Laurel Guillen's Blog
October 13, 2024
Part 4 The sum of L'Engle, Lewis and Tolkien in a young reader's life
In my early adult years I read many, many fantasy series including some with 9, 12, 14 or more volumes. The Wheel of Time, Thomas Covenant, The Sword of Truth, etc. But despite the engrossing worlds and action, they were always a bit of a letdown. Why was Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings so superior? And why didn’t these books make me feel the way I had as a child reading C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia or Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time?
It took me a while but I finally figured it out. My three favorite fantasy/sci-fi books were all written by great authors who were also Christians. Their faith and Christian worldview infused their writing, determined their themes, and marked their heroes as characters motivated by great love and great self-sacrifice.
I had been learning about God and his love for me even as a child, through the pages of my favorite books, and I didn’t even realize it. It wasn’t until many years after I gave my life to Him that I finally understood how books had helped pave the way, like steppingstones.
Do not underestimate the importance of introducing great books by Christian authors to the young readers in your life.
It took me a while but I finally figured it out. My three favorite fantasy/sci-fi books were all written by great authors who were also Christians. Their faith and Christian worldview infused their writing, determined their themes, and marked their heroes as characters motivated by great love and great self-sacrifice.
I had been learning about God and his love for me even as a child, through the pages of my favorite books, and I didn’t even realize it. It wasn’t until many years after I gave my life to Him that I finally understood how books had helped pave the way, like steppingstones.
Do not underestimate the importance of introducing great books by Christian authors to the young readers in your life.
Part 3 The Lord of the Rings, Introduce young readers to Christian authors
It was the summer between seventh and eighth grade, and a town librarian who knew my thirst for books handed me a copy of The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. It was wholly new and wonderful thing and when I returned to him asking for more, he handed me the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings.
At first, I was taken aback by all the genealogies and the strange languages. But my 13-year-old self didn’t get bogged down, I just kept reading. This was the first time I’d entered a fictional world that so absorbed me: the real world seemed dim and inconsequential by comparison. I distinctly remember one summer weekend when I started the second book, the Two Towers, and did not sleep until I finished the Return of the King about forty hours later. In the middle of one night, I reached a climactic scene in which an evil being is defeated by someone who is not who they seem to be. I jumped up and went running around a dark, sleeping house, I was so thrilled. The movies that have been made of Tolkien’s works may be fabulous, but nothing compares to reading the series that was voted the best work of fiction in the 20th century. Make sure every teenager you know gets that chance.
At first, I was taken aback by all the genealogies and the strange languages. But my 13-year-old self didn’t get bogged down, I just kept reading. This was the first time I’d entered a fictional world that so absorbed me: the real world seemed dim and inconsequential by comparison. I distinctly remember one summer weekend when I started the second book, the Two Towers, and did not sleep until I finished the Return of the King about forty hours later. In the middle of one night, I reached a climactic scene in which an evil being is defeated by someone who is not who they seem to be. I jumped up and went running around a dark, sleeping house, I was so thrilled. The movies that have been made of Tolkien’s works may be fabulous, but nothing compares to reading the series that was voted the best work of fiction in the 20th century. Make sure every teenager you know gets that chance.
Part 2: The Chronicles of Narnia, Introduce young readers to Christian authors
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first book I read in the Chronicles of Narnia, marked a milestone in my reading life as a middle-grader. A book about a magical world with fascinating beasts only a wardrobe away from our own!
After Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time introduced me to science fiction, The Chronicles of Narnia opened my eyes to the world of fantasy. I gobbled up the entire series, always impatient for the next appearance of Aslan.
I have read hundreds of fantasy books since then, but I can still say that none of the magically imbued, super-powerful characters I’ve read about have ever affected me like the noble lion did. I love Aslan, and always will.
Decades later I would read C.S. Lewis’s great works of Christian non-fiction, but the groundwork for my soul’s understanding was already written on my heart.
After Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time introduced me to science fiction, The Chronicles of Narnia opened my eyes to the world of fantasy. I gobbled up the entire series, always impatient for the next appearance of Aslan.
I have read hundreds of fantasy books since then, but I can still say that none of the magically imbued, super-powerful characters I’ve read about have ever affected me like the noble lion did. I love Aslan, and always will.
Decades later I would read C.S. Lewis’s great works of Christian non-fiction, but the groundwork for my soul’s understanding was already written on my heart.
October 10, 2024
Introduce Young Readers to Christian Authors Part 1
From the moment I started reading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle in grade school, I completely identified with Meg. Like her, I felt strongly protective toward my younger brothers and didn't entirely understand my parents. As for strange, lovable, old people, we had those in our family too.
Many decades later I can still remember Mrs. Who illustrating a tesseract, and the absolute astonishment and chills I felt when I learned what "It" was.
This was my first science fiction book, and it changed my life. I would read so many science fiction books by the time I was in my 20s, that I'd be asked to help edit a science fiction magazine. But rarely did any of those books inspire the feelings of courage, wonder, and powerful love that this one did.
Only decades later did I finally realize why: L'Engle, I discovered, was a Christian, and her faith infused her writing and shone through her words. Parents, forget the Disney movie version and give this book to your middle grade daughter instead.
Many decades later I can still remember Mrs. Who illustrating a tesseract, and the absolute astonishment and chills I felt when I learned what "It" was.
This was my first science fiction book, and it changed my life. I would read so many science fiction books by the time I was in my 20s, that I'd be asked to help edit a science fiction magazine. But rarely did any of those books inspire the feelings of courage, wonder, and powerful love that this one did.
Only decades later did I finally realize why: L'Engle, I discovered, was a Christian, and her faith infused her writing and shone through her words. Parents, forget the Disney movie version and give this book to your middle grade daughter instead.
