Since they were published in 1865 and 1956 respectively, Alice in Wonderland , and the chronicles of Narnia and have become metaphors for stumbling (literally) across magic in unexpected places. In these books, finding fantasy realms of wonder, magic, mythical beasts, and talking animals lies in the most simple and everyday action of opening a wardrobe or the dizzying plunge of spiralling down a rabbit hole.
Alice in Wonderland
In Alice in wonderland, Alice, a girl of 7, follows a talking white rabbit on a sleepy afternoon, and falls down a rabbit hole into wonderland, where she meets some of the most famous and entertaining characters in English literature, from the March hare, to the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of hearts, Humpty Dumpty and the mad hatter.
She also changes size a few times, and is mistaken for a parlour maid, a monster, a serpent, a volcano and a flower, all in the space of a single afternoon! The things Lewis Carroll imagines are so unusual, intriguing , funny, quaint and often utterly senseless, it’s hard not to wonder exactly what he was thinking as he wrote.
The Chronicles of Narnia
Illustration by Mehr
A group of children open a wardrobe into another world and become involved in the magical world of Narnia, together setting out to stop the evil White Queen from putting a spell of eternal winter on their beloved Narnia with the help of Aslan, a wise, talking Lion. They fly on the back of a winged horse, sail across seas, navigate the woods and watch the beginning of the world - the first sunrise, the first creatures emerging, the very first plants and trees and finally, the very first man.
The chronicles of Narnia are children’s adventure tales that have never gone out of print, and most children’s adventure tales today have their roots in Narnia - a land of magic, adventure and chivalry. The chronicles are lively, magical and dreamy - at the same time conveying messages of hope, bravery, friendship, and kindness.
Illustration by Mehr
[Welcome to Mehr's Corner on the Luna blog. Mehr is a fourteen-year-old who loves to read. A frequent visitor to Luna since we opened two years ago, we always love seeing her explore our shelves. During her summer break this year, Mehr helped us with a bunch of things around the bookshop, including writing about the books she loves. She enjoys an eclectic range of books - some of her favourite authors are Neil Gaiman, Ann Patchett, Ray Bradbury, Madeline Miller, David Grann, Ashley Schumacher, and JRR Tolkien.]
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