The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Name: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Author: C. S. Lewis
ISBN: 9780590254793

by C. S. Lewis

Ages 8–11 Reading age 10 Novel Set in somewhere magical adventurousepic

A painting of a ship pulls three children into the sea, and they sail east past dragons and darkness to the edge of the world.

A story about children and magical creatures, adventurous and epic in tone. We would put it with children of 8–11, and at a reading age of about 10 for reading alone.

Worth knowing before you buy

Mild peril
Frightening scenes

None of this makes it a bad book — often the opposite. It is here so you can decide whether it is right for your child now or in a year or two.

Part of a series

This one belongs to the The Chronicles of Narnia series, so there is more to read if it goes down well — which is worth a great deal with a reluctant reader.

Our take on this book

A picture of a sailing ship comes alive and pulls Edmund, Lucy and their insufferable cousin Eustace into the sea and aboard the Dawn Treader, on a voyage east past islands of dragons, sea serpents, invisible enemies and a place where dreams come true, all the way to the edge of the world. This is the most episodic of the Narnia books and, for many readers, the most magical: each island is its own strange adventure, and the transformation of the ghastly Eustace — who turns into a dragon and has to be painfully un-made — is the emotional heart. There is mild peril and some frightening moments, particularly the Island where Dreams come true, but the mood is wonder rather than dread. For an eight- to eleven-year-old it is a gorgeous, dreamlike quest that stands well on its own and sends the imagination sailing off the end of the map.