What’s it about?
This series is about a magical land called Narnia that we follow from its creation in the first book (The Magicians’s Nephew) to its destruction in the last book (The Final Battle). Various children travel from Earth to Narnia in very random ways and embark on wild adventures before eventually returning back to Earth to continue their lives as “regular” children. Most of the children who go to Narnia end up as royalty or folk heroes to the Narnians. There is also an omniscient lion named Aslan who is basically the god/Jesus of Narnia and helps the children and Narnians defend themselves from whatever threat there is.
Why do I like it still?
Honestly, I think part of the reason I liked it so much at first was the movie adaptations. I watched them all the time with my younger sister and still do occasionally to this day. Of course, I still found the high fantasy feel, the political intrigue, the lovable characters, and the action fascinating, but the movies were so nostalgic for me it definitely made me appreciate the books more.
The books were a bit of a blur to me at first. Most of the plot and underlying tones went directly over my head, but once I had read them two or three times, I began to fall in love with the books as a separate entity from the movies. I realized that the movies are telling the story of the Pevensie children (the main characters from book 2,4, and 5) and the books tell the story of Narnia itself. The long and complicated history of this land filled with fauns and talking beavers and Jesus lions.
I like revisiting this series now because it is such a classic. It has magnificent world building, fantastic characters, terrifying villains, and a genuinely interesting overarching story. Also, even though it is technically a children’s series, the writing is not so simplistic that it makes it hard to read when you get older.
Quick side note:
Everyone reads these books in different orders because the publication order and the chronological order are different. My sister’s box set had them in chronological order, which is how I reference them, but some box sets are in publication order, and some sets don’t even have The Magician’s Nephew included.
My Childhood Library 
I really like how you still read and love these books. Personally I have never read these books and honestly I don’t plan to because I’m not really a big reader. Although I definitely do remember watch the movies, I think the part I remember the most is when the lion was dying? I might be imaging that (It’s been a hot minute since I’ve seen the movies), in the end I was really sad.
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Once again, I greatly enjoyed this series as a child. I can still picture the warm fuzzy feeling and thrill of it. I enjoyed it wayyyy more that Harry Potter TBH. And the movie, I can still remember watching it for the first time with my grandma.
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Wow, I was blown away when I heard you began to pick up more of the themes “once I had read them two or three times.” I don’t think I’ve ever read the same book twice. I know that might just be because I should read more, but still. I started reading The Magicians Nephew earlier this year and the numbering on the box set in Mrs. Duffy’s room was sooooo confusing. Thank you for clearing that up! I remember watching the movies with the snow food and the ice thingy and the “Jesus lion.” I always wanted to eat that snow food.
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