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The Chronicles Of Narnia

L

Lucy B

New Member
All these books are fantastic.
They were read to me at school, though I was always a little afraid of the idea of a man/uniquorn!
I would imagine they'd be even better to read as an adult, just like The Hobbit is.
They're most deffinately worth a read.

Can anyone suggest any other children's fantasy books that are better read as an adult?

All the best
Lucy B
 
There is a set of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, basically an autobiography, that I read over and over as a child. I don't think she actually ever wrote anything else, but she led a pretty interesting life. They were American pioneers in the covered wagon days. Good stuff for kids there and I could probably still reread them. (I don't know how much of that is nostalgia though.)
 
I enjoyed these Laura Ingalls Wilder's autobiographical books too. I will look for them so I'll be able to read them to my son when he's old enough. But, I wonder if the adventures of pioneer little girls would interest a little boy...

Lucy B., what about The Little Prince by Antoine de St-Exupery. Like many chidren, I found it was a boring story and I appreciated the philosophy behind it much later...

And of course there's Harry Potter, I wouldn't know how it is reading them as a child, of course, but I definitely enjoyed reading them as an adult...:)
 
I read The Chronicles of Narnia years ago as a child. I read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at school, and then read the others in the series.

If I remember, only a few books feature the children (weren't there four of them?), and the others fearure parallel stories and characters.

Didn't the children die in the last book?

Darren.
 
Lewis seems to indicate that the people brought into Narnia from this world have to be under a certain age. As a child ages to adulthood they are less likely believe in a place with talking animals and magic therefore they are less likely to get in. In the second book all four children arrive in the third only the two youngest and a newcomer around the same age, in the fourth the newcomer and a friend, etc. However all the stories are interrelated in that only a "Son of Adam or Daughter of Eve" can sit on the throne to rule Narnia and therefore humans have a special place there. All but one of the books, which details a Narnian legend, operate on this principle.

In answer to Darren's spoiler:
It's possible that what happens could be considered death but you'll have to read the books to decide whether or not it fits into your definition of death. They are uniformly well worth the read time. Lewis is a joy to read, too, so they're page turners.
 
I've only read The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe. I read it aloud to my children when they were little. You guys have convinced me that I must go back and read the others. Thanks!
 
I would suggest that Jack London's White Fang, whilst not fantasy, is much better read when an adult ........ to be honest I think it's probably too difficult a read for your average 10 to 14 YO (or was it that young people read 'children's books' much later into their teens at the beginning of the 1900s than they do now?).

I have always had a liking for Mervyn Peake's Gormenghst trilogy (though it's not everyone's cup of tea) and for a definitely 'adult' book as in adult, surreal, fairy tale with lots of comedy, has anyone read The Onion Eaters by J P Donleavy ?

Dave B.
 
I checked my daughters bookshelf and discovered Madeline L'engle's Wrinkle in Time. That's great for kids or adults.

Dave B's right, White Fang is a good one too. I read that one, Captain's Courageous and Treasure Island in short order when I was a kid. I was ready to go to sea. (I'd forgotten about that.)
 
I still read the Chronicles of Narnia all the time. I can never decide which one is my favorite.
Another great children's series to reread is the Prydain Chronicle by Lloyd Alexander. I've lately devoted myself to rereading and reading new children's books in order to provide my younger siblings with good reading material, so this is a topic fresh in my mind.
Also, has anyone read the Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman? I just finished them and have been debating whether they are children's book material or not.
 
great children's book for adults

I read "The Phantom Tollbooth" in college. It's a wonderful read. It is as memorable as any book I have read.
 
Speaking of children's books... has anyone read "The Golden Compass" books? I've been hearing alot about them. They're getting alot of notice here from adults and older children.
 
The Golden Compass books are the ones I mentioned earlier, His Dark Materials. They were very engrossing, I read all three books in about two weeks, but found the subject matter a bit complicated for pre-teens and even young teenagers. The history of theology and its interpretation is completely re-written in the books, but I'm not sure how it would affect younger children. They might disregard the philosophy of the books and see only the storyline, as I did with Narnia when I was young, and not even recognize the theology.
I noticed a few days ago that we now have adult editions of the book in our fantasy section, which cost considerably less than the trade paperbacks in the kids' section, if you wanted to test the books.
 
I've been trying to get my 12 year-old to read The Golden Compass, but he's not interested. I guess it's going to take a friend of his to recommend them before he will read them. I mean, I'm only his mom. I don't count.

If I read one, and have it around the house, he may decide to pick it up just out of curiosity. Hey . . . it's worked before.
 
A series of books called The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper are really worth a read. Definitely for older children or adults.
 
I was introduced to 'His Dark Materials (UK), Golden Compass (US) Trilogy, by an eleven year old I'm teaching in class. A number of pupils were enjoying them, so out of professional :) curiosity I read them and was surprised by the theological 'undertones'. I found them a thoroughly enjoyable read. The kids may not fully understand the theology, but they do enjoy the story.

This also lead me to read the Lemony Snicket 'Series of Unfortunate Events' books which I also enjoyed, though in the UK we're only up to Book 5, and the 'Wind on Fire Trilogy' by William Nicholson another good series.
 
My 10 year-old is working his way through "Series of Unfortunate Events". He's enjoying them, but not as much as he enjoyed Harry Potter. I'm having a hard time finding a book that can top those (at least in his learned opinion). He's reread the series several times.
 
Haven't heard of the wind on fire, but I love Lemony Snickett. The recently released an "Unauthorized" biography of Lemony Snickett which I haven't read yet but have heard is hilarious.

Another children's series that I just thought of is Redwall. Can't believe no one's mentioned it yet. I started reading them in middle school but haven't gotten around to the latest one yet.
 
The Lemony Snicket bio is indeed hilarious, with some very interesting ties to the novels. Though it does refer to books not yet published in the UK.
 
Dawn, I read the original three books of the Dragonriders of Pern series when I was in the fourth grade. I had to ask Mom about a few items, but it was pretty mild compared to some of the stuff a kid might pick up, say, during a night of regular American television. Good verses evil, man against an insidious foe and himself. I enjoyed it immensely.
 
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