I read this series as a girl, and nothing was the same afterwards. I read it very early, and it introduced me to abstract thought and new levels of imagination I hadn't yet reached. It really was a life-changer. I'd already loved to read, but this series turned me into a voracious reader. I kept wanting to find a book that made me feel the same way, and I didn't find any others until Tolkien. I need to read this again as an adult to see what I think about it, but I'd bed it's a good read for anyone...especially precocious elementary schoolers.