A description of the book, with helpful details:
- Children’s books, maybe for ages 10 – 13 years old.
- Red cover (?) with possibly a tree on it
- Small book, probably less than 200 pages
- Main character was female (maybe 12ish years old) with a father who gave her a magical wooden box, when she opened it her and her friend were transported to another place (/world.)
- My foggy memory remembers the two kids standing next to a tree at some point in the other place.
- The girl finds out her dad has also been to the other place. He may have been a king on the other side or the kids thought he was the bad guy when he jumped through the portal (?)
I’m sorry I can’t recall anything more than this, I’m going off an 11-year-old’s mind over a decade later.
Lightland?
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1034677.Lightland
Oh my gosh, Mama Squirrel, you are the best! That’s the book I have been trying to remember for the past decade. Thank you so much for your help!
Glad to help!
Possibly “The Boxes” by William Sleator, which was followed by a prequel “Marco’s Millions.” In the former, “Annie’s Uncle Marco goes on one of his mysterious trips, leaving her in charge of two sealed boxes on one condition: she must not open either one while he is away….” In both books, kids go through a portal to a weird other world which they must save.