5 stars my kindergarten-aged daughter would loudly give these books. (4 for Reepicheep all by himself...)

4 stars my 10 year old self would have given them, when they were read to me (In chronological order - HORRORS!!!) by a teacher, after recess, every day, from start to finish...

1 star I would have likely given them when I read them, just because, 6-7 years ago.

3 stars I give them, as a parent, who reads to his daughter every night.  Because she likes them, not because they're a joy to read aloud....

Averages out to 3.25 stars.... Moving on now...

From a work of fantasy, for kids old enough to follow the story lines, these are great.
(Though I'm not looking forward to reading the last book to my five year old...)

You've got magical paintings and wardrobes that transport average kids to fantastic places; wonderful creatures like fauns and dryads and elves; talking mice that kick ass;  kids being transported from their mundane real lives to...well...NARNIA, where they have exciting adventures and become kings and queens and good triumphs...

As I wrote the above, I wanted to be able to listen to the stories unfold from the point of view of a small child again.  I bet I'd get a big kick out of them.

But as an adult, reading them for myself, I found Lewis' writing to be dry, at times heavy handed, and perhaps lacking in the tone that one would hope to associate with a writer of children's books about magical kingdoms populated by talking animals and centaurs and giants and wood nymphs.

As an adult, I can roll my eyes a bit at the not-so-subtle Aslan-as-God,stuff.  Really rolled 'em at the end of The Last Battle....
As an adult, reading them to myself, I did not fight against the urge to skim like crazy, when I realized I wouldn't miss anything intrinsic to the storyline by doing so.
I embraced the urge.

As an adult reading them aloud, I find myself editing a bit.  Example from last night at bedtime: Does it negatively impact the story if my five year old doesn't know that the Calormen are dark skinned, cruel turban-wearers?  Of course not.  She's smart enough to get that they're not "the good guys", without that description.
Is there a point at all to the stop at the island where they ousted Governor Gumpas?

And I find myself stumbling on occasion as I read aloud, due to Lewis' writing style.  If you need parentheses to explain something that you can't SHOW,something that's usually not that important to begin with.... Don't bother.

But, again, the intended audience for these books is not me. Not middle aged un-relgious guy in 2013.

It's children.
And in that respect, the books succeed, even if I personally think there are better, more excitingly written, alternatives.
5 stars my kindergarten-aged daughter would loudly give these books. (4 for Reepicheep all by himself... )

4 stars my 10 year old self would have given them, when they were read to me (In chronological order - HORRORS!!! ) by a teacher, after recess, every day, from start to finish... 1 star I would have likely given them when I read them, just because, 6-7 years ago. 3 stars I give them, as a parent, who reads to his daughter every night. Because she likes them, not because they're a joy to read aloud.... Averages out to 3. 25 stars.... Moving on now... From a work of fantasy, for kids old enough to follow the story lines, these are great. (Though I'm not looking forward to reading the last book to my five year old... )

You've got magical paintings and wardrobes that transport average kids to fantastic places; wonderful creatures like fauns and dryads and elves; talking mice that kick ass;  kids being transported from their mundane real lives to... well... NARNIA, where they have exciting adventures and become kings and queens and good triumphs... As I wrote the above, I wanted to be able to listen to the stories unfold from the point of view of a small child again. I bet I'd get a big kick out of them. But as an adult, reading them for myself, I found Lewis' writing to be dry, at times heavy handed, and perhaps lacking in the tone that one would hope to associate with a writer of children's books about magical kingdoms populated by talking animals and centaurs and giants and wood nymphs. As an adult, I can roll my eyes a bit at the not-so-subtle Aslan-as-God,stuff. Really rolled 'em at the end of The Last Battle.... As an adult, reading them to myself, I did not fight against the urge to skim like crazy, when I realized I wouldn't miss anything intrinsic to the storyline by doing so. I embraced the urge. As an adult reading them aloud, I find myself editing a bit. Example from last night at bedtime: Does it negatively impact the story if my five year old doesn't know that the Calormen are dark skinned, cruel turban-wearers? Of course not. She's smart enough to get that they're not "the good guys", without that description. Is there a point at all to the stop at the island where they ousted Governor Gumpas? And I find myself stumbling on occasion as I read aloud, due to Lewis' writing style. If you need parentheses to explain something that you can't SHOW,something that's usually not that important to begin with.... Don't bother. But, again, the intended audience for these books is not me. Not middle aged un-relgious guy in 2013. It's children. And in that respect, the books succeed, even if I personally think there are better, more excitingly written, alternatives.