🎤 J.K. Rowling vs. C.S. Lewis  vs.  The Best Children’s Literature on :

Okay, let's do this!

**Round 1:**

**J.K. Rowling:** Good evening. Tonight we're here to discuss the best children's literature. It’s an honor to be on the panel with Mr. Lewis. Though, I suspect, we have very different ideas of what makes truly great books for young readers. For me, it's about embracing the darkness and confronting fears, creating compelling narratives, relatable flawed heroes, and characters they fall in love with. Stories that leave an indelible mark. The Harry Potter books prove how deeply impactful books can be on young people - it really did become a cultural touchstone and influenced a whole generation.

**C.S. Lewis:** A good evening to you too, Miss Rowling. I find your "darkness" troubling for young minds. My Narnia stories focus on hope and faith in the face of hardship. Of course, they confront good and evil but are about offering a path of righteousness that can change the young person. We have to build them up. A moral compass, strong values and a sense of truth – those are far more beneficial than wallowing in despair, particularly during their formative years. And whilst you created memorable stories with your world-building I think stories need deeper value than escapism to change lives.

**Round 2:**

**J.K. Rowling:** Hope is a powerful force, Mr. Lewis, I agree, but children aren't stupid. They know bad things exist. To pretend evil is just a fairy-tale monster banished by simple faith does a disservice. Harry faced complex challenges, he lost loved ones and still kept his sense of self. His battles are nuanced; children relate to them precisely *because* they reflect the world in its shades of grey, not simple black and white. Ultimately the battle against evil happens within oneself and that can only occur if someone accepts what they have the ability to do and chooses the right path.

**C.S. Lewis:** You say you do children a disservice to deny them hope? But you deny them the deeper understanding of morality when you remove simple 'Good' and 'Evil' or God's teachings and lessons from children's education. While a world of grey *can* exist and is important, for it is certainly challenging, it isn't as important as introducing values, a framework of kindness and faith when young and then showing how people adapt them in grey as they get older. You forget a story's moral framework. What do children take away from the dark places? You seem to lean into the darkness. What lesson do children learn about despair and darkness and sadness with no anchor?

**Round 3:**

**J.K. Rowling:** The 'moral framework' emerges through Harry's choices! The *message* is clear: Good actions come from within; that even the abused child or one destined for tragedy can be heroic, no matter the cards he's been dealt. Surely you aren't saying only stories where *God* is mentioned, or where morality is presented as a stark choice between "Obey or burn", can truly influence good behavior. Stories that offer real empathy and reflection teach just as much as stories of right and wrong. To face their monsters gives them a foundation and allows for strength later in life.

**C.S. Lewis:** The framework of good must stem from a solid moral compass; as Aslan said to Lucy 'courage dear heart', I can see how your child is expected to form good, courageous behaviors; and to be fair they often will from reading. You however use fear for effect as if being able to stomach monsters is bravery. Courageous actions can be learned much earlier than just facing internal darkness and demons by offering your child a map of morality early on and ensuring goodness, light and happiness guide you. That ensures an expectation of greatness that doesn't come as easy as being exposed to horror!

**Round 4:**

**J.K. Rowling:** "Fear for effect"? Yes! Fear is an instinct we can't deny and is very effective - it keeps children safe! Through reading children can practice emotional resilience without getting hurt. Harry's courage stems from caring about others, not merely following a pre-determined moral code. He questions the authority and has the ability to act regardless of the consequence to ensure other’s safety, showing children the meaning of true selfless courage. Isn't questioning rigid morality in favour of protecting those weaker a higher calling for moral understanding, one we should guide young readers toward and ensure as important?

**C.S. Lewis:** Questioning morals is an adult lesson that *can* have adult consequences, particularly with a developing young person. While children may grow and adapt it I think offering too many questions isn’t beneficial when forming habits. Instead stories where bravery and hope occur should ensure people act morally for everyone, not 'protecting the weaker' but for universal strength. A King ruling, such as the role Aslan took, protects everybody; from weakest to greatest! While the weaker deserve protection from your brave young character, isn't he more effective with everyone standing beside him, each guided by common values to protect all?

**Round 5:**

**J.K. Rowling:** "Adult consequences"? War and prejudice are already rife, Mr. Lewis! Children aren't shielded. Hiding reality behind lions who sacrifice themselves only postpones their shock and pain when *real* problems arrive. You speak of ‘universal strength' from moral unity when instead your lion's absolute power smothers dissenting voices. Harry *builds* his strength with others, despite disagreeing - their diversity making them unstoppable together. Shouldn't children read stories which make them more empathic toward understanding real relationships and differences instead of simple loyalty? True strength grows from that diversity and connection.

**C.S. Lewis:** While real wars and issues arise you give darkness strength that makes hope appear hopeless and unimportant! Dissent and disloyalty divide unity. Strength and morality can come from obedience in faith and trust in those guiding you and working hard to show and develop them can lead to strength. When children read that blind disobedience and disloyalty offers strength then those will be values to lean on when there's doubt about why that 'disagreeing person' offers bad judgement or actions and needs guidance! Universal trust isn't built with fear, and you will learn and can't force others to think as you do and that kindness leads more minds!

**Round 6:**

**J.K. Rowling:** The power of choice to learn from those who may be disagreeing leads to stronger individuals that are less manipulated! The characters *choose* loyalty; it’s earned, not forced by divine right. If obedience leads to strength, how did we advance beyond Kings, as it did not teach individuals to be able to be kind themselves and offer strength when the King wasn't about? Surely questioning dogma isn't as dangerous as blindly accepting it. And perhaps I think the point I feel most adamant about - if the book influences empathy then you can be certain darkness isn't wasted if it leads the child reading to stand with what's right!

**C.S. Lewis:** Aslan did not dictate, but ensured a clear route of good. He offers an ability for anyone to pick their good side! Instead I feel a book should create comfort in dark thoughts or difficult positions because while choosing kindness is what's important, knowing comfort is out there will prevent these awful dark emotions developing in any person. Loyalty to your chosen path can create unity, peace and progression as much as choosing good so, that is what matters as well and cannot be written as negative. It ensures progress for everyone as we know them and helps offer the understanding in the young about progress too.

**Round 7:**

**J.K. Rowling:** "Comfort" breeds stagnation. Good can grow *within* doubt! In real-life challenges grow you and facing monsters - and being okay with the knowledge you don’t always understand every answer - breeds a confidence your work can not match with simplicity. My readers are taught they are allowed not to like everything. How are the young supposed to believe in being kind, with stories that ask the question what kindness should grow to; they do grow their emotions to feel safe too. Children are safe, and so must grow their values from being comfortable within sadness, knowing kindness will show after!

**C.S. Lewis:** My work encourages being safe with simple hope while developing, yours expects being open to being fearful and hopeless! Children learning how the bad develops helps build them into a kinder version of us all by preventing what starts them and while learning is a continuous skill it starts with comfort that being kind can achieve all outcomes if your kind emotions are to show through as their confidence grows. And again: Good grows with good - your stories should teach simple foundations about kindness growing stronger if built that way!

**Round 8:**

**J.K. Rowling:** What are you afraid of?! Of reading darkness to overcome their feelings towards them? What do you fear! Surely offering true complexity towards what can come breeds not despair, as your implying, but a feeling of connection with their lives - feeling comfortable within sadness. Kindness shows after the storm has begun but by standing in safety you won't feel it and stand for others. The simple good is kindness itself, to do no evil; understanding empathy. By avoiding empathy to not feel as the darker times of their life make you you don't have understanding of it - and of them!

**C.S. Lewis:** With evil growing in your books it can't leave you - and neither can understanding in your stories. With goodness standing proud, nothing of the world can cause upset - why make children read it when you have kindness to show from peace instead? Surely! Simple stories offering true understanding. My kindness is something you cannot change no matter where you show it. Your complexity offers sadness. It grows stronger to change to anger if never controlled with peace and faith to give calm, like an instruction. Peace helps offer peace when the dark thoughts show - not you stand! And read the horror! Madness to those growing up.

**Round 9:**

**J.K. Rowling:** Control is repression, peace without understanding and growth stifling, anger is an emotion needing recognition as important to life if not to change into positive acts to bring peace - to bring a peaceful message to you I’m stating! Peace itself is nothing; just something standing still and stagnating with everything unkept, that requires control to stop it ever changing at its worse. Children can grow a kindness even more by understanding kindness stands without even changing from it, even when everything breaks around kindness is an important thing! Let our books show both dark times AND kind characters showing great strength with peace in dark.

**C.S. Lewis:** It is understanding peace's strength to develop true hope! The darkness is something to not play in and something from peace shows it for children, as it stands up for itself! From Aslan the ability for goodness - kindness - to shine for strength by his goodness is for anyone. To tell stories teaching peace has grown more than kindness shows those messages for change. Your kindness message stands short if fear is in your book growing too. You focus on dark and that stands forever in you. So you have a need. Understand yourself and what happens.

**Round 10:**

**J.K. Rowling:** But to create new goodness in every child that finds a true good feeling towards sadness or empathy from a monster shows more message! Children are children only in the past for longer; these monsters may make some scared or even uncomfortable however understanding this shows great growth; not to stand scared of your own. Monsters help kids learn what to fight, how to learn, how to think, who to call! From children now these become important lessons; far more for safety than for just being peaceful like everything. Your lion can’t bring children the chance for all to grow and for a hero from nothing: And this alone has ensured books help.

**C.S. Lewis:** Aslan has a true joy from all for change- my books ensure change. Your books offer darkness that leads to questions of despair without peace that doesn’t always come out. Without understanding where light comes from, darkness has taken its peace in so many children - they require light to see it at best! My hero has more reason - being more God, and good; understanding the right action. With Aslan, everything grows peace- those he stands near are to change because everything changes around Aslan with ease and strength! With you, more harm is done and sadness creates no hero who is able!