Book Club

“Reason is the natural organ of truth,
but imagination is the organ of meaning.”
— C.S. Lewis

Step into a land of talking animals, brave heroes, and ancient magic. Walk with us through the wardrobe as we explore C.S. Lewis’ classic series, The Chronicles of Narnia.

~ Details of our past book club meeting ~

Book 5:
Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

Our book club hosted a field day featuring games themed around each island visited by the crew of the Dawn Treader. Moving through the book chronologically, we read our favorite passages aloud and played the following games:

1. The Lone Islands (Unlock the Chains): We unlocked the chains of slavery with Lord Bern! Players interlocked hands to form a tangled “human chain” and had to work together to untangle themselves without letting go.
2. Dragon Island (The Dragon Crawl): We “turned into dragons” like Eustace by racing in a crab walk. Players sat with knees bent, feet flat, and hands behind them, lifting their hips to scuttle across the lawn.
3. Dragon Island (The Shedding of Skins): Inspired by Eustace’s transformation, we cracked open the rough outer shells of real loofahs to reveal the soft, fibrous interior sponges and shared the seeds inside.
4. Dragon Island (The Armband Toss): We tossed Lord Octesian’s gold armband onto the high rocks using a classic game of ring toss.
5. Death Water Island at Golden Pool: We peered into the pool and discovered the golden statue of Lord Restimar.
6. The Reepicheep Courage Challenge: Testing our bravery like the fearless Mouse, we “walked the plank” across a narrow balance beam.
7. The Island of Voices (The Dufflepod Hop): We raced like the one-footed Monopod Dufflepods in a hilarious sack race.
8. A Feast at Ramandu’s Island: We took a break to snack on delicious “Ice Puddings” at the magical feast laid out on Aslan’s Table.
9. Sweet Waters at the Utter East: We concluded our journey “where sky and water meet” by raising our bottles to taste the Sweet Waters at the very edge of the world.

Additional Game Ideas

• Death Water Lily Pad Hop: A stepping-stone style race across “poisoned” waters.
• Dark Island Blindfolded Trust Walk: Navigating a dark maze guided only by a teammate’s voice.
• Sweet Water Bucket Relay: Using the loofah sponges from Dragon Island to fill a bucket with water.

Show-and-Tell!
Our members brought the world of Narnia to life with a variety of creative projects, including:

• A drawing of Reepicheep “the Courageous”
• A cross-section diagram of the Dawn Treader ship
• A drawing of Eustace the Dragon
• A miniature clay sculpture of the Dawn Treader ship
• An origami folded Dawn Treader ship

Book 4:
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

“Things never happen the same way twice.” — Aslan

Arrival & Icebreaker: We started with a classic game of Bobbing for Apples! Players kept their hands behind their backs and used only their teeth to catch a floating apple from a water-filled tub.

Snacks & Social: We enjoyed the apples from our game, and then ate sweet apple compote, along with savory “bear meat” jerky. We feasted with the trees on rich chocolate “earth” cakes filled with “dirt, stones, and soil.” We even had a chance to feed the friendly police horses that were on patrol in the park.

Show-and-Tell!: Everyone shared favorite passages and artwork from the book. We also admired a neat handmade sculpture of Reepicheep the brave talking mouse.

Book 3:
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

Arrival & Icebreaker (10 mins): We opened with a game of Capture the Flag! It was Team Tashbaan with Prince Rabadash vs. Team Archenland and Narnia with King Lune. The goal – to infiltrate the opposing team’s territory, grab their flag, and carry it safely back across the center line to your own territory without being tagged.

Snacks & Social (10 mins): We enjoyed a delicious Narnian Breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pan-fried mushrooms with buttered toast! We also shared Tashbaan Treats of dried figs and nuts, and wheatgrass for the horses.

Discussion (20 mins): We had Show-and-Tell! There were drawings from favorite scenes, favorite passages from the book were read, a hand drawn map of the adventure, and the “deceiver of the eye”– a recreation of one of the first devices that created the illusion of images in motion – a phenakistoscope. This optical illusion was originally designed by Belgian physicist and mathematician, Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau in 1832.


Themed Activity (20 mins): We put our senses to the test with a ‘blind’ game of Guess Who! By touch alone, we had to identify mystery objects and figure out their connection to the story.

~

Book 2:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Arrival & Icebreaker (10 mins): Opening with a game of Narnia Freeze Tag. In this variation of traditional freeze tag, players act out the conflict between the White Witch and Aslan. Goal: The Witch wins if she freezes everyone; the children win if they can stay unfrozen until a time limit is reached. The Witch: One player is the White Witch (carrying a “wand” pool noodle). When she tags someone, they are “turned to stone” and must freeze in place. Aslan: Players will be selected to play the part of Aslan. They can “unfreeze” the stone statues by tagging them, representing Aslan’s breath and restoring life.

Snacks & Social (10 mins): Have a taste of the White Witch’s Turkish Delight, and tea with Mr. Tumnus including boiled eggs, buttery toast, honey, and sardines. If you’re inspired to bring a snack from the wardrobe, please include a label with all ingredients for the safety of those with allergies.

Discussion (20 mins): It’s a Show-and-Tell! Bring something to share that will transport us to Narnia. Ideas include: a drawing of your favorite scene, something you’ve built, something delicious to eat, or read your favorite passage.


Themed Activity (20 mins): Capturing the ‘hope of spring’ by arranging vibrant seasonal flowers within a bed of ‘snow frost.’ Using an ice shaver to create our own “snow”, we crafted beautiful displays with cut-flowers that celebrate the coming season. All flowers and pots are generously provided by Keep Austin Fed.

Many thanks to Keep Austin Fed, a local nonprofit dedicated to reducing hunger and food waste by connecting surplus food with neighbors in need.

~
Book 1
The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
The Magician’s Nephew audiobook with illustrations can be found here.

Arrival & Icebreaker (10 mins): Opening with a game of “Ring the Bell in the Hall of Images” (same as the game Red Light – Green Light).

Snacks & Social (10 mins): Coconut date rolls were served to remind us of the toffee-tree that grew from Digory’s leftover bag of toffee. “The fruit was delicious; not exactly like toffee – softer for one thing, and juicy – but like fruit which reminded one of toffee.”

We also shared delicious apple oat scones homemade by Kim! They reminded us of the magic apple tree, the Tree of Youth, which bears apples that grant immortality and other powers. However, those who eat the apples illegally, like the character Jadis, suffer dire consequences, while the rightful use of the fruit leads to positive outcomes, such as the creation of the Tree of Protection in Narnia. The oats in these delicious scones are like what “Strawberry” the horse remembered eating in our world, and scones themselves are a beloved traditional British pastry. Here’s the recipe.

Apple Oat Scones

• 2 cups all purpose flour, plus 1/2-1 cup more for rolling
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold salted butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, plus more for sprinkling, if desired
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, (optional, but remove 1/4 cup milk if leaving out)
• 1 1/2 cups (2 medium) apples, peeled and diced small
• 3/4 cup whole milk, buttermilk, or heavy cream, (not skim milk)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon

• Make sure all ingredients are measured before you take the butter out of the fridge to begin the first step. You need the butter to be as cold as possible. Combine flour and baking powder and sugar. Mix the tsp cinnamon in a bowl with the apples. Preheat your oven to 400° F.
• Cut the stick of butter in half lengthwise, then cut across 16 times (at least). Drop the sliced butter into the bowl of flour and cut together using a pastry cutter or fork, or your hands, if you don’t mind getting messy. (A food processor pulsed 5-6 times would also work, but make sure each pulse is short). Cut until the butter is Then make a well in the center of the bowl and add the milk and vanilla extract and the oats. Stir together with a spoon (not a mixer) until all of it is mixed together, about two minutes. Add the egg next, combine completely, and then add the apples. Stir to combine. Then drop onto a floured counter (using at minimum half a cup of flour; I used a whole cup). Roll dough out into two large balls. Flatten each one, and then using a butter knife, cut in half, then into quarters, then into eighths. If any of them are making an oddly shaped triangle, you can remold them using the crook of your hand between the thumb and pointer finger, or just roll them into a ball.
• Place on a parchment-lined or butter-greased baking sheet, sprinkle with extra brown sugar if desired, and bake for fifteen minutes. Makes about 16 small scones.

Discussion (20 mins): We had Show-and-Tell! There were magic green and yellow rings, drawings of Aslan, the children and Uncle Andrew, a 3D-printed “Fledge” sculpture, and more. We also read our favorite passages from the book.


Themed Activity (20 mins): We made earth dumplings (or seed balls), small handmade balls of clay, soil/compost, and native wildflowers seeds, designed to be tossed into neglected or barren areas to help grow plants.

To Narnia and the North!