Name: Thrive! NCHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-05-22T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-24T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Tagged: Chronicles of Narnia, literature, reading

This topic has 11 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 1 month ago by jenni33.

Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)

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March 9, 2016 at 8:56 am
jenni33
Participant
My daughter is not at all interested in reading any of the Narnia books. We bought the whole set for my son, and he loved them. I read to him The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and The Magician’s Nephew. He read the rest on his own. However my daughter is not interested in reading them. How important are these books? Should I force her? Are there any alternatives you would suggest? She loves the little house books and has read them multiple times, she loves mysteries, she’s read The Peleg Chronicles, and quite a few children’s classics that I have mostly gotten from book lists like Sonlight, MFW, and other homeschooling blogs or books. However when I pull out the Narnia books, she says she doesn’t want to read them. So I just wonder if I should force her to read just one? And if I did make her read one, which one should it be?
March 9, 2016 at 9:21 am
Monica
Participant
No books are must-reads, different kids have different interests. That said, would she listen to the audio books? Could you read them as a bedtime story?
My boys have no interest in the Little House books, so I understand your dilemma.

March 9, 2016 at 9:23 am
MissusLeata
Participant
I’ve never read any of the Narnia books. 🙂 I don’t plan on reading them to my kids or having them read them.
What aspect of the books would you find important? If it’s the allegory, “Pilgrim’s Progress” (or a children’s version of it) covers that. Then there’s Hawthorn’s “The Celestial Railroad.”
If it’s the fantasy, there are lots of options. Edith Nesbit’s books are fun.
March 9, 2016 at 9:46 am
HollyS
Participant
We listened to a couple of the books in the car. This is the set we have, but you can buy them individually as well.
I also agree that no book is necessary…there are so many options out there. I require my DC to at least give a book a try, which I would consider 5 or so chapters. I figure they haven’t gotten into it by then, they probably wont ever.
DD disliked Carry On Mr. Bowditch, which seems to be on every reading list for every curriculum she’s used. For some reason she just hasn’t connected with it. Next year it’s listed for Early Modern, so I am replacing it with The Reb and the Redcoats.
March 9, 2016 at 10:17 am
jenni33
Participant
I think I feel obligated to have her read them because my son did and loved them. And they are also on just about every homescool reading list I can find. But, if there are others out there who are not reading them, I probably won’t feel guilty skipping them. Thanks!
March 9, 2016 at 10:38 am
jenni33
Participant
And we have also enjoyed some audio books, so that’s a great option. Thanks for the idea!
March 10, 2016 at 12:21 pm
Paula Spicer
Participant
My kids liked certain ones. They liked The Lion witch and wardrobe. It took a little while in the book of The Magicians Nephew before it became interesting. The 3rd book, can’t remember the name, they didn’t enjoy and the silver chair wasn’t a favorite either. Prince Caspian was pretty good and I bribed them, if you finish these books you can watch the disney movie made about it.
They also prefer me to read these outloud (apparently they get a kick out of a country accent trying “to be British”)
If mine particularly hate a book, we drop it and maybe try it later. They can always go back as an adult and read it. And I never read any of Narnias until I read them outloud to the kids. I still turned out halfway OK 😉

March 10, 2016 at 2:30 pm
2Corin57
Participant
If she has no interest, she has no interest.
Have you looked at the Anne of Green Gables series? If she liked Little House, I would guess she’ll like those.
March 11, 2016 at 5:43 am
Spreading the Feast
Participant
I’d read the first two chapters from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to her. If she still isn’t interested, just leave it. I can’t imagine a child not liking them, so yes, I’d force at least 2 chapters.
March 11, 2016 at 11:44 am
jenni33
Participant
Speading the Feast- I kind of thought the same thing. She does willingly start something, but will drop if it is uninteresting. I checked out A Wrinkle In Time from the library, and she read the first 20-30 pages and dropped it. She said it didn’t interest her. I think the fantasy element is not something she’s interested in.
2Corin57- Anne of Green Gables is on our list. Thanks!
March 21, 2016 at 10:26 pm
LeAnn
Participant
Do you mind me asking what age your son started them? I didn’t grow up reading them, but my husband did, and he has wonderful memories of them. It seems like something my son will enjoy, but I wasn’t sure what age is appropriate. Thanks!
March 21, 2016 at 11:10 pm
jenni33
Participant
He started them in 3rd or 4th grade, and we started them together as read-alouds. Over the next several years, he read them on his own, and several of them he read twice.