Hello from the Hobbit Library. It's Briellerose here. This month, it's time to set sail for the open sea... literally! We are heading out to sea, but it wouldn't be a trip without a good book to read, and this month's involves a boat, but not a boat from this world. The boat is from the world of Narnia.
We're heading back to Narnia with Edmund and Lucy Pevensie and their cousin, the rather aptly named, Eustace Scrubb! This month's book is The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which is the fifth book in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. This is probably one of my favourite books of the series.
The Pevensies have been split up; Susan is in America with the Pevensie parents, and Peter is staying with Professor Kirk (See the Magician's Nephew and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe for more on him), so Edmund and Lucy are sent to Cambridge to live with Aunt Alberta, Uncle Harold, and their cousin Eustace. I do feel sorry for the two younger kids, as it's obvious Edmund and Lucy would rather be anywhere but Cambridge. Lucy had even said that she wanted to go to America.
The magic begins when the three kids are looking at a picture, commenting on how it looks like the waves are really moving. This got my attention because Narnia has a way of sucking you back in when you least expect it. That is exactly what happens. Edmund and Lucy take it all in their stride, but Eustace tries to destroy the picture. But soon enough, the three are in the sea. Lucy and Edmund swim, and Eustace is a bit... well, useless, really.
The three are picked up by a ship, and Lucy is reunited with Reepicheep before their dear friend Prince... no, it's King now... Caspian. He arrives and reveals that the Dawn Treader is his ship. I've always loved Caspian since reading about him in his book, Prince Caspian. Now, he's three years into his reign, which is amazing. Along with the Pevensies, we learn that there is peace in Narnia, and Caspian is on a mission to find his father's friends: The Seven Lords of Narnia, who were banished during Talmarine rule.
As the Pevensies adjust to being back in Narnia, Eustace struggles and, honestly, behaves like a spoiled child at points. Instead of trying to embrace things, he is resistant to everything. I can understand that he is in a new world, but I do feel that if he'd listened to his cousins more, then he would have handled things a lot better.
The group travel to many islands, and some are reclaimed for Narnia. There were narrow escapes, such as the slave market on the Lone Islands and the near miss on Deathwater Island, but it was the island between these two, Dragon Island, where a change happened. Eustace wandered away from everyone as he looked around and was turned into a dragon. This was the beginning of a change in Eustace as he began to realise how his behaviour affected everyone.
Of course, Eustace did become a human again and was a lot better after that, much to the relief of everyone. He then helped out when he could. The ship headed to Dark Island, as they called it, and it was here where they discovered one of the Lords. By this point, they'd found four of the Lords. Two were alive, and two had sadly perished.
I really loved travelling the Seas again with the group. In the end, they did find the other three Lords, and sadly, a choice had to be made. I really didn't like that part. Aslan arrived, telling everyone that it was time to split up again. Caspian headed off on another adventure while the Pevensies headed to The World's End, and Reepicheep made his way back to Aslan's Country.
This bit always makes me sad, and I won't spoil this part too much because, as Cissarose says, you need to read the book for yourself. However, as you know from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, there is always a return to their own world. Eustace was very much changed and was a rather pleasant boy from that point on.
I loved re-entering Narnia, and now, I want to reread the whole series again. It's a different kind of magic. My sisters and I love this book series a lot.
That's all from me this month. Ellieanarose should be back next month, so come back and see what she's reading.
Lots of love,
Briellerose xxx