Review: James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Cloud-men causing weather chaos with hailstones? A grasshopper that plays the violin? Set across the iconic metropolis backgrounds of London and New York, James and the Giant Peach tells the tale of James Henry Trotter and a ladybird, glow-worm, centipede and others, as they leave England to sail in a peach to America. 

My first exposure to this literary imaginarium was the 1996 film, which I was obsessed with and watched over and over again as a child. The book, first published in America in 1961, is justifiably more magnificent, with Quentin Blake's illustrations creating the classic we know today. 

The inclusion of several cultural landmarks, such as London Zoo, might be one of the many reasons why Dahl's treasure is included in The Telegraph's list of 15 best children's books. It would be a sin to slander this book in any way. So I won't. It's a gem.

Carpe Diem xx

Review: Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

When I first saw this on the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge list my first thought was 'why haven't I read this?'. The short answer is probably that it's an American classic and not a British one. Fast-paced, imaginative and beautifully written, Charlotte's Web is a timeless American children's literature classic. Telling the story of main characters Wilbur and Charlotte, a pig and a spider respectively, who wouldn't want to follow where this one leads? The tale can be read on many levels and is education and entertainment in one. I read this in an afternoon and suggest you follow suit if you haven't already!

Carpe Diem xx