR: Goodreads | The StoryGraph

Then you might love…

📚 The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

This is one of my favorite series of all time. It may actually be my favorite series of all time.

It is reminiscent of The Land of Stories because siblings discover a way to get to a fantasy world.

There are no familiar fairy tales in this series, but Narnia contains its own adventure full of memorable characters and sibling quests.

C. S. Lewis also embodies his own advice (that a child’s story worth reading will also be enjoyed by adults) in the amazing storytelling of this entire series.

Even though it is meant for young readers, it is not written “down” to them and is just as enjoyable for an adult to read—or an adult to share with the children in their life.

All of the books in this series are amazing, but I do recommend starting with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe because it introduces the world of Narnia so wonderfully.

My Review: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Buy: Bookshop | Amazon
Add to your TBR: Goodreads | The StoryGraph

Have you read any books with a portal to a fantasy world that you love?

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🤖 Always written and edited without the use of AI.