A Volar con Dragones

by John Masefield

Like Max and Emmy's discovery of the dragon scale, Kay Harker finds a mysterious box that opens portals to magical realms—but Masefield layers in a deeper sense of wonder and genuine peril that makes the magic feel consequential rather than just whimsical. Published in 1935, this gives you that same portal-fantasy structure but with a richer, more atmospheric approach to how magic disrupts an ordinary world.

by Brandon Mull

Mull takes the 'hidden magical world behind everyday life' concept and expands it with genuine stakes and a mystery that unfolds across the story—your protagonists aren't just visitors to a magical place, they're slowly uncovering why they were brought there. The sibling dynamic between Kendra and Seth mirrors Max and Emmy's partnership, but with more complex emotional weight.

by George MacDonald

Here's your surprise pick: this is technically fantasy, but it's genuinely a character study about navigating an unfamiliar world with grace and kindness rather than action-adventure. Like Max and Emmy learning Dragon Land's rules, Maia must learn court politics and protocol—but Addison focuses on the emotional intelligence required to survive in an alien culture, making it feel more like literary fiction than typical fantasy.

by Trenton Lee Stewart

Stewart builds mystery and discovery the way Fontes does—a group of gifted children stumble into something larger than themselves through a seemingly ordinary object—but he sustains the puzzle-solving tension across the entire narrative. The four protagonists each bring different skills to understanding their magical situation, creating a collaborative problem-solving dynamic that's deeply satisfying.

by Catherine Goldhammer

Klune writes about an ordinary person entering a magical space and discovering that the 'monsters' within are far more complex and lovable than expected—there's that same sense of wonder at encountering the genuinely strange, but filtered through warmth and humor rather than just spectacle. Published in 2020, it shows how the portal-fantasy concept has evolved to emphasize emotional connection over mere worldbuilding.