The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
This is my favorite book out of the entire Chronicles of Narnia series.
I’m not going to step into the debate of whether this book should be read first or last. I’m here just to talk about how much this story means to me.
This is the story of Digory and Polly. Through a set of adventures that are absolutely fantastic, they witness the birth of Narnia, hear the song of Aslan meet the first of the talking animals.
I’ve read these books before, but this was a first for me. This time through I read the book out loud to my 6 year old nephew. Watching his eyes light up with laughter at the antics of the animals, his mouth curve into a round “O” as we read about Jadis and listening to him giggle and squirm at the end of each chapter when he knew he’d have to wait until the next day to continue.. all of these things were special and added so much to the story for me.
And the end.. I always cry at the end. It’s so perfect and everything fits so well together. If you haven’t reread this series, I encourage you to do so.
It's been too long, I desperately need to reread the whole series. I do remember "The Magician's Nephew" and "The Last Battle" being far more complex, bewildering, and mysteriously fascinating than the previous books (much as I love them). Particularly the idea of the Wood Between the Worlds — a fantastic device and a beautiful image.
I completely agree. I love the twists and turns of The Magician's Nephew and really love the Wood between the Worlds.