September Online Book Club: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

I’m excited to read this series aloud to my grandkids!

But they’re still young for the recommended 8-12 age group, so I’ll have to bide my time. I wish someone had read them aloud to me as a kid. My first chapter books were Nancy Drew, then the Hardy Boys. Then All Creatures Great and Small. After that it gets blurry because I was such a bookworm.

I didn’t find The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe until a college children’s literature course where I discovered A Wrinkle in Time and my first book boyfriend, Aragorn, in The Lord of the Rings. I wish I’d read more fantasy books as a kid because it’s different seeing them through adult eyes. In July, I mentioned I was revisiting The Chronicles of Narnia.

It took me all summer, y’all!

All summer anticipating those rare Aslan appearances and dreaming of epic battles between children dressed as royalty and evil witches.

Lewis wrote differently than chapter books writers now. I felt like I was curled up in a big armchair next to Lewis himself while he tells the story. There are lots of asides and explanations to explain deeper points without talking down to children. He expects that kids are capable of great thinking and big ideas.

Children of any age would love to find a secret door into another world. So many contemporary stories begin from this seed.

“One day, you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again.”

Dedication in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

• I also like how he drops timeless truths into the middle of a kids’ book.
  • “Adventures are never fun while you’re having them.” ― The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
  • “Child,’ said the Lion, ‘I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own.” ― C.S. Lewis,
  • “Peter did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was going to be sick. But that made no difference to what he had to do.” – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
  • “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now…Come further up, come further in!” ― The Last Battle

(Side note: There’s some controversy about the best order to read the books. I read these in chronological order of the story events which begins with The Magician’s Nephew. Another option is to read them in the order they were published, making The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe the first book. I liked knowing what the later books were referring to as far as battles and important kings, etc. I don’t think either way is right or wrong. Just choose an order and go for it.)

If you’ve never read Narnia before, find a youngster to read with and check them out!

Or just do like me and read them yourself. I just realized that the audiobook version on Hoopla is read by Kenneth Branagh! I might have to listen for a bit too.

What other classic books do you recommend for reading aloud to kids?

Kelly Brakenhoff is the author of 15 books and a seasoned ASL interpreter. She splits her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and children’s books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog.

Parents, kids, and teachers love the children’s books and activity guides because they introduce ASL and the Deaf community through fun, engaging stories. And if you enjoy a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have ever lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, the Cassandra Sato Mystery series will have you connecting the dots faster than a group project coming together the night before it’s due.

A proud mom to four adults, head of the dog-snuggling department, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.