Monday, March 4, 2019

Reviews from the Children's Section - The Magician's Nephew

One of my favorite genres and one that is the easiest for me to push aside is middle grade fiction. This year to make sure I get a little more children's and young adult fiction I thought I would designate the first Monday of every month Middle Grade Monday (though sometimes it doesn't end up working quite right) .  While a lot of my picks this year are classics I am trying to branch out a little bit and read new or at least recent releases.  This month's book is a favorite though one I didn't read until I was an adult - The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis.

Goodreads:  The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

I fell in love with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe when I was a child and read it countless times.  However I never got past Prince Caspian and so did not discover this book until I read the series as an adult.  The series is laid out in two ways - chronologically by story or chronologically by date published.  The series I had as a child was laid out by date published and honestly the other way works out so much better.  I think if I had read this one first I would have fallen in love with it and enjoyed The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe all the more.  I loved Polly and Digory and their very different but complimentary personalities.  The adventure they end up in is so much fun and I must say I laughed with a bit of glee when the lamp post makes its appearance.  

What makes this book a little different is that this month I've been reading this book with the 9 year old Tornado.  As much as it pains me he's not really a book lover.  He loves his audio books at night but he's never picked up a book - especially not a chapter book - and just fallen into it.  While he hasn't made a move to pick this one up on his own he enjoys curling up every night and listening to a chapter.  He's caught up in the adventures and the danger and the two smart kids against the crooked magician and the evil queen.  It's really been wonderful to see.  I've mentioned before that he can be a bit sensitive to imagery and this book has given him no problems.  He's thoroughly enjoyed it and is looking forward to going on to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

This is a wonderful bit of fantasy and adventure for adults and children alike.  I think I enjoyed this read just as much as he did.

8 comments:

  1. that cover is pretty though, love the illustration

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  2. You know, I've never read this series before. Either wasn't around or wasn't popular when I was a small child. I don't read this genre anymore (MG) but I have grandkids, 2 of whom might be the right audience for it, so thanks for the reminder.

    BTW, I hope and pray that none of you & yours were affected by the tornadoes yesterday :(
    God bless.

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  3. I started reading the Narnia series to my son when he was little, but we fizzled out after Prince Caspian. I don't know if my daughter will be wanting to read the series either, but I've often thought I should really just bite the bullet and read all the rest myself. I'm glad you and your son enjoyed it so very much!

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  4. Never fear, my son was the same and kept at it until one book grabbed him and he began reading on his own. I have not read this one.

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  5. Its a long time since I read these books, many of which I read aloud to my class when I was teaching. I love that you read to your son every night, even if he doesn't grab the reading bug, he obviously enjoys this time with you and a book. So important.

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  6. I read this years ago when I worked my way through the whole series but I remember almost nothing! I've thought about re- reading these a few times. I imagine it would be rewarding to read with kids and enjoy it together! Glad the Tornado is liking these so far. :)

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  7. My college housemate loved this series and she begged me to read it, but I didn't care for the first book. I loved the BBC series, though! 👍✨

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  8. I loved The Magician's Nephew - I came across it years ago when we took our very small children to see The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe at the theatre. Then I tracked down the book... I loved TLTW&TW when a child, but as an adult, reading this one to the children - it's a close-run thing between the two. Great review, Katherine:)

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