35) The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Bibliography: Lewis, C.S; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Harper Collins; New York; EPub 2010; ISBN 978-0-06-197415-1.

Plot: During the war, siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are sent to the country to stay with an old Professor.  While living with the Professor, the children take to playing hide and seek on rainy days.  During one of these games, Lucy hides in a wardrobe.  As she pushes her way to the back of the wardrobe she enters the world of Narnia.  Narnia has been taken over by the White Witch, who has turned the land into a winter wonderland and has struck fear into all of the inhabitants of the land.  It is up to the children to find the true ruler of Narnia, Aslan, and help restore Narnia to its true order.

Review:  This is probably one of the best loved children’s books.  It contains adventure, magic and kings and queens.  However, this was the first time I have read this book.  I picked it up in order to be able to compare it to the movie.  After having seen two of the movies made out of this book, I have to say that I was not very surprised by the plot.  I can only hope that more teachers have children read this book before they are persuaded by the movie. 
This book is a great starter for readers looking for a fantasy book.  It contains so many fantastical elements that a variety of readers will be satisfied.  The story moves quite quickly and it is a very fast read.  Children will love this story once they get their hands on it.  This is a great book to get reluctant readers reading.  Since there are four main characters, readers will be able to find a favorite.  

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books:  Wildwood by Colin Meloy; Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu; Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.

Characters: 

Lucy is the youngest sibling and the one that finds Narnia.

Edmund is the second youngest sibling.  He likes to torment Lucy and refuses to tell the others that Narnia does exist.

Susan is the second oldest sibling.

Peter is the oldest sibling and he helps overthrow the White Witch.

Aslan is the true ruler of Narnia.  He is a lion.

The White Witch proclaims herself queen and turns Narnia into a frozen tundra.

Tumnus is a faun and the first inhabitant of Narnia that Lucy meets.

Mr and Mrs Beaver help the children find Aslan.

Awards:  Time Magazine’s 100 best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005.

Series Information: This is book two in the Narnia series.  The series is made up of seven books.

Author Information: http://cslewis.com/