The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
by Catherynne M. Valente

In which a twelve-year old girl named September is whisked away to Fairyland on the back of a flying Leopard, given a magical coat and a key, befriended by a Wyvern (a sort of two-legged dragon-like creature) who believes he is part library, sent on quests by a good Witch and an evil Marquess, frees and befriends a blue boy named Saturday, meets her own death, finds a wrench, loses her heart, and makes it home in time for tea.

When you read the first chapter, the description will make sense.  Each chapter is graciously outlined for us the narrator so we know exactly what’s going to happen, sort of.  Part The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, part Alice in Wonderland, part The Phantom Tollbooth with a dash of The Wizard of Oz, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making will quickly join the canon of excellent fantasy literature for children and young adults.  I thought I would devour this book in one sitting; this is not that sort of book.  It must be slowly chewed and digested – it took me almost a week to get through 250 pages.  The language is thick and beautiful.  I commend Valente for not sheltering children from difficult words or ugly circumstances.

My favorite characters were probably the Coat and the Key, because the heart of an object is so fully devoted to do what it was made to do, they almost made me cry.  That, and the Wyvern who is convinced he is descended from libraries.  Those are two of my favorite things.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs: Missing Treasure!

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs: Missing Treasure!
by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto

Andreae and Ayto bring Captain Flinn back for another seafaring adventure.  This time, Flinn’s class is visiting the museum.  They see all sorts of things, like the bones of a Gigantosaurus.  But one thing is missing – the display of pirate treasure!  So Flinn and his friends take it upon themselves to find the missing treasure.  The trail leads them right to a closet that melts away and drops them onto a ship!  Captain Flinn must fight the pirate dinosaurs and bring the treasure back to the museum.

The plot is stepped up a bit in this sequel to the first Captain Flinn book, but it’s hugely formulaic.  How many magical cupboards is this kid gonna fall through?  He’s worse than Lucy Pevensie.  The illustrations are still the best part, edgy and messy.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com

The Last Battle

The Last Battle (1956)
by C. S. Lewis

Seventh written, final in the Narnian chronology.

We go from the creation of Narnia now to its last days.  Caspian and Rillian have long passed.  Their descendant, Tirian, is now king.   Aslan has not come to Narnia for many generations.  It’s been so long that most Narnians don’t even know what a lion looks like.  A clever Talking Ape named Shift takes advantage of this.  He finds a lion’s skin one day and decides to fit it to his housemate (they aren’t really friends – it’s a terribly abusive relationship) – a Donkey named Puzzle.  Shift uses Puzzle’s disguise to trick the Narnians into doing whatever he says, including selling themselves as slaves to the rich Calormenes.  When Tirian and his friend Jewel the Unicorn find out about this, they are outraged.  This is not the Aslan from the stories that have been passed down to them.  Aslan does not appear in Narnia, but he does send to of the “Friends of Narnian” – the children who have appeared in previous books.  Eustace and Jill come back to help Tirian and all of the Narnians who refuse to submit to the Calormenes in the last battle that Narnia will ever see.

Sometimes The Last Battle is a little too intense for me.  I mean, can you imagine being Tirian – your country being taken over by the supposed orders of someone you always thought to be a protector of your people?  The rage and the betrayal he feels is so strong and stressful that it’s not always easy to read.  BUT… the last chapters of this book could not be a more perfect conclusion to this series.  Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that as I read these last chapters, I would love nothing more than to die and go to Narnia.  Sometimes I secretly hope that heaven actually looks like this.  It brings tears to me.

One final thing I’d like to say about The Chronicles of Narnia: unlike something like the Harry Potter series where the main character grows up and the books get more mature in content as you progress through them, the Narnia series is fairly consistent throughout.  Books six and seven are just as appropriate for an 8 or 9  year old as books one and two.  With something like Harry Potter, it was great for the kids who were growing up with him before all of the books were published.  But now, you might have a 9 year old who picks up the first few books and breezes through them, but might struggle with the length and content of the last ones.  You won’t have to worry about that with Narnia.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

The Magician’s Nephew

The Magician’s Nephew (1955)
by C. S. Lewis

Sixth written, first in the Narnian chronology.

In The Magician’s Nephew, Lewis takes us back in time to the turn of the 20th century, the time before Narnia existed.  It’s the story of two children – Digory and Polly – and how they chanced upon magical adventures one summer.  Digory’s uncle Andrew is a meddlesome dabbler in magic, and he tricks the children into using some magic rings that he is too afraid to try himself.  These rings can take them to many different worlds.  They come upon a dying world, break an enchantment, and bring a horrible witch back to Victorian England.  When they try to bring her back to her own world, the children bring her and a whole host of others into a world of complete nothingness.  Then the song begins, the song of the creation of Narnia.  Since it was Digory who brought the witch into the world, it is Digory who must now protect it from her.

This is my other favorite chronicle.  I actually had a cassette tape of it long before I even realized Narnia was a series and an entire world.  I love the back story that Lewis creates.  You can see how one thing that happened several years ago affects the future of Narnia.  I guess that’s a perk of writing the beginning after most of the story.  But I like connections and flashbacks.  I also like this story because of the biblical allusions (I guess as Lewis got on with the series, he wanted the faith element to be more prevalent?) – it’s a magical retelling of the Genesis story.  Whether or not you believe the Genesis account of creation, this is a beautiful story.  Aslan creates the world with a song.  The idea sends chills through me.  A song that can create something out of nothing is almost to beautiful to imagine.  The story line for The Magician’s Nephew is also quite captivating – magical and adventurous.  And whether you’re reading this book first, second, sixth, or anywhere in the series, it’s a great story that can stand apart on its own, as it did for me with the audio book so many years ago.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

The Horse and His Boy

The Horse and His Boy (1954)

by C. S. Lewis

Fifth written, third in the Narnian chronology.

The Horse and His Boy is a unique chronicle in the Narnian collection.  It takes place during the reign of the Pevensie children, the Golden Age of Narnia, but for the most part, it does not take place in Narnia.  It is the story of Shasta and Bree – two refugees from Calormen, the country to the south of Narnia.  Shasta is a young boy escaping to freedom in the north, and Bree is a Talking Horse of Narnia.  Along the way they meet Aravis and Hwin.  Aravis is a Calormene Tarkheena (princess) and Hwin is a Talking Mare.  Things go fairly well until they get to the big city, Tashbaan, where they are separated.  Shasta falls in with the visiting Narnians who mistake him for a runaway prince.  Aravis gets into the Calormene palace and discovers a plot against the Narnians and their northern allies.  They must race across the desert to warn Narnia in time to save it from the terrible Prince Rabadash.

This book has always been one of my favorites – top one or two.  I loved horses as a kid, so that was a big plus.  But this particular chronicle has also done a whole heck of a lot for my personal spiritual development.  Unlike the last three books, The Horse and His Boy is laden with biblical allegories.  Of course, the amazing adventure-mystery-fantasy story can still be enjoyed on a surface level, but if you want to take it deeper, the text will go there with you.  In this book, Lewis develops Aslan and his love and especially his faithfulness.  He has had a plan since the beginning, a good plan, and he carries the characters through whatever they need, even when they might not know it.  It’s fascinating, hopeful, and inspiring.

Image taken from: http://www.amazon.com.

The Silver Chair

The Silver Chair (1953)
by C. S. Lewis

Fourth written, sixth in the Narnian chronology.

The Silver Chair explores the Northern boundaries of Narnia  with an almost entirely new cast of characters.  King Caspian is now a very old man and near death.  His wife was killed by a serpent and his son, Rillian, has been missing for ten years after trying to avenge his mother.  No one has been able to find the prince.  So Aslan once again calls on help from children from the other world.  The four Pevensie children are now too old to return to Narnia.  But their cousin, Eustace, and a classmate of his, Jill Pole, find their way into Narnia while trying to escape some bullies.  Aslan gives Jill four signs she must follow to find the missing prince.  He also provides the help of a marshwiggle called Puddleglum – a swamp-dwelling, depressing, and most loyal friend.  Jill has trouble remembering the signs, but with a great deal of help from her friends, the prince is found.  The only trouble lies with bringing him back home to his father before it’s too late…

The Silver Chair takes us north of the Narnian border into giant country.  Lewis’ imagination is stretched even further as he designs this wilderness, complete with new species.  Like Prince Caspian, this has never been one of my favorite chronicles.  I love Puddleglum – he’s a great character, although sometimes hard to read.  But the story has never grabbed me or my imagination like the others have.  There is one thing I’d like to illuminate about this particular book, though, that makes it amazing.  Lewis’ language.  His gift of profound understatement overwhelms me sometimes.  Here’s an example of what I meant: when Caspian finds out from his best friend, Lord Drinian, that his son has gone missing, he is utterly heartbroken and outraged.  Drinian himself takes the blame and Caspian rushes at him with a battle axe to exact his vengeance.  But then he stops.

“Caspian suddenly threw [the axe] away and cried out, ‘ I have lost my queen and my son: shall I lose my friend also?’  And he fell upon the Lord Drinian’s neck and embraced him and both wept, and their friendship was not broken.” (p. 60)

That kind of understatement of the last sentence sends tingles through my spine – something so profoundly emotional is happening in the story, and Lewis is able to sum it up in five words: their friendship was not broken.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
by C. S. Lewis

Third written, fifth in Narnian chronology.

In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the two youngest Pevensie children come back to Narnia with their cousin Eustace.  There are no problems in Narnia – no war or evil tyrants or anything like that.  Caspian is now king, and he’s embarking on an adventure that will carry him to the unexplored islands of the Narnian seas.  He is searching for seven lords, friends of his father, that had been sent away by his uncle Miraz.  He also hopes to reach Aslan’s country, which is believed to be over the sea at the end of the world.  Caspian and his crew and the children sail to many enchanted islands where they meet slave traders, dragons, retired stars, among other things while on their quest.

This was one of my favorite chronicles for a time.  Whereas Lewis explored the history of Narnia in his last book, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader gives the reader a deeper understanding of its geography and its relation to the world in which it exists.  Each island presents the reader with a whole new world to imagine – both good and bad.  I think that’s why I liked it as a child.  The story is very linear: Caspian et al. travel from point A to point B to point C… and there’s no enemy to be conquered.  It’s Lewis’ descriptive language and the power of the imagination in visualizing the diversity that keeps this book interesting.

Image taken from: http://www.amazon.com

Prince Caspian

Prince Caspian (1951)
by C. S. Lewis

Second written, fourth in Narnian chronology.

In Prince Caspian, the four children from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe are magically called back into Narnia on another adventure.  Although only a year has passed in England, centuries have passed in Narnian time.  Everyone they knew is long gone, and nothing looks the same.  The country of Talking Beasts, centaurs, fauns, and other mythical and magical creatures is now in the hands of men.  The children have been called back to establish the rule of the young Prince Caspian X, the rightful ruler of Narnia.  Narnia is currently being ruled by Caspian’s evil uncle, Miraz, who is trying to destroy all of “Old Narnia” – the magical, mythical creatures and Talking Beasts and anyone sympathetic to their cause.  Caspian and his rogue army are certainly the underdogs, but with the help of the children and Aslan, Narnia can be restored to its former peace and glory.

This is another book that Disney ruined.  According to Lewis, Caspian was about 13 years old, blond, and never had any problems with Peter Pevensie, the oldest of the children.  That’s not at all how it was portrayed by the filmmakers, and that made me mad.  Prince Caspian was never one of my favorite chronicles (the favorite changes every once and awhile), but it does introduce some of the best characters within the whole series.  Like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, one can find biblical allusions in Prince Caspian, but they are much more subdued.  I believe that with this book, Lewis is developing Narnia in his own mind re: the nature of its inhabitants and its history in relation to the rest of its world.  The story is a fairly straightforward fantasy with a culminating battle in good vs. evil.  I believe it is the supporting cast of Narnians (like Reepicheep the Talking Mouse) that makes this book worth the read.  That, and the rest of the series would be a bit difficult to understand without it.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com/

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950)
by C. S. Lewis

First of the series written, second in the chronology of Narnia.

With the revival of the movie released by Disney, many kids probably know this story.  Or at least most of it.  I for one am glad I knew the books long before the movie – very rarely do movies do justice to the book.  The Disney one strayed from the book, although it was more engaging.  The BBC version follows the book almost to the letter (which I appreciate), but it was soooo terribly done.  Movies just can’t capture what kids’ imaginations create as they process words from pages into images in their minds.  But I digress.  This is supposed to be about the book, not the film adaptations.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a story about four siblings who stumble through an old wardrobe into another country in a completely different world from their own in England.  Narnia, the country in the wardrobe, is controlled by an evil witch who has made herself queen.  Narnia has a real king – Aslan the Great Lion, but for whatever reason, he is absent at the beginning of the story.  The children must help Aslan and the Narnians reclaim their country from the witch and put an end to evil for a long time.

For anyone who has ever had any kind of Sunday school class or church education, you can see that the Biblical themes run rampant through this story.  That’s part of the reason I love these stories – it really helped me understand the love of Jesus and how he interacts in the hearts of people, and I owe a great deal of my spiritual development to Lewis.  But the story was never meant to be allegorical. What Lewis’ writing style does is make you think, “Hrm, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard something like this before…” but it certainly does not beat you over the head with theology.  Lewis was a Christian, and his faith permeated and inspired his writing, but this is still a children’s story – not a Bible story.  It’s a great fantasy story that creates a beautiful world with wonderful characters that one can escape to.  What child (or adult, for that matter) doesn’t wish they could open their closet to a magical world whenever things get tough?  This book can enjoyed by anyone, young or old, of any spiritual background.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com/

Chunks of My Childhood

Recently enjoyed: Small café au lait with whole milk, sugar, and cinnamon on top from Cornerstone Coffee House.  It’s not Starbucks, but I had a gift card.
If I had gotten it at Starbucks, it would be called a tall whole milk with sugar and cinnamon on top misto.

Currently reviewing: The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

I’m not one to use absolutes when describing my favorites, especially when it comes to describing books.  But if I had to make a list, this series would definitely be near the top of my favorite books, children’s books, series, and theological writings.  I first read through them all in the 4th grade, and have read them many times over since then.  I still have the first set I got from the Scholastic book order, and I also own them on audio book and in Spanish (although I can’t find my Dawn Treader… I think I might have left it in Spain ).  I make no promises to be an impartial reviewer.  I usually have very passionate opinions about whether I like or dislike something.  I often have good defenses one way or another, but that’s not a promise either.

I’ll make a separate post for each book so you don’t have to assail your eyes or your brain all at once.

Image taken from: http://gutenberg.zlio.net/c/Books/6019332