Blog 15: Analysis of Nesbit, Lewis and Rowling

I know these three books are grouped together because they all have to do with Real vs Secondary World, but I think the main focus with these three was series order.
NESBIT
I was never exposed to E. Nesbit before this class, so I had no idea The Phoenix and the Carpet was part of a series until someone told me. I do remember being confused about which child was which and not knowing Cyril was a boy until chapter two. However, once I got all of the children straight in my mind the book was great. I think it stands alone from the series very easily. The first book maybe went into more detail about the children, but I honestly didn't love them enough to want to find out. Maybe if I had read book one first I would have felt closer to the children, but it was not necessary for me to enjoy the book.
LEWIS
I have read two books from the Narnia series (Lion, Witch and Wardrobe and Magician's Nephew) and was not in love with either. I saw the movie first then decided to read the series. My roommate had the box set, and Magician's Nephew was first. I was so confused when I read it the first time because I couldn't get into the characters after expecting the four from LWW. I set it aside and read LWW instead, then went back to MN. It was soooo much better that way. I really prefer the original order of the series to the rearranged version. Unless you had already read LWW, you couldnt make connections between the lamp post and Jadis in MN. The books may be able stand on their own, but I much prefer reading them in the order Lewis wrote them. Hopefully during winter break I will have time to read the whole series!
ROWLING
If you are reading a Harry Potter book just to read it or for AR credit, the books stand alone. However, if you plan on reading them all eventually, start at the begining. If you hop around in the Harry Potter series, you may be a bit confused and/or come across people who had already died. (which is confusing in itself) The books do not need each other, but they are so much more enjoyable when you grow up with the characters and read about them in chronological order.
Overall, I think the moral of the story is to always look at the series as a whole instead of just a single book. These three authors show us that order is not always important, but when it is, the reader misses out on some big details.