Chronicles of Narnia

[Elanor]

Originally Posted by Curubethion

I like Lewis' original order, because then all of the information falls into place the right way. He wrote LWW first, and then went back and wrote all of the background to fit it. That should be the order it's read in.

I agree with this. This is the order in which the books were written:

1: THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE
2: PRINCE CASPIAN
3: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER
4: THE SILVER CHAIR
5: THE HORSE AND HIS BOY
6: THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW
7: THE LAST BATTLE

I think kids will be drawn in more if they follow Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy's journey, then find out the backstory, and finally get the resolution for all the characters. Plus, if you already know the history of Professor Kirke and Jadis, it takes some of the mystery away from the experience of reading LWW.

I also agree that the 'novelisations' and silly little 'chapter' books are ridiculous. My 15-year-old sister has Down's Syndrome (she reads on the level of an 8-year-old or lower), and she's read all the original Narnia books and understood them perfectly!