The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a children's fantasy novel written by C.S. Lewis. It was published in 1950 and is the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. The story follows four siblings - Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy - who stumble upon a magical wardrobe that leads them into the land of Narnia. There, they encounter talking animals, mythical creatures, and a powerful witch who has cast a never-ending winter over the land.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 1

Great book and great reading. Great story that lets kids get absorbed into a fantasy world that is built around them in classic language and artistry that is CS Lewis. The CommonSense reviewer feels that he needs to tell parents that this is "Dated" and "Simple"? PLEASE! Why not warn parents about books that have vivid descriptions of violent acts against children, infanticide, and other inappropriate content for these ages? Many newer, "award winning" books that get raves are "current" and are trash and are no where near appropriate for the ages these reviewers say.

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Don't go by the commonsensemedia review on this one!

I must respectfully disagree with the CommonSenseMedia's review of this book. Saying that CS Lewis' Narnia books do not stand the test of time as well as Tolkien is frankly ridiculous. Both of them write in an old-fashioned style which adds a certain charm, although Tolkien can be a bit long-winded at times. However, in my opinion, the Narnia books AND the LOTR are equally worthy of reading and have equally stood the test of time. They simply have different intended audiences: Narnia is more for children whilst LOTR is more for adults. As a child I adored the Narnia books and would frequently wish that I too could go to Narnia! The magical world, so beautifully written, came alive in my imagination and I was convinced that it was real and I just had to find the right wardrobe to get there! This series is a must read for children and adults alike, particularly those who love fantasy and can appreciate Lewis' gentle humour and charming style.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 1

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Classic Narnia tale has exciting battles, Christian themes.

There, they encounter talking animals, mythical creatures, and a powerful witch who has cast a never-ending winter over the land. The four children find themselves caught up in a battle between good and evil as they join forces with the lion Aslan to defeat the witch and restore Narnia to its rightful state. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has become a classic of children's literature and is loved by readers of all ages.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Kids might learn a bit about British culture and t

If you truly regret mistakes and poor choices, you

The main characters act valiantly to help save Nar

Peter kills a wolf that attacks his sisters. There

A few uses of words like "dratted."

Mr. Beaver has beer with his dinner and smokes a p

Parents need to know that the The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the first book published in C.S. Lewis' classic Chronicles of Narnia series, which children have loved for generations. Lewis, a devout Christian, weaves lots of Christian allegory into the book (and the series as a whole), but the story…

Educational Value

Kids might learn a bit about British culture and the wartime circumstances that resulted in children being evacuated to the countryside.

Positive Messages

If you truly regret mistakes and poor choices, you'll be forgiven and get another chance to prove yourself. Trust those you love, and believe them when they tell you things that might seem unlikely. Trust your own convictions and faith, too. Don't hold grudges.

Positive Role Models

The main characters act valiantly to help save Narnia from the White Witch. Edmund, said by his siblings to be difficult, resents his older brother and initially aids the Witch to spite the other children, but he definitely learns the error of his ways. Aslan is a wise, thoughtful guide and counselor to the children, sometimes resorting to tough love. The gender roles among the children are traditional, as when the girls are told they must avoid getting involved in an impending battle.

Violence & Scariness

Peter kills a wolf that attacks his sisters. There's a large battle in which people and creatures are killed and injured via axes, swords, clubs, and more. Creepy, scary creatures are described. The Witch treats Edmund cruelly. The girls watch as the Witch's minions torment Aslan, who allows himself to be sacrificed. (Spoiler alert!) The Witch kills Aslan with an ancient knife in a very bleak, sad scene, but he comes back to life shortly thereafter.

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Language

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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Mr. Beaver has beer with his dinner and smokes a pipe. Edmund's rescuers give him some wine (medicinally).

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Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that the The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the first book published in C.S. Lewis' classic Chronicles of Narnia series, which children have loved for generations. Lewis, a devout Christian, weaves lots of Christian allegory into the book (and the series as a whole), but the story can be enjoyed on many levels, by all kinds of readers. Expect several violent scenes, including a large battle (axes, clubs, and more are used, and characters are injured and die) and -- spoiler alert! -- the tense, scary, sad death of a major character. Creepy, evil creatures are also described; their leader is the White Witch, who is cruel and shows no mercy. The main characters are clear role models who valiantly help save Narnia from the Witch; even the one who initially falls under her sway learns his lesson, showing the power of repentance and forgiveness. The book was adapted for a movie in 1988 and again for the blockbuster 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. An excellent audiobook version is narrated by British actor Michael York.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

When the Pevensie children - Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy - step through a wardrobe door in the strange country house where they are staying, they find themselves in the land of Narnia. Frozen in eternal winter, Narnia is a land of snow and pine forests, and its creatures are enslaved by the terrible White Witch.

Tempted by the promise of endless Turkish Delight, Edmund becomes the White Witch's servant - and its up to his brother and sisters to release him from his enchantment and to rid Narnia of the witch. But just when it seems that all hope is lost, the Great Lion Aslan returns to help the children to save Narnia.

This classic story is certain to capture young imaginations, cleverly blending elements of fairy-tale and fantasy to create a wonderfully engaging adventure. Adult readers will be quick to spot the Christian symbolism woven through C S Lewis's story, which some critics have found problematic - but children will enjoy the magic of this spellbinding adventure in its own right.

C S Lewis

Clive Staples Lewis (1898–1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement.

Lewis wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. C. S. Lewis's most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics in The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.

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Age for Chronicles of Narnia

I hate to admit this, but I've never read "The Chronicles of Narnia." I now have grandchildren --- the oldest 2 are 8 and 7. Would they enjoy my reading them the Chronicles?

Is this a doable project in an hour or two a week?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Alex The G and T

Thar! That Blows.

One volume at a time, then. Start with Lion Witch and Wardrobe and see how it flies.

The age seems right to me.

At ages eight and seven, my daughters didn't get through me reading the first book to them. They picked it up and read the rest of the series to themselves.

(Which mooted the question of how long it would take me to read them aloud.)

Other books I tried to pique their interest with didn't fly at all.

Teresa Edgerton

Goblin Princess

It depends on the children themselves. Some people will probably tell you that their children were reading these books to themselves while still in the cradle. Others will tell you that the books bored their children silly at that age. I would have loved to discover those books when I was 7 or 8, but unfortunately I didn't know about them until I was in my late teens. (Though I was delighted with them then.)

Certainly you could make a great deal of progress through the series in an hour or two a week. Were you thinking of 15 or 20 minutes a day, or longer sessions, less often.

Jo Zebedee

Aliens vs Belfast.

My youngest is 9 and a reader but hasn't read them yet. She enjoys the films, though, and is going through a Roald Dahl phase, and, if she was introduced to them I have no doubt she would manage them fine.

Any younger,though, I think she would have struggled to keep her attention. I second starting with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

I, like Teresa, came to them as a teen ( and Winnie the Pooh, for that matter) and loved them when I was old enough to understand the wider themes.

The Ace

Scottish Roman.

I'd start with, 'The Magician's Nephew,' but it's not a bad idea.

'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,' was written for Lewis' god-daughter Lucy Barfield, and is dedicated to her, but, 'The Magician's Nephew,' (Book 6) explains a few little things like the wardrobe and the lamp-post - it was written much later, as Lewis was looking to wind up the series.

'The Horse and his Boy,' (Book 5) is set during the last chapter of, 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.'

I strongly recommend that you read, 'The Last Battle,' for yourself before making the decision to read it to a seven-year-old. The ending makes sense, but has invoked controversy since it was written, and many teachers refuse to handle this book - many who dislike the series admit that it's due to the ending.

"You are - as it is called in the Shadowlands - dead."

Jo Zebedee

Aliens vs Belfast.

I love the Last Battle, it's one of my favourite books of all time (but I'm probably controversial in my views around Christianity and what not), but I think you have to build up to it through the series.

wam

Well-Known Member

I never really took to Narnia. Either I read it young or when the BBC version first came out. Something to do with the badly concealed preaching. The SF trilogy wasn't any better. Screwtape was fun although maybe a little too old for your grandkids. OK so it's still preaching but there's no attempt at concealment and he really has fun with it.

kythe

Well-Known Member

My mom read the Chronicles of Narnia series to me when I was in 2nd grade. I read it independently in 5th grade, and several times since. I have always loved those books.

I feel pretty strongly about reading them in publication order, starting with "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". The series' order wasn't changed until after Lewis' death when his stepson Douglas Gresham took over his estate and claimed that he had always wanted the series published with the prequel "The Magician's Nephew" first. But if Lewis had really planned that, he had plenty of years during his life to change the order or his best selling series. He didn't.

kythe

Well-Known Member

Lenny

Press "X" to admire hat

I was probably about that age when I read them.

Introduced to the series by the 1979 animated film of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (which, I seem to remember, is terrifying), then received, and devoured, a lovely illustrated hardback with all of them in chronological order.

I'm going to throw my hat in with Ace's suggestion of starting with The Magician's Nephew, and then reading them in chronological order.

Jo Zebedee

Aliens vs Belfast.

I like the Magician's Nephew, a lot, but I'm not sure for very young children it has the same draw as The Lion. There's a reason they made the film of the The Lion, and that's because it's the most visual, with a cracking, fast-paced story. Magician's is a little slower and more of the characters, central characters, are adult - the witch, I'm thinking of especially.

I think the four Pevensies are the big draw -- we each wanted to be one of them (I rather liked Susan, and thought Lewis was very hard on her) -- and the most accessible way to start.

hopewrites

Crochet Streamer

I was given my copy of the series at about that age. I couldnt get through them myself till I was about ten, so I waited till my son was ten before I started him on them, but he quickly grew board and lost interest. He's reading other series now, I think its to do with the language.
He doesnt stop me to say "what does that mean" and I get lost in the telling and I think he resents my becoming the story rather than sticking around to help him understand it.

I would throw my hat in with the Publication Order crowd, MN is written with an undercurrent of expectation that you understand what it's leading up to. What significance its contents will have on things that happen later in the world(s) because of it.
Last Battle and Horse and His Boy are my two favorites, Silver Chair can be quite depressing (although dear Puddlefoot is said to be the most cheerful of the mugwhumps)

I didnt think they were over preachy, but then, everything in my life at that time had a moral lesson attached to it, indeed I remember thinking one summer afternoon as I lay on my bed with my cat that he was quite clever in disguising his moral values in such entertaining tales.

For me, the thrill of Aslan creating Narnia in Magician's Nephew was augmented by the relationship I'd formed with him over the proceeding 5 books. His call pulling life into everything around him wasnt an academic anomaly to be enjoyed passively from the sidelines, but a call to my heart pulling me into life as never before.

I think that you would love them. I would advise you to read them ahead yourself, because there is such fun and some adorable asides that he makes within them, that they are better read aloud with love than mutual discovery.
It is my opinion that Lewis winks at his readers from behind the pages.

However you decide to go about it I wish you the most enjoyable time possible.

However, it is generally recommended for children around the ages of 8 to 12. The language and writing style are accessible to young readers, but the story also contains deeper themes and moral lessons that older readers can appreciate. The book explores concepts such as bravery, loyalty, and sacrifice, and encourages readers to think about the difference between right and wrong. Overall, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a timeless adventure that appeals to both children and adults alike..

Reviews for "The Influence of 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe' Book on Contemporary Literature"

- Sarah - 2 stars - I found "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" to be quite boring and slow-paced. The story seemed to drag on and there were too many unnecessary details that didn't add much to the plot. Additionally, I didn't connect with the characters and found them to be a bit one-dimensional. Overall, I was disappointed and expected more from such a highly acclaimed book.

- John - 1 star - I didn't enjoy reading "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" at all. The writing style was too simplistic and the language used didn't engage me as a reader. The characters felt flat and lacked depth, which made it difficult for me to become invested in their journey. Furthermore, the story lacked coherence and seemed disjointed at times. I wouldn't recommend this book to others.

- Emily - 2 stars - I struggled to get through "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" as I found the pacing to be extremely slow. The plot felt predictable and unoriginal, lacking any surprises or twists. Additionally, I felt that the book's themes and messages were heavy-handed and spoon-fed to the reader, instead of allowing for more subtle exploration. I understand that this book is loved by many, but it just wasn't for me.

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