The inaugural post on this blog was titled “Children who talk about Narnia… and it was a review of the movie The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. My children have been anticipating the release of the second movie, Prince Caspian, ever since they saw the first one. As many of you know it was released a few weeks ago. All the group of four families attended together, and the general consensus was that it was very enjoyable. Naturally there was much discussion afterwards about deviations from C.S. Lewis’ novel.

Spoiler Alert

The first deviation the children commented on was the kiss between Susan and Caspian at the end. They had been expecting some romance just from watching the trailer and sure enough, it was there. Many knowing looks passed between Susan and Caspian from their first meeting on. Our children were not impressed. I found it amusing that, while on the battle field, Susan would pause, with arrows flying all around her, to see if Caspian was alright and Caspian did likewise even though swords flashed on all sides.

When group of four met later in the week we were able to spend some time discussing what we had liked and disliked about the movie. Many of us agreed that the portrayal of Peter was disappointing. At times he was more of a proud but petty schoolboy than a high king of Narnia. He and Caspian often appeared to be competing against each other rather than working together towards the same end. As L13 pointed out, in the novel the children meet up with Caspian and Peter reassures him that they did not come to take his throne but to put him on it. Similarly we felt that Aslan was not given the prominence he should have had. His appearances were few and brief and his great power was played down.

We thought the night raid on Miraz’s castle was an odd addition to the plot. Peter acted contrary to the advice of others, made the assumption that Aslan was not coming and achieved nothing. Why was the night raid added in and other parts of the story left out?. More celebration after the victory at the fords of Beruna, Caspian’s reunion with his nurse and the schoolboys being changed into pigs are just a few scenes we were hoping for.

Visually the film was impressive. The costumes, the sets, the scenery were all excellent. Apparently Miraz’s castle was built specifically for the film and then completely demolished after filming. All the creatures, both great and small, were very well done. Reepicheep was the chivalrous warrior we expected and the Trufflehunter the wise badger.

Trumpkin, I thought, played the part beautifully. He had the perfect mix of stubborness, pride and humour. Caspian also was well cast. Just before we watched the movie we saw an interview with Ben Barnes (Caspian) explaining that the inspiration for his Mediterranean accent came from Inigo Montoya in Princess Bride. We kept waiting for “you killed my father, prepare to die!”

Lucy was just as appealing this time as she was in the first movie. Of all the children she appeared to have grown the most but was still the trusting, forgiving and fun-loving Lucy we saw in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Despite our discontent with some aspects of the movie, we still enjoyed it very much. The deviations from the book did not stop us from being captivated by an adventure in Narnia. We wondered though, whether someone with no knowledge of the book would be able to work out how it all fitted together. A good reason to read the book. Mind you, my opinion has always been read the book, then see the movie.

A few months back we showed the children some Get Smart and it was a hit. The other day Andrew introduced them to My Favourite Martian, which they also enjoyed. They thought it was a bit strange, but funny. As we don’t have a tv I can’t compare it to the current late afternoon children’s shows, but I’m guessing they’re a little different. I was telling my children about the shows I sometimes watched as a child, Brady Bunch, Hogan’s Heroes, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeanie, F Troop, to name a few.

The other night Andrew and I watched some Gilligan’s Island, another silly show! Watching those poor shipwrecked people with Gilligan, we started making comparisons with another group of wreck survivors who end up on an island. LOST. We realised that the enduring question of GInger or Mary Ann? has become Jack or Sawyer? Or perhaps Kate or Juliette? Is Hurley the new Millionaire? Sayid the professor?

Last night we watched Indiana Jones: Raider of the Lost Ark with some friends. It’s hard to believe it came out twenty-seven years ago. I warned the children it was scary in quite a few places and a couple of times I covered B7’s eyes, but they all enjoyed it and are keen to see another one. My memory is that the subsequent ones were even scarier, so a preview might be in order before we continue. Following that they were treated to the first episode of Beverly Hillbillies! You can see we believe in rich and varied cultural experiences for our children.

After reading Jennifer’s recommendation I decided to reserve this one at the library. I collected it today and read it in an hour before turning it over to my ten-year-old. It is about a fifth grade boy who is not afraid to push the limits; he is not out to cause trouble, he just wants to see what will happen. Always ready with a clever question just before the homework assignment is given out, Arnold finds his delay tactic backfires when his teacher asks him to research the answer to his own question. His research gets him thinking about words, how they came to be and why.

When we were studying Romeo and Juliet with the Group of Four, we looked at Juliet’s speculation that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. The activity that followed was very amusing as the children created small skits where familiar words were replaced by other words. One group replaced the names for things found in an average Sunday morning church service. The strawberries were welcomed and the dish soap led in prayer. I guess you had to be there but it was quite funny.

In Frindle Arnold replaces the word ‘pen’ with the word ‘frindle’, First a few of his friends play along, eventually most of the school is participating and it looks like things might be getting out of hand. A battle ensues with the students up against the teacher and principal. His teacher appears all along to be his staunchest opponent, but in his mother he finds an unexpected ally. The media picks it up and Arnold becomes something of a celebrity.

Frindle is an amusing and thought provoking book, which would be great to read aloud to boys and girls. I enjoyed reading a book where the dictionary takes centre stage, vocabulary is played with and etymology is entertaining. After finishing it A10 also gave it the thumbs up. She liked the fact that there was trouble and a mean teacher. When she mentioned the teacher, I asked,”Did you really think she was mean?”

To which L12 replied,” She is looking at it from the kid’s perspective, while you are seeing it from the teacher’s.” She’s quite right, but either way it is worth reading.