The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis

During the Second World War, four children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, are sent away from London to stay in the countryside at the house of an old professor. While exploring the rambling house, the youngest, Lucy, hides in a large wardrobe and finds herself in a snowy forest lit by a lamppost. She has stumbled into Narnia, a magical land of talking animals, fauns, giants and dwarfs.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first Chronicles of Narnia book C. S. Lewis published, follows the four children as they discover that Narnia is under the spell of the White Witch, who has made it always winter and never Christmas. Edmund, tempted by the Witch’s enchanted Turkish delight and her promises of power, betrays his brother and sisters. Meanwhile, the others learn of an ancient prophecy that four human children will sit on the thrones of Cair Paravel, and that Aslan, the great and noble lion, is on the move.

As Aslan’s arrival begins to break the Witch’s hold on Narnia and the snow starts to melt, the children must join the battle between good and evil. Aslan’s extraordinary sacrifice to save Edmund, and its astonishing outcome, lie at the heart of the story, which many readers recognize as an allegory of Christian themes.

Full of wonder, adventure and memorable characters such as Mr. Tumnus the faun and Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, the novel has enchanted generations of readers and has been adapted for film, television and stage.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a timeless classic for children and families. In the series’ chronological order, it is often numbered second, after The Magician’s Nephew.