The Man Who Created Narnia: The Story of C.S. Lewis - Hardcover

Gr. 6^-9. Although the format suggests a slightly younger audience, this biography of Christian apologist and Narnia creator C. S. Lewis will probably be read most successfully by junior-high students. The problem is not with Coren's writing style, which is accessible enough, but rather that Lewis' adult writings and some of his tangled personal relationships require readers to bring their own knowledge of the world with them to the book. They will be touched by Lewis' difficult childhood, beginning with the death of his mother, and fans of the Narnia series will delight in learning how these books came into being--and surprised to learn how J. R. R. Tolkien almost squashed the publication of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by telling Lewis the book was no good. There are wonderful, well-reproduced pictures on almost every page, but sometimes they are not well placed (a picture of Lewis and his brothers as boys appears in a chapter about life at Oxford); also, one picture within the body of each chapter appears at the beginning of the chapter, cropped and enlarged, causing readers to wonder, at first glance, if both versions are there intentionally. Still, fans of Lewis and Narnia will find this an interesting read, and they'll learn something about Christianity in the bargain. Ilene Cooper

As the subtitle says, ``The Story of C.S. Lewis'': his life, analysis of his religious awakening and adult Christian apologetics, his late-life marriage to Joy Davidman, and details about the creation of the Chronicles of Narnia (though less than will satisfy its more avid fans). On every page, Coren evinces a profound respect for readers and for his subject. The work is serious, thoughtful, and thorough, providing a clear picture of the man as well as the era in which he lived. Although Lewis was a somewhat reserved Oxford (later Cambridge) don whose life revolved around books and academia, Coren conveys the fascination of his life and the pleasures of his association with other writers and scholars in an immensely readable way that children will understand. Filled with black-and-white photographs, this is a first-rate biography for children. (chronology, bibliography, index) (Biography. 10+) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.