Blake, Quentin Books

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Roald Dahl

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 460 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and its sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, along with Roald Dahl's other tales for younger readers, make him a true star of children's literature. Dahl seems to know just how far to go with his oddball fantasies; in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, for example, nasty Violet Beauregarde blows up into a blueberry from sneaking forbidden chewing gum, and bratty Augustus Gloop is carried away on the river of chocolate he wouldn't resist. In fact, all manner of disasters can happen to the most obnoxiously deserving of children because Dahl portrays each incident with such resourcefulness and humor.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a singular delight, crammed with mad fantasy, childhood justice and revenge, and as much candy as you can eat. The book is also available in Spanish (Charlie y la Fabrica de Chocolate). (The suggested age range for this book is 9-12, but nobody this reviewer has met can resist it, including New York City bellhops, flight attendants, and grumpy teenagers.)

The BFG

Roald Dahl

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 330 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Evidently not even Roald Dahl could resist the acronym craze of the early eighties. BFG? Bellowing ferret-faced golfer? Backstabbing fairy godmother? Oh, oh ... Big Friendly Giant! This BFG doesn't seem all that F at first as he creeps down a London street, snatches little Sophie out of her bed, and bounds away with her to giant land. And he's not really all that B when compared with his evil, carnivorous brethren, who bully him for being such an oddball runt. After all, he eats only disgusting snozzcumbers, and while the other Gs are snacking on little boys and girls, he's blowing happy dreams in through their windows. What kind of way is that for a G to behave?

The BFG is one of Dahl's most lovable character creations. Whether galloping off with Sophie nestled into the soft skin of his ear to capture dreams as though they were exotic butterflies; speaking his delightful, jumbled, squib-fangled patois; or whizzpopping for the Queen, he leaves an indelible impression of bigheartedness. (Ages 9 to 12)

The Twits

Roald Dahl

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 131 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Twits 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Did anyone ever play a joke on you? Well, I'm pretty sure Mr. and Mrs. Twit, from the book The Twits by Roald Dahl, had a lot of experience with that. This book is about a married couple that nobody likes. Mr. and Mrs. Twit are the smelliest, nastiest, and ugliest people in the world. Mr. Twit is the hairiest faced man. He has hair everywhere except his forehead. Mrs. Twit wasn't ugly at first but then she got uglier and uglier as the years went by. She is always negative toward people and, the expression on her face showed it and that's why she became ugly.
Their hobbies are to play mean and nasty jokes on each other and catch birds to put them in their pies. Some problems are that they think everything is a joke and they are rude to everybody in their town. All they do is play jokes on each other. Mrs. Twit has one fake eye that she always puts in Mr. Twit's beers so he could get scared. Mr. Twit is the person that always wins in the jokes. There are different kinds of jokes: funny, nasty, and even really mean ones. Since she uses a cane, Mr. Twit started putting little pieces of wood (no thicker than a penny) to make her cane taller. Then he told her she was getting the shrinks. Her reaction was, "Is there a cure?" Then Mr. Twit told her that she would be getting smaller and smaller until there was nothing left of her.
Mr. Twit is always putting super sticky glue on the trees to catch birds to put them in their pies. Since they make the monkeys do everything up side down the monkeys got mad. The monkeys and birds decided to get their revenge on Mr. and Mrs. Twit. They make it look as if Mr. and Mrs. Twit were up-side down. They put everything on the ceiling then when they came in they started to panic and saying "We are up-side down!" "HELP!"
I liked this book because it was hilarious. While I was reading the book it started getting more and more interesting and funny. One way this book was funny is that they play jokes on each other. One of my favorite parts was when the monkeys and birds got their revenge, after they got tired of getting pushed around by the Twits. I think you would really like this book if you are a person that likes to joke around. Therefore I recommend this book to people that love comedy. If you do like comedy I think this is the best book to read.

Editorial Review:

Mr. and Mrs. Twit hate everything, including their trained monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps, who now want revenge.

The Witches

Roald Dahl

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 254 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Gem 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I love this book! I was at my cousin's house when she had book club, and having read this many times, I forgot how great it was! Luckily, I chose to read it again, and fell in love for the second time! With characters that only Roahld Dahl himself could come up with, this book is a find. An eccentric grandmother, a curious boy, and evil creatures, this book is masterpiece. One of my favorites in the Dahl collection, thank you to the author!!!!

Editorial Review:

This Roald Dahl classic tells the scary, funny and imaginative tale of a seven-year-old boy who has a run-in with some real-life witches! "In fairy tales witches always wear silly black hats and black cloaks and they ride on broomsticks. But this is not a fairy tale. This is about REAL WITCHES. REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses and they work in ordinary jobs. That is why they are so hard to catch." Witches, as our hero learns, hate children. With the help of a friend and his somewhat-magical grandmother, our hero tries to expose the witches before they dispose of him. Ages 7-12.

James and the Giant Peach

Roald Dahl

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Peachy Read For ALL Ages 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Perhaps I should confess right up front that this review of what is popularly regarded solely as a children's book is being written by a 50+-year-old male "adult" who hadn't read a kids' book in many years. For me, Welsh author Roald Dahl had long been the guy who scripted one of my favorite James Bond movies, 1967's "You Only Live Twice," and who was married for 30 years to the great actress Patricia Neal. Recently, though, in need of some "mental palate cleansing" after a bunch of serious adult lit, I picked up Dahl's first kiddy novel, "James and the Giant Peach," and now know what several generations have been aware of since the book's release in 1961; that this is an absolutely charming story for young and old alike, with marvelous characters, a remarkably imaginative story line and some quirky humor scattered throughout.

As most baby boomers and their kids and grandkids probably know by now, this short novel introduces us to James Henry Trotter, a young boy who is forced to move in with his nasty Aunts Sponge and Spiker when his loving parents are eaten by a rhinoceros on the streets of London (!). His miserable existence takes a turn for the better when a mysterious old man gives him a bagful of magic green crystals, which James promptly and accidentally spills near the base of a barren peach tree. What follows is wondrous in the extreme, as James discovers a septet of insectoid friends inside the enormous, house-sized fruit that soon develops. Along with his new buddies--a centipede, an old grasshopper, an earthworm, a glowworm, a silkworm (which character was oddly dropped from the 1996 Disney filmization), a spider and a ladybug--James sets off in the detached peach on a trans-Atlantic journey, and this is just the beginning of his great adventures. Dahl makes sure that each of his insect characters has a distinct personality of his or her own; the centipede is a snarky showoff, the earthworm a constant worrier, the grasshopper wise and serene, the silkworm a quiet nonentity, Miss Spider sweet and caring, the ladybug warm and maternal, the glowworm mainly concerned with keeping her light going. Each brings its own set of abilities to the fore in times of crisis, James' own particular strength being his great boyish intelligence, natch. They are a terrific team of characters that effectively show the little ones the value of teamwork and overcoming differences.

Adult readers of "James and the Giant Peach" will likely be struck by errant thoughts as the story progresses. For example, the violent deaths of Spiker and Sponge, not to mention James' parents, are surprising, if glossed over lightly. Perhaps these instances of violence are the reason why this book ranks #56 on the American Library Association's list of "The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999." (Dahl's "The Witches" is #27.) Still, generations of impressionable youths have managed to take in the "objectionable" aspects of this book with no discernible damage to their delicate psyches, as far as I can tell! Adult readers may also be amused at the mention of a "famous factory where they made chocolate" in the book (a foreshadowing of 1964's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"?), and wonder at the number of sophisticated words (such as "wampus," "manticore" and "prock") that Dahl dishes out for the kiddies. They may also get a huge kick out of the hilarious poems and songs scattered throughout the story, as well as by the lighthearted humor in general. (I think it's hilarious that Miss Ladybug winds up marrying the head of the NYC Fire Department!) Grown-ups may also find cause to wonder why all those 502 seagulls fall into James' lasso trap. Couldn't all those birds detect this trap after 50 or so were snared? But this is a quibble. From magical beginning throughout its action-packed length (I haven't even mentioned the shark sequence yet, or the extended segment with the Cloud Men, which the Disney film unwisely drops if favor of an underwater ghost ship that is not in Dahl's novel), this book is a joy and a pleasure for young and--as I have just proved to myself--um, older alike. This classic work hardly needs MY seal of approval at this late date, but I just wanted all the adults out there to know that this might be a fun read for them, too. And now, I think I'm gonna go pick up "The Witches"....

Editorial Review:

When James drops magic crystals by the peach tree, the toy peach starts growing, and before long, it’s as big as a house, with a secret entranceway.

George's Marvelous Medicine

Roald Dahl

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Roald Dahl is a great choice! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

You cant go wrong with Roald Dahl, we've (my self and my kids,4 and 6) been pleased with every story purchased.

4th Grade Reviews - S. Kimble 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

J.S.- Class Pick
Are you sick? If you are, you gotta have some of George's Marvelous Medicine! George's Marvelous Medicine is a book where George's grandma is the meanest grandma on the block. So George decides to make a medicine that will fix his Grandma's attitude forever. George tries a couple of times to fix Grandma with surprising results. You must read it to find out what happens next. This fun filled book is funny, inspiring, and joyful. I hope you enjoy George's Marvelous Medicine.

M.W.- Class Pick
Do you have a grumpy old relative or a bully that you want to get rid of? Well, in the book George's Marvelous Medicine, George has the same problem. George is an 8 year old boy who has to spend the day with his "horrid, grouchy, grizzly, old grunion of a grandma." Luckily George gets an amazing plan to give his grandma a taste of her own medicine (literally.) Read this book and see what George puts in his recipe and what happens to his grandma.

B.C. - Class Pick
"You're growing too fast, George!" Grandma said. George does not like the cranky, mean, old grandma. How could George find a way to get Grandma to be just a little bit nicer? Grumpy Grandma had never gotten off of her chair in a very long time. Finally, George thought of it! He would make a Marvelous Medicine. Just wait until Grandma drinks this! Read George's Marvelous Medicine to find out what happens.

Editorial Review:

George’s grouchy grandma needs a taste of her own medicine, and George knows just the right ingredients to put into it!

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Roald Dahl

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 82 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In the tradition of The Adventures of Peter Rabbit, this is a "garden tale" of farmer versus vermin, or vice versa. The farmers in this case are a vaguely criminal team of three stooges: "Boggis and Bunce and Bean / One fat, one short, one lean. / These horrible crooks / So different in looks / Were nonetheless equally mean." Whatever their prowess as poultry farmers, within these pages their sole objective is the extermination of our hero--the noble, the clever, the Fantastic Mr. Fox. Our loyalties are defined from the start; after all, how could you cheer for a man named Bunce who eats his doughnuts stuffed with mashed goose livers? As one might expect, the farmers in this story come out smelling like ... well, what farmers occasionally do smell like.

This early Roald Dahl adventure is great for reading aloud to three- to seven-year-olds, who will be delighted to hear that Mr. Fox keeps his family one step ahead of the obsessed farmers. When they try to dig him out, he digs faster; when they lay siege to his den, he tunnels to where the farmers least expect him--their own larders! In the end, Mr. Fox not only survives, but also helps the whole community of burrowing creatures live happily ever after. With his usual flourish, Dahl evokes a magical animal world that, as children, we always knew existed, had we only known where or how to look for it. (Great read aloud for any age; written at a 9- to 12-year-old reading level)

Matilda

Roald Dahl

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

"That is the Trunchball's Great Secret..." 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

One of the last novels written before Roald Dahl's death, "Matilda" reads almost like a goodbye, with a thank-you to all the authors that have touched Dahl during his lifetime - the text even includes a reading list of books recommended to Matilda - and through her, to the reader. And Matilda herself, despite being female, could very well be a reflection of Dahl himself as a child: a precocious bookworm with a fascination with words, people and places. As such, "Matilda" holds a special place in the canon of Dahl's literature for children, and Matilda herself is one of those shining characters that you simply wish was a real person and your friend. It is a rare thing indeed for an author to not only create a character who has practically no faults, and yet never becomes a goody-two-shoes or implausibly perfect, but to give her a remarkable gift (in this case, her hyper-intelligence) and make it seem less important than her goodness, her loyalty, her sense of justice and her love of learning.

Matilda Wormwood is born to two rather awful parents who have no interest whatsoever in their young daughter, instead pouring all their attention into their work, (for Mr Woodworm) bingo, (for Mrs Wormwood) and occasionally their first-born son Michael. However, they are mean-spirited enough to take umbridge at the sight of Matilda indulging her great love for reading. To get back at them (and to keep her own sanity) Matilda engages in a series of practical jokes every time her parents are beastly or dishonest - which happens on a rather regular basis.

But all of that changes when she starts school and Matilda meets the two most important women in her life: the lovely Miss Honey and the terrible Miss Trunchball. The gentle and timid Miss Jennifer Honey is Matilda's adored teacher, whereas Miss Trunchball is the Headmistress of Crunchem Hall Primary who terrifies student and teacher alike. Miss Trunchball may be a rather unfortunate stereotype of a butch, unattractive, athletic woman, but as an incarnation of psychotic feminine rage, she comes second only to Lewis Carroll's Queen of Hearts. More a force of nature than an actual person, she's sure to send a shudder down any child's spine - however bad your teacher is, you can be sure she's not *this* bad!

It soon becomes clear that the students of the school are waging a war against Miss Trunchball, one that Matilda is all-too-keen to become a part of when she realizes that there is a mysterious link between her beloved Miss Honey and the tyrannical Trunchball. And it just so happens that around this time, Matilda finds that she has a remarkable ability: to move things with her mind. Being a moralistic girl as well as an intelligent one, she soon realizes that she now has the perfect tool with which to restore Miss Honey to her former fortune and deliver Miss Trunchball her just desserts.

The text is full of allusions to other books and stories, making it a remarkably rich read for a children's book (and will hopefully get young readers interested in other books - as I'm sure was Dahl's intention) and of course includes plenty of Dahl's trademark love for the grotesque and macabre, components that have always made him controversial in the adult community, and beloved in the child's world. But even more in "Matilda", there is a sense of the spiritual and the sublime - Matilda's emerging powers seem to not only stem from her intelligence, but from her great spirit as well, particularly when she describes her powers as feeling like: "flying past the stars on silver wings." With justice served in the guise of a tiny five year old (captured perfectly in the illustrations by long-time Dahl collaborator Quentin Blake), and an ending that manages to be both happy and bittersweet, "Matilda" is a must for any children's bookshelf.

Editorial Review:

For most kids, "The Trunchbull" is pure terror, but for Matilda, she’s a sitting duck.

James and the Giant Peach

Roald Dahl

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 200 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

When poor James Henry Trotter loses his parents in a horrible rhinoceros accident, he is forced to live with his two wicked aunts, Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker. After three years he becomes "the saddest and loneliest boy you could find." Then one day, a wizened old man in a dark-green suit gives James a bag of magic crystals that promise to reverse his misery forever. When James accidentally spills the crystals on his aunts' withered peach tree, he sets the adventure in motion. From the old tree a single peach grows, and grows, and grows some more, until finally James climbs inside the giant fruit and rolls away from his despicable aunts to a whole new life. James befriends an assortment of hilarious characters, including Grasshopper, Earthworm, Miss Spider, and Centipede--each with his or her own song to sing. Roald Dahl's rich imagery and amusing characters ensure that parents will not tire of reading this classic aloud, which they will no doubt be called to do over and over again! With the addition of witty black and white pencil drawings by Lane Smith (of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs fame), upon which the animation for the Disney movie was based, this classic, now in paperback, is bursting with renewed vigor. We'll just come right out and say it: James and the Giant Peach is one of the finest children's books ever written. (Ages 9 to 12)

Matilda (Puffin Modern Classics)

Roald Dahl

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 371 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

cute 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I thought this was an entertaining little book, but as some of the negative reviews suggest, it may be a little too dark for younger children. But then again, most under-10 children (if my nieces are any guide) are going to want books with more pictures and less text anyhow.

A Teachable Moment! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

As a teacher in a multi-lingual school, a copy of a book in ANY language other than English is like gold! Matilda is a great book for any child.
Most children today are avid movie goers. A book that "goes with" a movie has gotten my students reading, reading, reading! After viewing the video AND reading the book makes for a great compare and contrast lesson...putting the book in Spanish allows for me to expand that experience and the growth of my Spanish speaking learners!
I highly recommend this book to teachers working with non-English speaking students.

Editorial Review:

The success of the recent movie version should encourage kids to read the hilarious, thought-provoking original novel. Matilda is a genius who not only has to deal with loud, obnoxious, idiot parents who scapegoat her for everything but with "the Trunchbull"! "The Trunchbull" is actually Miss Trunchbull the ex-Olympic hammer-thrower, Head Mistress of Matilda's school who has terrorized generations of students and teachers. When "the Trunchbull" goes after Miss Honey, the one teacher, the one person, who supports and believes in Matilda, our heroine decides it's time to fight back. Her parents and "the Trunchbull" don't stand a chance! Ages 7-12.