The Twits is the story of horrible people who did horrible things and how they got their just desserts. It's a classic underdog tale, where the victims rise up to teach the bullies a lesson they will never forget.
The chapters are short, about 1 or 2 pages long, and the language used is simple and easy to understand. The book can therefore be used as a bridge to take young readers from picture books to chapter books.
The illustrations are wonderful and depict the expressions and actions of Mr and Mrs Twit very well. For me, Quentin Blake's illustrations are the definitive illustrations for Roald Dahl's works. I own a copy of James and the Giant Peach that features another illustrator's illustrations and the reading experience was not the same. It somehow did not feel as satisfying.
This is another one of my all-time favourites so again, I shall have to give it 5 out of 5 stars.
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
First published in 1980 by Jonathan Cape Ltd
Age range: 7 to 10 years old
NA's rating: 5/5
The Witches is the story of a boy and his grandmother who, after an unfortunate run-in with witches, decide to stop them from wiping out all the children in the world.
I first read The Witches when I was nine and it freaked me out; I seriously considered not taking regular baths. Even though it does get quite scary at parts, we can learn some good values from the story: bravery, the importance of family, overcoming setbacks and a positive can-do spirit.
Roald Dahl has a wicked sense of humour and can be quite rude, which was what got me hooked onto his books as a child. And Quentin Blake is the perfect illustrator for his stories: he captures the essence of the characters perfectly. The Witches is quite dark, so I would recommend it for young readers who enjoy such stories and are not uncomfortable with reading about the supernatural.
This is one of my all-time favourites, so I shall have to give it 5 out of 5 stars.
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
First published in 1983 by Heinemann Educational Books Ltd
Age range: 9 to 12 years old
NA's rating: 5/5
