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Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone vs The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe In the age of swiftly developing media, video games and internet, persuading children to read a book becomes a challenging task. However, there are a number of literary phenomena that can persuade almost every child to leave its computer and fall asleep with a book. Among such popular tales that usually belong to the fantasy genre because of the popularity of magic and adventure with children, is The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, a first novel from one of the most famous fantasy series in literature, The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, a first part of the later Harry Potter series, followed the success and became a major childrens bestseller. Nevertheless, it is always essential that books that children read offer them the right message, which is why it is worthwhile to define it in both cases. Harry Potter tells a story of an orphaned boy who discovered supernatural abilities in himself and leaves his unpleasant relatives to study at the Hogwarts school of witchcraft. He finds new friends and discovers that the main antagonist of the series, Voldemort, who killed his parents, is alive and plans to come back to power. The underlying message of the book is quite educational and pedagogical. It teaches young readers that friendship is important not only for fitting in new society (Harry befriends Ron, who is a pureblood wizard, integrates into a foreign world and finds a suitable position in social group), but also for overcoming difficulties. At the end of the book, Harry is able to stand against his enemy face to face only because his friends, all with specific capabilities necessary to deal with certain obstacles, were by his side (Rowling, pp.61-63). Another moral of the book is the importance of love and its crucial role in life. According to Dumbledor, motherly love of Lily Potter protected her son from Voldemort; it was a reason he stayed alive after the killing curse 11 years before the events of the book, and it was also the reason why Quirell, Voldemorts temporary host, was not able to even touch the boy: Professor Quirrell couldn't

bear to have you touch him?...It was because of your mother. She sacrificed herself for you. And that kind of act leaves a mark (Rowling, p.65). Ability to feel and understand love is the main strong characteristic and the main difference between Harry and Voldemort, who is claimed to be unable to feel or understand love. The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe has a slightly different message, although it promotes friendship and courage as well. Siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy arrive in the magical world of Narnia, which is ruled by an evil witch. According to the prophecy, they are destined to end her governing, as well as eternal winter, established by her powers. However, Edmund is seduced by her charms after eating Turkish delight this scene represents gluttony as one of the seven deadly sins, topic raised in each part of series (Lewis, p. 17). In general, the book is full of Christian symbolism that plays essential role both in the plot and moral of the story. For example, Aslan is a reference to Jesus Christ, which is especially evident after he sacrifices himself, is publically humiliated before his death and is resurrected to defeat the witch (Lewis, pp. 71-76). As soon as the witch, who represents Satan in the story, is gone, Narnia awakens from the long winter that is a symbol of death. All in all, it can be said that The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe uses fantasy setting and adventurous plot in order to introduce young readers to the basic understanding of good and evil and make Bible more accessible for them. Both books, while international bestsellers, are a great instrument of educating the children that read them, as they bear significant meaning, promote universal values and set examples of friendship, love and courage through the main characters that readers can easily relate to.

Works Cited: Lewis, Clive Staples. The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe. Onread.com. n.d. 12.09.2012 Rowling, Joanne. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. Readanybook.com. n.d. 12.09.2012.