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msclavel
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| Posted: Jan 31 2008 at 3:23pm | IP Logged
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Order written, because that is how I read them and came to love them very much. And no matter how hard I try I can never ever think of anything coming first before LWW. I think its almost a romantic notion isn't it, like where were we the first time we met the one we love.
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SallyT
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I tried reading them chronologically this time, and my littles (5 and 4) couldn't get into The Magician's Nephew. But when I switched to LWW, they were hooked.
My $.02!
Sally
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MacBeth
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The order in which they are written gives you a peek into the author's mind that a chronological reading does not. You realize things as he did. Since Lewis did not conceive of the story in chronological order, but as he wrote them, there are surprises for the reader that are given away way too soon if read chronologically. I would hate to deprive anyone of those "aha" moments.
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jenk
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I'm on the 'order written' team. That's how the series was boxed when I was a child so the order written feels like home. The new book that we purchased has the books in chronological order. We started to read in that order but I agree that the "flash back" to how the lamppost came to be makes Magician's Nephew a better read toward the end than if it was read first.
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Jen L.
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MacBeth wrote:
| The order in which they are written gives you a peek into the author's mind that a chronological reading does not. You realize things as he did. Since Lewis did not conceive of the story in chronological order, but as he wrote them, there are surprises for the reader that are given away way too soon if read chronologically. I would hate to deprive anyone of those "aha" moments. |
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I couldn't agree more. I haven't read them for about 25 years (yikes!) but I know that Magicians Nephew was my favorite because of the "aha moments"
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Mary G
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OK, here's the definitive answer (  !). According to the book, Chronicles of Narnia: Beyond the Wardrobe by E. J. Kirk, he lists THREE(!) ways the books can be read.
- "Lewis wrote the books in" order -- LWW, PC, VDT, HHB, SC, LB, MN
- "books were published in" order -- LWW, PC, VDT, SC, HHB, MN, LB
- "Lewis wanted the books read in" order -- MN, LWW, HHB, PC, VDT, SC, LB
Here's a quote from Kirk's book:
Quote:
C.S. Lewis devoted more than six years to writing the seven books of the Chronicles of Narnia, and it took him another four years before he determined the sequence in which the books should be read. He freely admitted that he hadn't planned to write a series. The story line of each successive book was as much a surprise to him as to his readers. pg 30
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So, there is NO definitive answer. The books can be read in any order that suits you, your children or your family ...
The entire set is:
LWW = The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
PC = Prince Caspian
VDT = The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
HHB = The Horse and His Boy
SC = The Silver Chair
LB = The Last Battle
MN = The Magician's Nephew
So ENJOY reading them in any order! I personally LOVE The Last Battle and don't think it gets enough attention.... so that's the one we'll be reading now that we've just finished a read-aloud (we read LWW 2 years ago just before the movie came out and 9 yos just finished PC). But, hey, that's just my opinion (always remembering I am from CA! 
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SusanJ
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That's interesting. I didn't realize that the publication order was different from the order written. But I did wonder when we read Silver Chair why he was referencing Horse and His Boy. My son and I are really enjoying these, blasting through about one a week (remember he's too young for any other "school"). We rented the movie when I was sick a few weeks ago and all enjoyed that as well. I'm looking forward to Prince Caspian this year.
Susan
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AnaB
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| Posted: July 01 2008 at 9:10am | IP Logged
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Just found this thread and had to chime in. I believe C.S. Lewis himself recommended that everyone enter Narnia for the first time, with Lucy through the wardrobe.
There's just something magical about experiencing Narnia for the first time with Lucy. Even in the making of the movie, they didn't let the Lucy actress "see" Narnia till the filming so that they could get her first reactions on tape.
My favorite book is Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I love Reepicheep and the devotion for Aslan he has that he is willing to cross over the the edge of the earth to be with him.
Just had to throw my input in there. I am enjoying this series so much! The audios are GREAT!!
Blessings,
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JennGM
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| Posted: July 01 2008 at 9:20am | IP Logged
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Mary G wrote:
| I think the order depends on the listener/reader. I think that reading them to young kids is MUCH easier if they're read in Narnian chronology rather than when they were written .... |
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I can see that point, but I love the order it was written. I loved putting the clues and pieces together -- why the wardrobe was in the Professor's home. It was so fun having those aha moments. But Magician's Nephew is one of my favorites, which my siblings think is so odd.
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Sarah M
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| Posted: July 01 2008 at 10:04am | IP Logged
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Okay- so here's another question. What age do you think is good to begin these? I didn't think my kids were old enough (6,4,2), but then I noticed others reading them to younger children.... what do you think?
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MacBeth
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Sarah M wrote:
| Okay- so here's another question. What age do you think is good to begin these? I didn't think my kids were old enough (6,4,2), but then I noticed others reading them to younger children.... what do you think? |
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I'm just writing an article on that now...still haven't ironed out the answer, but fwiw, I had them read aloud to me at age 7, and have read them every year since then to myself. I have them on tape in three versions, and have played them in the car since Libby was 4...they are everyone's favorite. Last year on our road trip, Trip (then 15) took at least two of the books with him.
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AnaB
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I think the dramatized audios can be enjoyed by anybody, any age. But as a read aloud, I would say probably 6 years old? At least my 4 yr old will not sit through them and I even add a British accent!
I love the audios from Focus on the Family (Radio Music Theatre). We've enjoyed the BBC version videos as well (though I love the new Lucy).
I think the LWW is the most appealing to the young. This is just our experience.
Blessings,
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doris
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So glad this old thread was resurrected... This is all news to me! I just obediently read them in the order printed in the books, and have done the same when reading them to the children. We're just about to start The Last Battle so when I start again  I'll do it the other way.
Incidentally, mine had no problem getting in to it starting with MN. That was way back when I had a 5yo and a 3yo (we've taken our time).
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SusanJ
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I read these to my 3.5yo but he has an unusually long attention span for a kid his age. He definitely loved them and still acts out scenes sometimes but most of the broader narrative and meaning was totally lost on him. No worries, here, about that--it was partly for my own fun that I read them! I expect we'll revisit them every few years as a new child gets old enough to listen and the older ones can pick up more each time.
Susan
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JuliaT
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I read the LWW to my kids when my two oldest was 5 and 3. They sat and listened but it was way over their head. They didn't love it the way that I do. We then started Prince Caspian and it fizzled out. We didn't even finish it. So I dropped reading the series.
At Christmas we watched the DVD of LWW and all of my kids were drawn into the story. They love the movie. This has sparked interest again in the series. We read Prince Caspian in April. Even my 5 yr. old understood what was going on. The movie is now playing at our small town's theatre. We are going to watch it on Mon. Everyone is so excited. We have begun a countdown to the day when we actually see it.
I say all of this to show that I think it all depends on your child as to when you read it. I think, though, that in letting my youngest watch the movie, this sparked the interest to read the book. In this case, the visual helped.
Blessings
Julia
mom of 3 (9,7,5)
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Tina P.
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| Posted: July 11 2008 at 11:50pm | IP Logged
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Mary G wrote:
| I personally LOVE The Last Battle and don't think it gets enough attention.... so that's the one we'll be reading now that we've just finished a read-aloud |
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We listened to the series on our way to Wisconsin and home again except for the last battle. So we listened to that one a day or two after we got home. It was tough to break into that one because the first scene doesn't include any of the kids. It has an evil ape and a donkey. My daughter and I looked at each other and made questioning faces. Once we managed to surmount that ape scene and figured out a little of how it fit the rest of the series, we really enjoyed the story. It *is* very well done.
BTW, we listened *and* read LWW first, then PC, VDT, SC, HB (my personal favorite), MN, and LB.
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4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: VERY important Narnia question
