The official story! I believe this was originally the first book before the prequel-ish book was released. I was so excited to get started on this book and see all the illustrations as I read.

Read: June 10 – June 14, 2024

Genre: Classic, Fairy Tale
Audience: Children
Book contains: mild bullying, lying, good vs evil

Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca

---

Fantasy of the Purest Kind

While staying in an old mansion with her sister and two brothers, eight-year-old Lucy finds a magical wardrobe that transports her to a country of eternal winter called Narnia. When she and the rest of her siblings enter the world together, they find themselves under threat by the evil White Witch, who has taken over Narnia and is turning its inhabitants to stone.

I never read this book as a child, so I was super excited to dive into this experience, even as a young adult. An excellent read to get children into Fantasy adventures!

C.S. Lewis again writes in third person omniscient, taking the role of narrator/storyteller for this fairy tale. It is common for him to speak directly to the reader (especially when he shifts focus onto a new character).

I read this book the old-fashioned way so I could experience the full colour images and the narrative in my own time. Since it’s so short, it wasn’t a problem for finishing within the week.

The four siblings Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter are ages eight to thirteen (unlike in the movie), living in the 1950s, as the second world war is taking place. There are some obvious pairs here. Susan and Peter, being the oldest, spend time together, which leaves Edmund and Lucy, though Edmund resents this fact. Edmund is the antagonist of this group, and while you hate his behaviour, it’s still quite understandable for a young child.

While the relationships were self explanatory, I liked the hidden depth in them and how they vary. Edmund’s relationship with Lucy differs from his relationship with Peter, which differs from his relationship with Susan. The same can be said for all the siblings and the different characters they meet. Since we spend time with all of the characters, we can see the unique ways each character interacts with one another and how it affects the story.

This adventure is simple, following the typical children’s fairy tale format. The characters aren’t overly complex, nor is the storyline. It’s a straightforward adventure with a clearly evil villain and a clearly good hero. The bad animals are bad and the good animals are good, with minimal grey area between. Lewis’s style is also playful, even in the dark times, though it can get serious when the need arises.

We jump into Narnia right away, but only get into the story proper a couple of chapters in. I liked how linear this storyline was; it was incredibly easy to follow along with, and though this made the plot a bit boring for a higher-level reader, it’s a great method for young readers. Everything happened in order, with enough time and consideration given; the pacing was well done.

This is a fabulous book for children. I highly recommend it to young readers and for parents to read with their kids.

Related Reviews:

The Chronicles of Narnia Book 1: The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia Book 2: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia Book 3: The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia Book 4: Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia Book 5: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia Book 6: The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia Book 7: The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Alice in Wonderland Book 1: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
*The Wicket by Carlee Coton*
Coraline by Neil Gaiman