Through an ordinary doorway, Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole stumble upon Narnia. But it is not their own wishes that bring them to the enchanted land; it is the will of the mighty Aslan.

Not only is this the first book without any Pevensies, but it sure does delve into new depths (pun intended). Jill and Eustace are an interesting combination of characters—they're the first to go to Narnia who aren't related to each other in any way, not that being unrelated kept them from bickering. While parts of the story were quite predictable, I still enjoyed the way it played out.

Puddleglum, though, now he's my kind of character. He expects the worst, yet never gives up. He has 100% faith in and devotion to Aslan, and I absolutely love his words and actions when facing the evil witch of this story. I really appreciate the way C.S. Lewis brings out truths about following God in the midst of these fantastical stories. ( )

My late-summer reading list took a turn when political and natural disasters overwhelmed. Returning to Narnia kept me calm and sane and reminded me of the miracle of imagination and the magic of allegory.

Rereading my favorites from the series as part of my personal self-care and wellness. ( )

4* for this audiobook edition & 4.5* for the book itself.

I had no recollection of this entry in the Narnia series and enjoyed it immensely. Eustace, one year after his previous visit to Narnia, is much improved and the plot was altogether exciting and satisfying. I particularly liked the way the book ends with the bullies frightened and the terrible headmistress being found incompetent and so made into a school inspector. When she is incompetent at that, she becomes a Member of Parliament & lives happily ever after! A minor detail but so funny :) ( )

I have a vague remembrance of not liking this book as a child as much as I liked the other Narnia books. It may have been because it was the first story without any of the four Pevensies or because Jill and Eustace don't really get along that well and have attitudes.

I liked it much better this go round. The "gentle giants" storyline had me cringing because it was so obvious to me that they wanted to eat the adventurers. There were many things I didn't remember from when I was younger. In terms of favorites in the series, I would put this in third place with Prince Caspian. (First place is Voyage of the Dawn Treader, second place is The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. The others haven't been placed yet as I haven't reread them yet.) ( )