The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

I hadn't read this book since I was a child learning how to read for myself.
I recently finished reading a series of rather depressing and heavy books and saw my collection of Narnia still sitting on the self. So, I decided to give myself a little palate cleanse, and read the first in the series, one that I remember well.

I agree with everyone else that this book is steeped in christian allegory and themes, and reading it at my age these things are pretty easy to spot.
But in terms of a book for children, a book that inspires imagination, fantasy, and curiosity about the world around them, I think it does an excellent job. I recognize that this view is tinted through the shades of nostalgia, but I can't help that. I think like many other firsts in a series of stories it does a good job of building a basis upon which better stories can be told in subsequent volumes.

Rating this book is super hard for me, since I am not at all the intended age demographic. I think if I were a child, I would rate it a 4, but as an adult I give it a 2. So a three it is.