The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
What it's about
Sent to a professor's country house to escape the bombing of London, four siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, discover a wardrobe that leads to Narnia, a magical land frozen in endless winter by the White Witch. There they meet talking animals, fauns and the great lion Aslan, and are drawn into the battle to free Narnia, while one of them is tempted to betray the others.
Why it's worth reading
It's one of the most beloved children's books ever written, a perfect adventure that adults reread with delight. Its sense of wonder (the wardrobe, the lamppost, the snow) is unforgettable.
You'll love it if you liked
Хоббит, или Туда и обратно, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone or Charlotte's Web
Good to know
It's short, about 200 pages. Many readers notice its Christian allegory, which works with or without that reading. It's usually considered the best place to start the Narnia series.
By the numbers
- Readers82 out of 100 · counts 40%+37
- Critics59 out of 100 · counts 14%+9
- Bestseller66 out of 100 · counts 32% (its stronger lane)+24
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 15%+0
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero.
On 3 canon lists, including TIME All-TIME 100 Novels. 4.24★ from 3.2M Goodreads ratings.
Where it ranks
- #15 of the 131 fantasy books we rank
- #34 of the 520 classics we rank
- #105 of the 1,405 books we rank
On the lists
- TIME All-TIME 100 Novels
- PBS Great American Read
- BBC's The Big Read
Reads as
Adventurous
