The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was the first book of C.S. Lewis 's popular children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia.

It is a fairy tale about brave and honorable children in a magical land. Four siblings -Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy- are sent to the country home of a kindly old Professor to escape the London air raids during World War II. One day Lucy, the youngest, steps into a big old wardrobe, lured by the cuddly fur coats hanging inside. Stepping farther and farther into the wardrobe, past where the back of it should be, Lucy finds herself in a snow-covered forest in a strange land called Narnia, where human children are a rarity.

She returns to the house full of excitement, but her brothers and sister don't believer her incredible story. But when all 4 youngsters pile into the wardrobe, trying to evade the housekeeper Mrs. Macready, they are transported to Narnia and find themselves key figures in a fight to free Narnia from the oppressive reign of the White Witch.

Those characters deftly avoid being cutesy, especially by virtue of the malicious Edmund, who slowly has a change of heart after falling in with the evil Witch. He's a much more enjoyable character than his noble brother Peter, just because he's so real.

And as a counterbalance, there's Lewis's sweet-natures Lucy -- which was also the name of Lewis' granddaughter. Complex characters and still-fresh stories give "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" -- which is soon to be released as a major movie -- a special ambiance. Definitely worth reading.