Davy and Jacks

A fascinating historical novel that explores the vibrant, story-making world C.S. Lewis grew up in: Belfast in the early 1900’s.

Unearth the influence that Ireland, Belfast, and his home life had on Lewis’ vivid imagination. Discover the stories C.S. Lewis read as a child and the impact they had on the man who would write over 30 books.

And, imagine the influence the young C.S. Lewis might have had on another Belfast boy.

Davy, a working-class boy living in East Belfast in 1908, needs to provide for his family. When he meets Jacks, the young C.S. Lewis, Davy is captivated by his friend’s world of books and stories. He plunges into imagining and adventuring with Jacks, discovering his own talent for drawing along the way. But when Davy is offered a job at the shipyard, and Jacks’ mother falls gravely ill, their wondrous days of make-believe seem numbered. Will they both lose their extraordinary world forever?

Judith Millar’s father read the Narnia stories to her when she was a child. He was a Belfast boy too. When her father passed away in 2013, she began research into two areas: her father’s family history; and her father’s favorite author, C.S. Lewis. Soon she realized that her grandfather was born and raised in the same area of Belfast as C.S. Lewis, in the same era. And so, a spark was lit. Suppose the two boys, from the same city but vastly different worlds, had met? What if, despite poverty and loss, their friendship had lit a spark?

Told through the eyes of another Belfast child, this story brings C.S. Lewis’ childhood in Belfast to life. Part historical fiction, part biography, Davy and Jacks is a tale about the power of creativity.

Davy and Jacks:

· Is an ideal addition to homeschool curriculum

· Will appeal to anyone who admires the work of C.S. Lewis

· A fascinating source for further exploration and study of The Chronicles of Narnia

· Makes a great gift for young readers ages 10-14