The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: A Brief Summary:

Alright, I know the title is obnoxiously long, so I'm just going to call it TLTWTW.
Anyhow, TLTWTW was written by C. S. Lewis, who was a strong Christian, so the book has a subtle Christian theme. This may scare away some readers, but if you don't want to delve into the theme of the book, it is also a great fantasy read for all ages.

The book is about a family of four children, the Pevensies, whose father is fighting in World War Two, and their London home is bombed by the Germans. Their mother sends them off to live with their wealthy Uncle, Professor Kirke, who lives on a large countryside estate. While playing a game of hide and go seek, Lucy, the youngest child, hides in and innocent-looking wardrobe.

While she is hiding, she stumbles into a magical land called Narnia. There, she meets a fawn named Mr. Tumnus, and goes to have tea with him. (In Narnia, animals can talk and function like humans.) There, he seduces her with music, and is going to report her existence to the evil and corrupt queen of Narnia. Instead, he breaks down in tears, and confesses that he is an agent of the Witch, and was enlisted to capture Humans. The White Witch is the self-imposed Queen of Narnia, and uses her magic to make it perpetual Winter, but never Christmas. She is hunting for Humans because if the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve sit in the four thrones at the Castle Cair Paravel, she will be slain, and her power ousted. She wants to kill all Humans who enter her domain, so that she will not be ousted from her power. Mr. Tumnus then lets her go, but is a great risk of being found out be the Queen's secret police, and being turned to stone for fraternizing with the enemy and treason.
When Lucy comes out of the wardrobe, she is ecstatic, and tells everyone about her excursion in Narnia that 'lasted for hours', but is surprised to find out that she was only gone for a few seconds in real time. When she tells her siblings, they don't believe her, and check out the wardrobe only to find a vile-smelling and plain wardrobe. Her nasty older brother, Edmund, teases her mercilessly regarding her story.
The next night, Edmund follows Lucy into the Wardrobe, and while Lucy visits with Mr. Tumnus, Edmund has a very different experience. He runs into the White Witch, and she is delighted. She knows that she can use Edmund to bring back all of the Pevensies, so that she can kill them. First, she uses flattery and then candy to bribe him, and makes him promise to bring back all of his siblings, using his gluttony and insatiable desire for the Turkish Delight to her advantage.
On his way back to the real world, Edmund runs into Lucy, and she is overjoyed that she will have someone to back her story. She also tells him about the evil White Witch, but Edmund denies the fact that the Witch and the Queen are the same, blinded by his gluttony. However, when they return and Lucy shares her experiences, expecting Edmund to do the same, he maintains that it's a silly game they played together, breaking her down to tears. Worried, Peter and Susan go to see the Professor, who surprisingly argues that Lucy is telling the truth!
The next day, the children are goofing around, and break a window, when they hear the uptight housekeeper, Mrs. Mcreedy, coming, so they hurriedly dash to the nearest room, and by chance hide in the wardrobe.
Startled, all four stumble into Narnia. Peter and Susan apologize to Lucy for not believing her, as does Edmund, reluctantly. Lucy leads the way to Mr. Tumnus's house, only to find it ransacked with a note saying that Mr. Tumnus was arrested for high treason and fraternization with the enemy.
Crushed, the children are guided by a sparrow to meet Mr. Beaver, who in turn leads them to his home. The children tell him that they want to rescue Mr. Tumnus, but he tells them that the only one who can help them is Aslan, the ancient Lion king of Narnia. Edmund hears that they have plans of meeting Aslan, and disappears to warn the witch. When he gets there, she is furious, and imprisons Edmund, sending out a team of her secret police to find and kill the humans.
The Beavers along with Peter, Susan, and Lucy, rush to the Stone Table as the seasons change from Winter to Spring. Meanwhile, the Witch tries to use her sleigh to reach the Stone Table before the humans, but the melting snow doesn't allow her to.

On the way to meet Aslan, the protagonists meet Father Christmas, or Santa Claus. He gives each of the children their own gift; Peter, a sword and shield, Susan, a bow and quiver of arrows that rarely miss their target, as well as a horn that will summon help to wherever it is blown, and Lucy, a flask of potion that will heal nearly any wound, as well as a small dagger.

When they meet Aslan, they are instantly in love with him, despite their awe. He promises to do anything possible to save Edmund. While Aslan is talking with Peter, Susan sounds her horn, and Peter shows up to stab an attacking wolf to death.

Meanwhile, the Witch prepares to kill Edmund, but he is rescued and taken to Aslan's camp, where he apologizes and accepts that the Witch is evil. Later, Aslan speaks with the Witch, who correctly states that, according to the deep magic, any traitor is her's to sacrifice. Secretly, Aslan makes a barter for Edmund's life, sacrificing himself to the Witch. She is delighted, while Aslan is pensive and quiet.

That night, Susan and Lucy awaken, and walk with Aslan, unaware that he will soon die. When they walk to a thicket near the Stone Table, Aslan tells them to turn back, and continues on. However, the girls follow.

What they see shocks them, as they witness Aslan being stabbed to death by the Witch herself. Aslan had sacrificed himself for the life of Edmund. They stay with Aslan's body all night, and as they turn back, they hear the Stone Table crack, and turn to see that Aslan is gone. Aslan had risen from the dead! He quickly carried the girls on his back to the Witch's castle, where he brings to life every creature who had been turned to stone, including Mr. Tumnus. he rallies an army out of them, and they run to the battleground, where Peter's army is being crushed. However, when reinforcements arrive, Aslan quickly slays the Witch, and her evil minions are also defeated.

The four children take the thrones at Cair Paravel, where they rule over Narnia for many years. When they are adults, they stumble upon the lampost, the entrance to the real world, while on a stag hunt. They then return to Professor's house, still children, because hardly any time had lapsed. They tell the Professor about their adventure, who states that they will probably one day go back to Narnia.