The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
by C. S. Lewis
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 740L · 189 pages · 1994
Why we'd hand it over
The book that proved fantasy could be literature—suspenseful and emotionally complex enough to reward rereads at 8 and 14, and the witch is genuinely menacing without being nightmare fuel.
What parents said
This is of course your classic traditional English language fare.
She LOVED it. Did she understand every last word? No, but she absolutely knew what was going on, and loved the magic of it all.