I am, however, very disappointed that the publisher has decided to rearrange the sequence of the books and sell them in chronological order. This may seem logical, but I feel that this is not what the author had in mind. And I know that readers new to the Narnia Chronicles (reading them in this new order) are confused with the first one or two books.

Frankly, I feel a bit insulted that the publishers doubt the intelligence of their readers, obviously thinking us too immature to handle a Narnian history lesson as the one or other book takes us back to a time before Lucy and her syblings. (For any new readers, THE WITCH, THE LION, AND THE WARDROBE is meant to be the first book in the series).

I truly wish that -some- publisher would reprint a collector's edition of the entire series **in the order in which they were originally written**. I would buy the entire set immediately!

To sum it all up: Read these books, by all means, but read them in the correct order. Go by the first copyright dates if nothing else.


Truly Exceptional Stories for ALL ages!   March 19, 2000
 55 out of 56 found this review helpful

The Narnian Chronicles have been my favorite series since I first read (and devoured) them in third grade (I'm now 30). I have since reread them many times, enjoying them even more each time as I see new things previously undiscovered or not understood. They are entertaining, imaginative, and thought-provoking from many perspectives, and will appeal even to the mature 5 or 6-year-old child as a read-aloud adventure. These books are truly worthy of discussion with your elementary, middle school, or high school student. College students have even written theses about these books and their many intriguing themes. I recently gave the entire set to my eighty-year-old grandmother as a gift, and she read them all within a couple of weeks! She said they were so good, she couldn't put them down, and she has loved talking to me about them ever since! My husband's 90-year-old grandmother is also an avid reader, finishing a book every few days. I am planning on giving the Narnia books to her as well! You simply can't go wrong purchasing these books. This is a wonderfully appealing fantasy series for all ages- it will surely be an enduring classic for generations to come.


The best children's books and adults love them too!   November 7, 2000
 51 out of 55 found this review helpful

"People won't write the books I want, so I have to do it for myself." --C.S. Lewis

I was very young, when one of my favorite teachers started reading "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe," which is the first book I read in the series. I was so dissapointed when the teacher read right up to the part about getting through the wardrobe and then stopped. She never got around to finishing the story...but later I did.

This is a story of four children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, who are sent into the country to live with Professor Kirke because of the air-raids on wartime London. On their first morning, the weather is awful, so they play indoors.

"What's that noise?" said Lucy suddenly. It was a far larger house than she had ever been in before and the thought of all those long passages and rows of doors leading into empty rooms was beginning to make her feel a little creepy. --The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Lucy finds a "wardrobe" with a door hidden in the back. Because I lived overseas at the time I knew what a "wardrobe" was and actually had one in my own bedroom. The wardrobe is actually a magical door to Narnia and she enters a snowy magical world filled with talking animals. I was just fascinated when the teacher read this: ... And then she saw that there was a light ahead of her; not a few inches away from where the back of the wardrobe ought to have been, but a long way off. Something cold and soft was falling on her. A moment later she found that she was standing in the middle of a wood at night-time with snow under her feet and snowflakes falling through the air ...

This is the order I read them in, but my friends here at Amazon recommended I read them in the new order:

1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe 2. Prince Caspian 3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 4. The Silver Chair 5. The Horse and His Boy 6. The Magician's Nephew 7. The Last Battle

The Magician's Nephew is my second favorite book. Voyage of the Dawn Treader is perhaps the most memorable because of all delicious imagery and talk of the sea. I loved Reepicheep the Valiant Mouse, he was so cute but so brave.

There are tales of magic books, sea adventures and someone naughty turns into a scary dragon (great lesson). To find out if they stay a dragon you have to read the books and I won't spoil the ending for you. All I can tell you is that when you start reading these books time won't stand still as it does when these children jump into a picture and start an adventure aboard the Dawn Treader. These books are nothing short of magical. The imagination of Lewis is so powerful that the numerous images become a part of you and you remember them forever. Through the books, C.S. Lewis weaves the morals and beliefs children need to learn. Aslan, the Lion, has great significance.

I love ships and sailing and intend to learn more when I have time. Could I have gained my love of travel from these books? I believe it! I will always thank the teacher who read these books to me, wherever she may be!

~The Rebecca Review