The book that started it all! C.S. Lewis wrote The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for his young goddaughter, Lucy. It tells the story of four siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, a family that was sent to board in a big, mysterious house in the country to avoid bombings during World War II. While playing in the house one day, Lucy enters a wardrobe in the spare room and finds herself in the snowy forest of Narnia. Here she meets a faun by the name of Mr. Tumnus, an evil witch who keeps the land in perpetual ice and snow, a host of talking animals and mythical creatures, and–of course– the Lion. This is the story that first introduces us to Aslan, Lewis’s christ figure and mysterious hero. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy would not only become kings and queens of Narnia, but household names in post-war Western society. This is the quintessential fantasy book for your classroom: it is squeaky-clean and easy for young children to follow, but also offers enough depth and complexity to keep older readers interested. Despite the stereotype of fantasy as a male genre, Narnia is equally as enticing for boys and girls.