Lewis, C. S. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia). HarperCollins (2005). ISBN-10: 0060764899

Plot Summary

After being forced to leave their London home during World War II, Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter are sent to live with an eccentric professor where they are transported to a strange land through an old wardrobe. Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter soon learn that they have enter the magical land of Narnia, where animals talk and it is “always winter and never Christmas.” There are forces of evil in Narnia, and each child must find the courage within to fight and overcome them.

Critical Evaluation

This book is a fast read! The story is full of mythical creatures and talking animals that effectively contribute to the well-organized plot. The human characters (Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter) are quite different from one another, but fairly realistic, nonetheless. Most events in the story are described well, and the settings are intriguing.

Reader's Annotation

After being forced to leave their London home during World War II, Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter are sent to live with an eccentric professor where they are transported to a strange land through an old wardrobe.

About the Author

Jack (or C.S.) Lewis was born on November 29, 1898, in Belfast, Ireland. As a child, he lived a happy and carefree life. When he was only eight years old, his mother died of cancer, and he and his brother were sent to live in an English boarding school. Eventually, the school closed, and he returned to Ireland. But, he later returned to England to continue his studies. As a teenager, C.S. enjoyed reading poetry and learning languages.

Although he was accepted to Oxford University in 1916, he volunteered to serve in the British Army during World War I. He returned to Oxford in 1918, and he graduated in 1925 with honors in Greek and Latin Literature, English Literature, and Philosophy and Ancient History. He stayed on at Oxford as an English teacher for 29 years, and in 1955, he became a professor of medieval and renaissance literature at Magdalene College in Cambridge. During these years, Lewis began publishing books. Although his earlier works were written for adults, he later became a writer of children’s books. In 1950, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was published. And the subsequent six books in the series were written over the next six years. Today, these books have sold more than 100 million copies, and they are considered classics in children’s literature.

Genre

Fantasy Fiction

Curriculum Ties

Language Arts

Booktalking Ideas

Have you ever tasted something so good that you would betray your own brothers and sisters for another morsel? Edmund has that dilemma. After being forced to leave their London home during World War II, Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter are sent to live with an eccentric professor where they are transported to a strange land through an old wardrobe. On page 127, Peter, as the oldest must save his sister, Lucy; “Peter did not feel brave; indeed, he felt he was going to be sick. But that made no difference to what he had to do. He rushed straight up to the monster and aimed a slash of his sword at its side.” You will be kept on the end of your seat as Lucy, Susan, and Peter face great dangers as they battle with the White Witch who is keeping Narnia under a magic spell and has their brother Edmund a prisoner in an icy prison. Will someone have to die so Edmund can go free? Can Aslan, the great lion and the gifts from Father Christmas, help the children free Narnia from the witch’s spell and become the kings and queens of the magical land of Narnia? To find out read The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Reading Level/Interest Age

Ages 9-12
Grades 3-6

Reason for Book Selection

This book is part of a timeless series…The Chronicles of Narnia. It was popular when I was younger, and it is still fairly popular today.