Prince Caspian

Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia, #4) by CS Lewis 

223 pages 

Fiction - Children's Literature

Originally published in 1951, this tale begins a year after The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe ends in England's time. In Narnia, hundreds of years have passed since the children left and their Golden Age of ruling is remembered only as a fairy tale. The children are magically pulled from a train platform when exiled Prince Caspian blows Lucy's horn to summon assistance.

Notably, Narnia changes the children when they reenter it - it makes them stronger and allows them to remember details from their last adventure. The book spends a good deal of time telling Prince Caspian's backstory and then children have an adventure trying to get to him. Once he is located, there is an extended sword battle between High King Peter and King Miraz (Caspian's evil usurping Uncle).

Both exciting and interesting, this book provides a wonderful mental escape from reality while uplifting the reader and providing good moral lessons for children. In this story, Lucy alone initially sees Aslan and must struggle when others don't believe her.

At the end of the tale, Peter and Susan are told they will never be returning to Narnia. It is implied that Edmund and Lucy will get to return since they are still young. The children are then returned to the train platform at the same moment they left after being in Narnia for a few days.

It would be good to read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe before reading this book. However, book #1 & 3 (The Magician's Nephew and The Horse & His Boy) are largely irrelevant to this story.

This series is breathing new life into my reading. It is such a gift!

Recommended For: Children ages 10 and up (the sword fight is fairly brutal). Adults who want an easy and fun mental escape.