The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, by C.S.Lewis was published in 1950, and is a fictional

story about the magical country of Narnia. The door of a wardrobe leads to the country of

Narnia and it needs to be set free by Lucy and her older brothers and sister.

The children: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, have been evacuated to the English

countryside from London because of the outbreak of World War II. They are staying in the

house of Professor Digory Kirke. While exploring the professor’s massive house, Lucy finds the

wardrobe, that leads to the secret land of Narnia. Lucy looks around in the secret country

where there is a lamppost in the forest and even talks to a faun who invites her to tea. He

reveals he is supposed to betray her to the White Witch. Lucy rushes back to the house and

convinces her brothers and sister to follow her to Narnia. The children meet Aslan, the talking

lion, and they save Narnia from the evil White Witch who has imposed a perpetual winter on the

land. The children become kings and queens of Narnia and establish the Golden Age.

The situation in which the children were living during the war was boring and mundane. The

world of Narnia became a mystical escape. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is the first

of seven books that make up The Chronicles of Narnia. These books were published between

1950 and 1956. They are all fairly short and the primary characters who appear in most of the

books are Aslan, the Great Lion and the Pevensie family children, Eustace, Caspian, and

Reepicheep. There is a war going on, the White Witch is murdering, and Aslan is the star. He

sacrifices himself for his friends and his people.

I started reading these books in 4th grade and I loved reading all 7 books and will never give

them away. Occasionally, I like to go back and re-read my favorite parts. Although Asland has

his big moment, it is unclear to me why he really needs the four children to help him. Aslan

takes care of the problems that arise. I question why Aslan did not just deal with the White

Witch long before the children arrived. Why did he let his people suffer for such a long time?

This book is full of religious Christian overtones and opinions which is clearly what the author

wanted. Additionally, it is imaginative and silly. I recommend reading it with and open mind and

just enjoying the experience.

The language is simple and easy for children to follow. Some of the words are typical of the time

of C.S. Lewis and need to be looked up online or in a dictionary. One example is a ‘Turkish

Delight.’ I did not know what this was and had to look it up. The following is a photo of a display

of Turkish Delights which are a gelatin like candy cut into squares and coated with powdered

sugar.

Each of the four children have distinctive roles. Lucy is the all-around best character. Edmund is

a little devilish brat. Peter is the good guy older brother. Susan is like the group mom.

Overall, this book is great, and it does not get any better than this. 10 out of 10 for sure. This is

the perfect winter wonderland to me. The wardrobe, lamppost, forest, snow, and castle are all

part of a terrific adventure. I like everything the professor says to the kids and how he helps

them, including giving them weapons as gifts. It is all part of an endless winter wonderland I

never want to leave.

This book is definitely very British and Anglo Saxon, but it has been translated into many

different languages. It is timeless and does not belong to any particular age, decade or era. It is

a wonderful piece of writing and one of the top 10 bestselling books of all time. It hits all the right

spots in reading dreams for me – a forest, large family, talking animals, secret country, hidden

messages, and saga.

Check out The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe from the Newport Beach Public Library.