Estimated Reading Time 2 Minutes
Rating: 
Genre: Children’s Books/Fantasy/Classics
First sentence: This is a story about something that happened long ago when your grandfather was a child.
Favorite Quote From the Book: “But please, please – won’t you – can’t you give me something that will cure Mother?” Up till then he had been looking at the Lion’s great front feet and the huge claws on them; now, in his despair, he looked up at its face. What he saw surprised him as much as anything in his whole life. For the tawny face was bent down near his own and (wonder of wonders) great shining tears stood in the Lion’s eyes. They were such big, bright tears compared with Digory’s own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself.
“My son, my son,” said Aslan. “I know. Grief is great. Only you and I in this land know that yet. Let us be good to one another.
Publisher: Harper Collins (1994), Paperback, 221 pages / ISBN 0064471101
You are about to enter one of the most wonderful places in all of literature: C.S. Lewis’s land of Narnia. This is the book that C.S. Lewis intended to be the first in his landmark series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Here we are introduced to Polly and Digory, who are tricked by Digory’s uncle Andrew into becoming part of an experiment that transports them into the adventure of a lifetime. After being hurled into the Wood Between the Worlds, the children encounter the evil queen Jadis, who accidently accompanies the children back to England and wrecks havoc on the streets of London. When Polly and Digory finally take the queen away from London, they find themselves lost in a place that will soon be known as Narnia. In this unforgettable story, C.S. Lewis shows us how the adventure began–the glorious birth of the land of Narnia at the hand of its mysterious King.
After Thoughts:
I am a huge C. S. Lewis fan, and it all started for me in 4th grade when I checked this book out of my school library. If you have only read “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” then you have been missing out on some of Narnia’s most spectacular adventures. This is the first book in the series and it introduces us to Narnia’s actual creation laying the foundation on which all of the following stories are built. Taken in an Allegorical view the book is enlightening, but the story in itself is completely wonderful. We learn just how talking animals came to be, and the White Witch makes her first appearance. Told in Lewis’ charming and simple way; it is the kind of story that becomes part of you and leaves you changed for the better.
