I have a good friend who claims this is the best book in the Chronicles of Narnia series. I like her anyway. She is SO wrong.

The Good Quote: There were parts to love– the dragon, dufflepuds, stopping the slave trade– in spite of this being the worst book in the best book series ever. I suppose my favorite part would be when t he ship was heading into nothing but blackness. Everyone wanted to turn around–the captain of the ship, the King, and even previous King Edmund. But then obnoxious Reepicheep the obnoxious mouse spoke up.

“‘And why not?’ he said. ‘Will someone explain to me why not.’

No one was anxious to explain, so Reepicheep continued:

‘If I were addressing peasants or slaves,’ he said, ‘I might suppose that this suggestion proceeded from cowardice. But I hope it will never be told in Narnia that a company of noble and royal persons in the flower of their age turned tail because they were afraid of the dark.’

‘But what manner of use would it be plowing through that blackness?’ asked Darinian.

‘Use?’ replied Reepicheep. ‘Use, Captain? If by use you mean filling our bellies or our purses, I confess it will be no use at all. So far as I know we did not set sail to look for things useful but to seek honor and adventure. And here is as great an adventure as ever I heard of.'”

The moral? Don’t bring talking mice on trips.

The Bad: This is CS Lewis. He doesn’t write bad. But did he know how to adjust the valves on his car? I’m guessing not, and that makes me feel good. A man shouldn’t be good at everything.

The Ugly: Eustace Scrubb. Where did he dream up that name?