October 16 marks the 70th anniversary of C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In this cherished children’s fantasy novel, the adventure begins when the four Pevensie siblings move to a professor’s old country house to escape World War II’s Blitz attacks in London. During a siblings’ game of hide-and-seek in this new home, Lucy Pevensie finds a wardrobe that leads to Narnia, a magical land with talking animals and mythical creatures, including the good-hearted Aslan and the evil White Witch. The siblings soon learn that they fulfill an old Cair Paravel prophecy and that the White Witch has wrongfully proclaimed herself queen of Narnia, casting the world into a perpetual winter.

Much like the professor in his novel, C. S. Lewis shared his home with three girls, Margaret, Mary, and Katherine, who evacuated from London before World War II. Soon after, Lewis began working on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. His first draft, Lewis admits, “was, by the unanimous verdict of my friends, so bad that I destroyed it.” Once the character Aslan came into his imagination, Lewis luckily took another stab at writing his children’s novel—and it became the successful, beloved book we celebrate now.

Although the book is famous today, its initial critical response wasn’t particularly positive. Fantasy wasn’t as popular a genre at the time, and the reviewers found the book overly moralistic. Years later however, Time magazine listed it as one of the 100 Best Young-Adult Books of All Time, it’s one of the most common read-aloud books for seventh-graders in California school districts, and the University of Worcester’s 2012 survey found that is the second most commonly read children’s book in the United Kingdom.

In honor of the 70th anniversary of this cherished novel, we’ve gathered some book recommendations that also explore fantasy worlds with memorable magical characters. Just like the Pevensie siblings, these protagonists have adventurous spirits that help them survive under the threat of evil and dubious magic.

A young girl with special powers named Caley Cross is whisked off to a magical world named Erinath, where she is Crown Princess. She navigates Erinath Academy to practice her skills and train for an Equidium contest complete with flying creatures called orocs. Amidst her training, an evil figure known as Olpheist seeks Caley, convinced she is the key to his immortality.

Kirkus Reviews writes, “In this wildly imaginative series opener, Rosen’s storytelling overflows with creative fancy. . . . A fun and fast-moving adventure giddy with ideas.”

2. The Blue Witch by Alane Adams

Nine-year-old Abigail wants to grow up to be the best witch the world has seen . . . but she’s about to fail Spectacular Spells class, and her nemesis Endera is trying to get her kicked out of Tarkana Witch Academy. The tides turn when Abigail discovers her magic is unlike any of the witchlings’ powers at her school. Soon, she’s responsible for rescuing her nemesis, and, with the help of her friend Hugo and a glitch-witch named Calla, she must travel to the Netherworld to save the day.

Foreword Reviews says, “An enchanting new book full of magical mischief and adventure, Alane Adams’s The Blue Witch is guaranteed to please.”

3. The Goddess Twins by Yodassa Williams

Identical twins Aurora and Arden have finally settled into normalcy in Ohio after years of traveling the world—or so they thought. Just days before turning eighteen, the twins develop powers in telekinesis and telepathy. Still more mysterious, their famous mother suddenly disappears while on tour in London. Aurora and Arden must decide who they can trust as they search for answers about their powers and try to rescue their mother.

Foreword Reviews writes, “ . . . an impressive, commanding novel about black girl magic . . . The Goddess Twins is an emotive and powerful feminist novel that inspires the innate goddess in every girl.”

4. Wendy Darling: Stars by Colleen Oakes

This series is perfect for fans of love triangles and the classic tale of Peter Pan. Colleen Oakes takes readers from the cobblestone streets of London to Neverland, a world past “the second star to the right, and straight on till morning.” Amidst her adventures, Wendy catches the eye of both the steady, handsome bookseller’s son and the charming, dashing Peter Pan. As Wendy grows older, she begins to realize the dark secrets and dangerous obsessions that live in Neverland.

School Library Journal says, “A dark twist on a familiar tale that readers will have difficulty putting down.”

5. Above the Star by Alexis Marie Chute

In search of a magical cure for his ill, fourteen-year-old granddaughter, senior citizen Archie travels to a terrifying island named Jarr-Wya that is tortured by a wicked Star in a raging battle for dominion. Accompanying his adventure are Ella, her mother, and a stone-headed creature named Zeno. When Ella is captured, the team must set out to rescue her and unravel the mystery of her cure.

Kirkus Reviews writes, “A twisty tale with an otherworldly setting that readers will happily revisit.”

6. The Infinite Now by Mindy Tarquini

Orphaned by the 1918 influenza epidemic, sixteen-year-old Fiora finds herself at the door of a widowed shoemaker. When looking at her mother’s fortune-telling magical curtain, Fiora discovers the old shoemaker will soon die of a heart attack. In an attempt to save him, she casts a spell over the neighborhood to make time stand still—which seems to work until food won’t grow, and the sick won’t heal. Fiora must decide to break the infinite Now or preserve the shoemaker’s life in the interminable day.

Awarding the book five out of five stars, Foreword Reviews remarks, “The Infinite Now’s potent sorcery doesn’t lie primarily in its forays into fantasy and myth, but rather in the humanity of its characters and the energy of its storytelling.”

7. The Thorn Queen by Elise Holland

War threatens to take over the divided glacial world of Glendoch. When twelve-year-old Meylyne falls from a tree onto Glendoch’s sickly prince, she must find a cure for the prince’s peculiar disease or face imprisonment in the Shadow-Cellars. On her journey, Meylyne and her companions meet poisoned guardians, cursed wizards, and cunning witch-spirits. Behind all of the dangerous encounters is the Thorn Queen, a mysteriously magnetic and murderously vengeful figure.

Kirkus Reviews explains, “Readers should wish for a longer stay in Glendoch. An effervescent fantasy crafted from the heart.”