I enjoyed many of Lynne Reid Banks’ books as a kid, and I remember being pretty enthralled with this one. I’ll need to go back and re-read it.
What’s to say? It’s a Roald Dahl book, one of his greatest up there with James and the Giant Peach. The Giant in this story is very endearing.
The humor in this book is fantastic. The cat is hilarious, the dog is goofy, the entire story has dark humor and the original illustrations are great. It was one of my favorite books as a kid, and my own children loved it too.
This is a very fun book! His writing style and story telling is engaging. (I listened to the audiobook, which he narrates, so it’s perfect.) Much of it is based around his time in the Harry Potter movies, but the life experiences beyond that are just as moving. I really enjoyed this book, I will return to it again.
A much cozier and lighter read than the Lord of the Rings series. The intro itself is memorable. Very enjoyable read.
This book is hilarious and fun, and has some great tongue in cheek (even dark) humor, as many Roald Dahl books do.
Read it as a child, and to my children when they were young. E.B. White writes touching animal stories very well.
This had potential. His writing is very descriptive and engaging. But early on there is unnecessary, pornographic description of a prostitute sex scene. Why? Completely unnecessary. I’m not a soft reader, I’ve read John Steinbeck and will handle the dark side of human nature, but this was just overdone and lewd.
I grew up with these. I consider them the Grimm’s Fairy Tales for 80s kids. The most memorable part is the enchanting and horrific illustrations, which got these books banned from several schools. It didn’t keep me from sneaking them home in my backpack to read late at night under my covers. Great folk horror stories.
This book is like Lord of the Flies. It pulled me in, and although it is a shorter story, it had very heavy themes in it. Well written, relatable, and a very sad ending. I grew up with the 1939 movie, both complement each other well. I had to take a break after reading the book, though, as I felt emotionally drained.
