Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Has anybody here read these books? I never did, I didn't know what the appeal about them was, I figured since the movies only came out a few years ago that it was a very NEW thing, until I read Bridge to Terabithia which was written in the 70s and it was mentioned there and I found out they were originally written back in the 1950s. So I got the first book, The Magician's Nephew and am in about the 4th chapter so far and it seems interesting, but a little slow in the beginning.