Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

#1 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
#2 Prince Caspian (1951)
#3 Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
#4 The Silver Chair (1953)
#5 The Horse and His Boy (1954)
#6 The Magician’s Nephew (1955)
#7 The Last Battle (1956)

*Note: Although The Chronicles of Narnia are often listed in chronological order, fans of C.S. Lewis argue that the series should be read as the author intended, in order of publication.

This series begins with the most well-known and popular, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Siblings Emma, Lucy, Todd and Sara, while staying with an uncle in the English countryside, stumble through the back of a wardrobe into another world. Here, the land of Narnia, they must wear fur coats because it always snows. They soon meet a faun (half man, half goat) and learn that the weather is the doing of the evil White Witch. This witch travels over the lands, turning animals into stone. The children set out to stop her, making many creature friends along the way including the great lion Aslan.

C.S. Lewis is a beloved author and the Chronicles of Narnia are classic fantasy tales. The other novels in the series focus on more adventures in Narnia, including the prelude The Magicians Nephew, which is about Narnia’s creation. Although there are Christian themes, the reader is not hit over the head with religion. They can be enjoyed purely as fantasy stories. They are cozy and not too violent, yet there are some battle scenes and elements of suspense. The reader will be rooting for the children and the animals.