The Magic & Mystery exhibit at Adventure! (with a different version now showing at the main branch Tillamook County Library 3/25 through 5/25) contains references to lots of different fantasy book series for kids and grown-ups alike! Here’s a list of some of them:
• The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis (found in the children’s library at Eugene Public Library and Tillamook County Library with call number J LEWIS or JL LEW)
— The Magician’s Nephew
— The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
— The Horse and His Boy
— Prince Caspian
— The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
— The Silver Chair
— The Last Battle
The Chronicles of Narnia feature various children (most notably Lucy, Edmund, Peter, and Susan) who travel a variety of ways to the magical land of Narnia, where time passes differently. The Peek-a-Boxes at Adventure! contain Lucy’s cordial, while the Artifact Drawers at the Tillamook Library contain Mr. Tumnus’ scarf, a train ticket, Lucy’s cordial, Reepicheep’s feather, and Susan’s horn. References are made throughout the exhibit to Narnia’s moving pictures, the train platform, Mr. Tumnus’ home, the Beaver family’s cozy home, and Bree, the talking horse from “A Horse and His Boy”.
• The Secret of Platform 13, by Eva Ibbotson (found in the Eugene Public Library with call number J IBBOTSON. Not available in Tillamook, though other books by Eva Ibbotson ARE!)
— The Secret of Platform 13
— Beyond Platform 13
Written in 1994, The Secret of Platform 13 features an adventure to a magical island accessed through a secret train platform in London’s King’s Cross Station. A few years later, the Harry Potter series introduced us all to Platform 9 3/4. In the Magic and Mystery exhibits, visitors can change the Platform numbers above the luggage stack to pose for a photo on their station platform of choice.
* The Harry Potter series, by JK Rowling (found in Eugene Public Library and Tillamook County Library under call number J ROWLING or YA ROWLING
— Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
— Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
— Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
— Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
— Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
— Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
— Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Boy Who Lived is likely familiar to most people of the past couple generations! The first book in the series about an ordinary orphan suddenly whisked away to magic school was first published in 1997. Our mandrake root table was inspired by the Harry Potter series, which in turn was inspired by lore from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Mandrake roots are real plants, and were often drawn with faces and said to scream. As mentioned above, this series is also referenced on the train station platform, and Hagrid’s Hut is mentioned on the cozy home wall sign (the Hobbiton Theatre at the library).
• The Witches, by Roald Dahl (found in Eugene Public Library and Tillamook County Library under call number J DAHL
— The Witches
A convention of witches at a hotel results in children being turned into mice! This book is mentioned on the moving portrait wall at Adventure!, as one of the children’s grandmother tells her about how the witches in the story once trapped a child in a painting of a house, where she was seen ever after popping up in different windows. Lots of other Roald Dahl books can be found at the library as well, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
• Peter Pan and Wendy, by J.M. Barrie (found in Eugene Public Library and Tillamook County Library under call number J BARRIE)
— Peter Pan and Wendy
(No sequels were written by Barrie during his lifetime, but several modern authors have written works continuing the story or inspired by it. Sisters of the Neversea by Cynthia Leitich Smith, is a recent favorite.)
Peter Pan is a boy who never grows up, and Wendy is one of three siblings he whisks away to Neverland one night, a world full of adventures — and danger. At Adventure! a Peek-a-Box holds thimbles, representing the kiss Wendy gives Peter. At the Tillamook Library, one of the Artifact Drawers holds a variety of artifacts from Neverland, including a jar of pixie dust and a map of Neverland.
• The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series, by J.R.R. Tolkien (found in the Eugene Public Library and Tillamook County Library under various call numbers; a version of “The Hobbit” can be found in the children’s library under call number J TOLKIEN)
— The Hobbit — Or: There and Back Again
— The Fellowship of the Ring
— The Two Towers
— The Return of the King
The Hobbit is the most kid-accessible of the books set in Middle Earth, and is often considered “book zero” in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Bilbo Baggins, an ordinary hobbit, is pulled into an adventure against his wishes, but discovers truths along the way. Shadowfax, Gandalf’s horse, is mentioned in Magic and Mystery, and is represented as a white ride-on horse. One of the Peek-a-Boxes features the Ring; at the Tillamook Library, one of the Artifact Drawers contains artifacts from Middle Earth, and of course, the Hobbiton Theatre and its puppets reference the series.
• The Wizard of Oz (alternate title: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) by L. Frank Baum (found in the Eugene Public Library and the Tillamook County Library under call number J BAUM)
— The Wizard of Oz
— The Marvelous Land of Oz
— Ozma of Oz
— Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
— The Road to Oz
— The Emerald City of Oz
. . . and dozens of others
Dorothy is whisked away to Oz in a tornado, along with her Kansas farmhouse and her little dog Toto. The magical land of Oz is magical and dangerous, and she meets friends along her way to find the Wizard– and a way home. Oz is mentioned in the Journey mystery book at Adventures, and referenced on the map table.
• The Book of Mythical Beasts and Magical Creatures, by Stephen Krensky and Pham Quang Phuc (Found in the Eugene Public Library and Tillamook County Library under call number J 398.2 KRENSKY or J 398.4 KRENSKY
This book is featured in the Magic and Mystery exhibit at Adventure! It has beautiful illustrations of mythical and magical creatures from folktales and myths from around the world.