Beyond the wooden wardrobe doors, through heavy fur coats and prickly trees, lies a world where anything is possible. A lion named Aslan rules here, where the evil White Witch has cast an eternal spell over the land so it is always winter but never Christmas. In this land, unicorns are no myth, fauns wear scarves and make cups of tea, and magic is ordinary.
Welcome to the world of Narnia, created in 1950 by the Irish author C.S. Lewis, with the seven-part fantasy series: “The Chronicles of Narnia.” These classic children’s books have experienced a resurgence of interest in the last couple of months after Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media announced a plan to turn the first book, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” into a major motion picture. “The Chronicles” ride on the success of the “Harry Potter” series, books that got children reading again and made adults unafraid to admit they were hooked.
“The Chronicles of Narnia” and the “Harry Potter” series comprise books that manage to lessen the gap between reality and fantasy, bringing a bit of magic to readers of every age group.
Andee Riel has been with Borders Group, Inc., for more than six years and is the current sales manager at the Eugene store. She has been there for every “Harry Potter” book release and describes the amount of attention these books have a received as phenomenal.
“We stay open till midnight so everyone can buy them at 12:01 a.m.,” Riel said.
The first person to buy last year’s “Harry Potter” book, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” at the Eugene store was a little boy who came early enough that his mother brought him lunch, Riel remembered.
“The parents are so supportive of the kids that read ‘Harry Potter’ – that’s the most amazing part. The bottom line for us is, it’s about reading,” she said.
“People reserve those books months and months in advance so that they’re ensured their copy will be here,” Darin Obdahl said, who is the general manager of the Eugene store. He believes that the popularity of the “Harry Potter” series is owed to the fact that they are well-written books that target the appropriate age group. Obdahl pointed out that many of the children who read the books are the same age as Harry Potter, making it easy for kids to relate.

The “Harry Potter” series has paved the way for books by C.S. Lewis and also J.R.R. Tolkien. Riel stated that without “Harry Potter,” books like “The Chronicles of Narnia” would not have been as successful and have received such a strong rekindling of interest.
“It’s beautiful because it opens up classic literature for everyone,” Riel said of “Harry Potter.” “‘Harry Potter’ is now a classic without even trying. It’s like Peter Pan. People want to escape reality.”
The last “Harry Potter” book is expected to be released on July 7, 2007, and will mark the completion of the series.
“I’m not looking forward to the very last book because that means that it will be over,” said 20-year-old “Harry Potter” fan Amy Reed. “I’m interested to see how she will finish it.”
Reed is among many fans who show that “Harry Potter” is not just for kids. She began reading the series when the first book came out and has been hooked since. When the “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” movie was released last year, Reed was among many who dressed up in wizard gear (she dressed up as a Hufflepuff character) and attended the 12:01 a.m. release.
A fan of young adult books, Reed enjoys reading “Harry Potter” because of the great character development author Rowling presents.
She believes that kids appreciate the books because, in part, they like to rebel against their parents.
“(Kids) try to go out of their way to be a rebel for attention, and ‘Harry Potter’ kind of gives them that,” Reed said, remarking on the controversy that the series has provoked. Because of its elements of magic, the series is on the American Library Association banned book list.
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” by J.K. Rowling was the best-selling book in the United States in 2005, selling 6.9 million copies on its release day, more than 250,000 sales per hour. With her $1 billion fortune, Rowling made it to spot 620 on Forbes’ 2005 “World’s Richest People” list, making her the first person to earn $1 billion writing books.
There have been more than 95 million copies of the “Narnia” series sold in 41 languages. When “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” was released on Dec. 9, 2005, Box Office Mojo reported that it opened with $23.9 million and was the sixth-highest grossing movie of 2005. This year will be a year of anticipation, with Rowling working on the last “Harry Potter” book and Narnia fans awaiting a likely movie sequel, “Prince Caspian.”
Riel reflected on the continuing success of books earlier this month when a customer she was helping said that 15 years ago people thought books would disappear and be replaced with technology.
“And here today they’re writing better books, more interesting books. It’s very exciting,” Riel said.