The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis and tells of the first adventure of the Pevensie children in Narnia. With the increased bombing by the Germans the four siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, are sent away to the countryside in order to be safer. They end up staying in this larger manor house owned by a mysterious professor. While there they mostly have free reign except for when tourists are visiting. One day while exploring the youngest one, Lucy, decides to look inside an old wardrobe in one of the rooms. She ends up accidentally traveling to Narnia and meeting a fawn named Mr. Tumnus. However, none of her siblings believe her about her trip even after a second trip later where Edmund ends up following her to Narnia and meeting the White Witch who has taken control of Narnia. Eventually, while hiding from a group of tourists in the wardrobe, all four of them end up traveling to Narnia where they find things are slightly difficult as Mr. Tumnus has been taken by the forces under the White Witch.
This series has long been a family favorite and I really enjoy it overall. One of the interesting things about this book is the rather unusual method of traveling that is used to get to and from Narnia. I think this is the only book I have ever read that uses a wardrobe to travel so that sets apart right from the beginning. The land of Narnia is fairly well developed as there seems to be a decent amount of information provided about the land and the types of people living there but at the same time it could also be way more developed and fleshed out too. If you keep in mind this is a kids book than it is not actually a problem as they probably won’t even pay attention to that. I would prefer to know more and more is provided in the other books but as I said most kids won’t mind. The plot is fairly simple as it consists of the group of kids finding faith and working together to overthrow an evil dictator. A pretty common plot device honestly but one that is very effective for this story. It is not overly complex or intricate which makes it really easy for kids to follow and enjoy. I will say that the thing about finding faith is an allegory as there are no direct references to Christianity but there are numerous indirect references and comparisons, many of which are probably not evident to kids but are still present. You can read the book perfectly fine and ignore them actually as I frequently do. In terms of characterization we do see a decent amount as each of the four siblings is fairly well fleshed out. However, the books are told from a third person or perhaps even an omnipotent perspective so we have very limited access to their thought processes throughout which also means we have a slightly limited view of the characters. It doesn’t detract from the quality of the story though as it is still incredible. I greatly enjoy this book and am happy giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
This is a great example of a children’s fantasy series so if you happen to know a younger reader who enjoys fantasy who may consider suggesting they try these out. In terms of reading order I recommend reading them in order of publication so you should start with this one though I know not everyone would agree with me on that. This series is primarily aimed at younger readers but I also think that readers of all ages would probably enjoy it so if you enjoy fantasy stories or if it sounds interesting you should consider trying it out. The book is fairly simple and even younger readers can probably read most of it in just a day or two so it is a great way to spend a rainy afternoon. If you are familiar with it already or decide to try it feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.