Book Review: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Narnia 2

This was the first of the Narnia books written, and tells the story of four children, sent to the North during WWII where they can escape the bombing of London.  The are sent to "The Professors" home, which is a very large estate.  The professor is Digory Kirke, who was the magician's nephew from the earlier Narnia book.  He is older now, and not aware that his home has a passage to Narnia, but Lucy, the youngest sibling discovers this.  The other siblings are Peter, Susan and Edmond.  The story of Narnia is too outlandish and her siblings do not believe her stories.  She made the entrance through a wardrobe, but when they try it doesn't work.  However they eventually also find themselves in Narnia, and in the midst of an adventure.   Narnia has been under a spell for 100 years of winter with no Christmas, a spell from the White Witch.  On the other hand, Aslan has returned.  With him comes spring and new hope.  I have seen this movie many times, and also the BBC version, but I was still moved with the sacrificial death of Aslan, who gives his life to a absolve Edmond, who had tricked Edmond into supporting her.  He gives himself to ridicule, and humiliation, but he does not open his mouth.  He is killed by the witch/queen.  Susan and Lucy watch.  They are so tender-hearted, that I could not help having a tear in my eye.  They remind me of the women at Jesus' tomb.  The stone on which he was lying cracks, and Aslan is not there.  The girls missed this, and when they come back to stone tablet they assume his body has been taken to be misused, but then he stands among them.  A more ancient magic, before even the beginning of the world says a life freely given for another will be returned, and so it was.  Then comes the freeing of those enslaved by the witch, and the great last battle. 
The four children grow up as kings and queens of Narnia, but they go on a hunt, and wander back through the wardrobe, and are again children, as if no time has passed.
This book is one of the best of all time.  Wikipedia reports in the top 100 books from 1923 to 2005 according to Time magazine, and number nine according to BBC's the big read.