Let's Bust a Recap : Roald Dahl

Moving right along in my quest to discover the delights of Roald Dahl as an adult (since my only exposure to his work in childhood was watching Matilda with my best friend over and over again), this year I decided to hit two of his most beloved works: James and the Giant Peach and The BFG. And guess what: The Witches—which has been holding the #1 spot as my personal favorite since 2020—has been ousted by The BFG which immediately stole the coveted top spot as I read it aloud with my nephew this summer. 

I ended up reading Dahl's 1961 novel James and the Giant Peach in May. I've always been a bit uneasy about James and the Giant Peach after seeing just enough of the 1996 film adaptation as a child to really creep me out. (I think I pretended to fall asleep at my best friend's house one night shortly after she started the movie for us because I didn't like it.) But as it turns out, I think James and the Giant Peach may be the sweetest Roald Dahl novel I've read to date. That's not to say there are no scary elements to this story. It begins with poor James' lovely parents being eaten whole by an escaped rhinoceros on the rampage. James has to go live with his two nasty aunts, Sponge and Spiker, and they treat him abominably. Throughout the course of this fun novel, James ends up escaping his horrible aunts (who get their just deserts when the Giant Peach rolls over and crushes them) by climbing inside a magically altered peach and having the adventure of a lifetime with the seven magically altered insects also inside.

I loved our seven year old protagonist James Henry Trotter, and I loved how the magical insects befriended and cared for him. I couldn't help laughing and rolling my eyes at the obnoxious Centipede who bragged about his hundred legs (even though he actually only has 42) and the way the rest of the insects respond to his loud, bossy ways. Their escapades in crossing the Atlantic Ocean inside the Giant Peach were action-packed and a lot of fun to read about, and learning that James has settled in Central Park in the peach pit of the Giant Peach and has written this book himself in response to his fame was a satisfying ending.

Now let's talk about The BFG. Where to even begin? The BFG (short for Big Friendly Giant) was published in 1982 and is actually an expansion of a short story in Dahl's 1975 novel Danny, the Champion of the World (which is also in my box set but I haven't read it yet). Several of my friends who enjoyed Dahl in childhood said this was a favorite which is why it earned a spot on this year's book list, and when my brother and his family came for a visit last month, I sat down with my nephew on Night One of their visit and began reading this to him. 

We were both delighted. The story of the Big Friendly Giant kidnapping little orphan Sophie and taking her back to his cave after she accidentally observes him roaming the streets of England during the Witching Hour one night absolutely beguiled us. I carried The BFG around with me everywhere and we read a little more every chance we got. After Sophie realizes that the BFG truly is friendly—unlike the nine other ferocious giants he lives with—and has no intention of harming her, she learns that he spends his time catching dreams and giving the good dreams to sleeping children. The two of them come up with a plan to alert the Queen of England of the other man-eating giants and an ingenious plot to capture them so they can't eat any more human beans. 

I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed this lovely little novel. And reading it out loud with my five-year-old nephew elevated the experience one hundred percent. As he caught on to the BFG's silly way of speaking—since the BFG was never formally educated—his sudden interruptions to tell me, "Auntie Hannah, what he really means is this" delighted me to no end. And when we got to the chapter in which the BFG and Sophie have breakfast with the queen, my other nieces and nephew happened to be listening as well. When I tell you we all had a fit when the BFG whizpopped in front of the Queen (if you know you know), I'm telling you that is a memory that will bring a smile to my face for the rest of my days. I'm a little hesitant to watch the 2016 film adaptation because it could not possibly be as charming as the book, but I think I'll probably take the plunge and watch it soon.

All in all, two fabulous additions to my Roald Dahl repertoire. I have a hard time believing any of my remaining Roald Dahl books could displace The BFG as my favorite, but hey, we've still got eight more to go. 

Which two should I read next?