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When I noticed Chronicles of Wonder on Moody Publishers’ new release list, I was curious. As someone who has read many biographies of C.S. Lewis over the years, I wasn’t necessarily looking for another, but this one caught my attention because of its storied approach, and because it was written by Modern Miss Mason, Leah Boden.
I’ve followed Leah for years and have long appreciated her intelligent, lovely work. When she released Angel Orphan, her middle-grade biography of Charlotte Mason, I was delighted and deeply impressed. That book was so marvelous for both middle-grade readers and mothers alike that I plan to feature it in a mother’s tea book club at our library next fall.
There was a time when middle-grade biographies—especially those written half a century ago or more—were lively, intelligent, and filled with literary merit. Today’s offerings in that genre too often fall flat: oversimplified, dry, and uninspiring. Leah Boden, as an ambassador for the Charlotte Mason philosophy, has managed something rare and wonderful. She has now given us two biographies in the new Tales of Boldness and Faith series that recapture the intelligence, joy, and deep narrative appeal of those older works. Her love for her subjects shines through in every chapter, and she writes in a way that honors their unique voices and stories.
Lightly illustrated, the language and content of Chronicles of Wonder is entirely appropriate for middle-grade readers. Reminiscent of books like the Signature Biography series, Boden draws us into the storied life of Lewis, letting us listen in on conversations he had with friends and family, reading things he wrote, and watching his life unfold in front of us.
In Chronicles of Wonder, Boden invites us to see C.S. Lewis not just as a writer or thinker, but as a reader—shaped by the stories he encountered and the ones he chose to tell. For those who want to better understand Lewis, she gently and convincingly makes the case: you must first understand the stories that formed him. She does this with elegance, clarity, and great affection.
I would recommend this book to middle grade readers who want to know more about the man who created Aslan and Narnia. I would also recommend it as a fantastic offering for a mother’s morning basket reading. And I think librarians will appreciate it for the excellent reading list it suggests and as a fantastic leaping-off point into Lewis’s life and works. I will likely feature it as part of a Mother’s Literary Tea in my library.
I am looking forward to the third book in the series, Brave Princess Aina, releasing in August 2025.