The Witches by Roald Dahl

"My orders are that every single child in this country shall be rrrubbed out, sqvashed, sqvirted, sqvittered and frrrittered before I come here again in vun year's time! Do I make myself clear?"

The Grand High Witch has a fiendish plan for getting rid of all the children in England. First, her fellow hags will take over all the sweet shops. Next, they will sell poisoned sweets and chocolates which turn children into mice! Then, make way for the mouse traps...

This terrible plan is overheard by the young boy narrator of the story. Fortunately, his grandma knows something about witches. Unfortunately, before he has a chance to consult her, he is turned into a mouse himself.

Will the witches triumph? Are the children of England doomed? And what exactly is the secret behind grandma’s missing finger? This award-winning tale has all the answers.

In September I did a post with Bella from A Girl Reads about Roald Dahl. As I was answering her questions, though, I was finding that I really couldn't remember exactly which Dahl books I have read over the years. There were some I still owned, so they came to mind, but I was sure there were probably times where I read him from the library and don't really remember anymore. With this in mind I decided to start reading him through the library. I decided to start with The Witches for the R.I.P. challenge. When I noticed that this book was also heavily challenged according to this list;I decided that by reading it I was killing three birds with one stone.

It turns out that I had read this book when I was a child. It took me a bit to get into it, but when I did I started to remember reading what was happening before. It was not fresh in my memory, but it was fun to reread it. It is a story about a young boy who is told by his grandmother that there are really witches in the world and his adventures as a result. There was a strong paranormal element, so the book worked well for the R.I.P. challenge. Reading a description of the witches was actually rather amusing. These are not the witches you are used to encountering in literature and movies! Dahl is very gifted at writing books that have a dark element to them, but also can make you laugh. It is a good mix.

What I really want to talk about is the fact that this book has been challenged. This is a dark book and bad things do happen in it. It makes me think about the J.K. Rowling interview I saw on Oprah today. She was talking about 9/11 and how people say that children shouldn't learn about evil in school. I assume this is related to the dark nature of her books. I am not a big Rowling fan, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate what she represents. She was entirely right, though. There is evil in the world and many of the books that are challenged each year have a darker nature to them. I understand that parents want to try and protect their children from the bad things that can happen, but are they really doing them any good? I am a strong advocate of truth and balance. It always makes me sad when people attempt to ban books. I read authors like Dahl when I was a child and I'd like to think I turned out fine from it!

So, what do you think about book banning?

Roald Dahl Guest Post

Last Sunday was Roald Dahl day. This post was originally supposed to be up then, but I got busy and we are only getting it up now. My partner for this is Bella from A Girl Reads a Book. Below you will find her answers to my questions, and then if you head over to her blog you will find my answers to the same questions.

1. There are so many fabulous Roald Dahl books, but do you have an all-time favorite?

I love so many of the Roald Dahl books. If I had to pick an ultimate favorite it is Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory was the first book I've ever read by Roald Dahl, and as a child I spent hours re-reading it to experience the journey Charlie goes on again and again. As an adult, I have a dangerous addiction to chocolate (I eat it everyday) and I am still mesmerized by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and in particular the river of chocolate, Heaven!

2. Roald Dahl sure knows how to write fantastic characters. One thing he seems to specialise in is writing evil characters, just like the Twits! What is your favorite evil character from his books?

The Twits! The Witches are evil, but the Twits are evil and stupid. I simply loved reading about them and finding out what evil act they would do to each other next.

3. I'm always watching and re-watching the movies based on Roald Dahl's books. What is your favorite movie based on a Roald Dahl book?

Given my love of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, most people think this is my favorite Roald Dahl movie, based on the book. I do love both versions and constantly re-play them. However,my absolute favorite is The Witches! It was a little dark and scary the first time I watched it, but that made it even better. Angelica Houston is definitely the highlight of the movie. She plays the evil Grand High Witch so well!

4. Quentin Blake did all the illustrations for Roald Dahl's books. Do you have a particular cover that stands out more than the others?

Matilda! The girl with all the books. I was always reading as a child, and now I read even more as an adult. This cover, totally speaks to me, as both the inner child and the adult reader.

Thanks, Bella, for posting together! I look forward to doing another post together soon!

What would your answers to these four questions be?