The BFG

The BFG, by Roald Dahl

Forgive the seeming Dahl obsession, but when I bought these two books at a garage sale a couple weeks ago, I was too excited not to pass up the deal of 50 cents per book. Matilda was a joy as I’m sure you remember from last week’s review and this week it’s time for The BFG. I don’t really remember why I liked BFG as a child, and as I re-read it, I was not reminded.

Sophie is a girl in an English orphanage who, during the witching hour, sees a giant walking around London. She is not alone; this giant also sees her and takes her away to the Land of Giants. Lucky for Sophie, she was kidnapped by the title character the Big Friendly Giant. Sophie makes quick friends with this giant who definitely lives up to his name. When Sophie learns more about the giant country, she is fascinated to learn how the BFG captures dreams and sends them off to children around the world, but she is also appalled to learn that the nine other giants go around the world eating humans. The BFG does not approve and is a vegetarian, even if it means having to eat the disgusting snozzcumbers. Together, Sophie and the BFG create a plan involving the Queen of England to convince the world of the existence of giants in order to stop more humans being gobbled up by Fleshlumpeater, Bonecruncher, Manhugger, Childchewer, Meatdripper, Gizzardgulper, Maidmasher, Bloodbottler, and the Butcher Boy.

This novel makes some excellent points about the respect for all life both animal and human. The BFG even discusses the point that humans are not better than giants because humans are the only creatures who kill their own kind (not totally true, but the giants do not kill other giants). There are even more interesting points concerning belief in the unbelievable and being careful you don’t think you know everything. There are some fine lessons in this novel, but I think it might be best to select out those key parts and only read those. While the language of the BFG starts as charming (he has his own giant words for things as well as a mixed-up language because he never went to school), the BFG ended up just becoming annoying. There was a lot of explaining needed since one had to describe this fantasy country and all in it including the dream making process, but after a while it became dull and later was repetitive as all of this information was then retold to try and convince the Queen of England. The illustrations by Quentin Blake are still pleasant and enjoyable.

Although this novel had some interesting lessons to learn, and I’m sure many children will find the farting (excuse me, “whizpopping”) scenes humorous, as an adult, this book is not something to re-read. I tried to go back to my roots and think of better childhood times, but I only felt sorry for myself that I ever liked this book. I apologize to all BFG fans, but have you re-read it lately? Go read Matilda.


“So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install, A lovely bookshelf on the wall.”
- Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Matilda

Matilda, by Roald Dahl

I am in love with this story, but believe it or not, this is the first time I have ever actually read it myself. When I was younger, my mother made it a mission one summer to go to the library and pick out books she would read to my sister and I. Matilda is the only one of those books I remember her reading to us. I have kept that memory alive thanks to Danny DeVito and his movie version of this classic, but reading this again felt amazing.

Matilda was never really treated like the favorite child or even a well-loved child. She was constantly left alone to do things for herself since she was an infant. Her father was a used car salesman, her brother went to school, and her mother went to play Bingo several times during the week. Now alone, Matilda was able to become self-reliant. She taught herself how to do everything, including how to read. This girl could read at the age of 5! After having read everything in the house, Matilda decided to travel to the library where Mrs. Phelps the librarian helped her newfound love of the written work grow. Matilda was never appreciated and therefore decided that whenever her parents did something awful to her, it was only right that she pay them back. From sneaking in a talking parrot and convincing her family it was a ghost to bleaching her father’s hair and even super-gluing his hat to his head. Finally, it was decided that Matilda should go to school at Crunchem Hall. Her teacher Miss Honey was nice enough and found an interest in Matilda and her mind from day one, however the headmistress Miss Trunchbull believed the opposite, that all children are warts. Miss Trunchbull locked children in the Chokey, made them eat huge amounts of cake (you wouldn’t think this was mean, but it was), and even through children out of windows or over fences by their hair. Matilda excelled on her own in class with a little independent guidance from Miss Honey, but it wasn’t until the first time Miss Trunchbull was assigned to take over the class that she realized her full potential. Tipping over Miss Trunchbull’s newt-filled water glass with her eyes was “the first miracle.” Able to reproduce the experience with Miss Honey in private, they both agreed it was best that no one find out. After Miss Honey confesses the story of her childhood, Matilda decides to use her power for good in order to help the one person who has truly cared for her.

Looking back, I am not sure that I fully remember understanding everything during my first encounter with this text. Reading it again, I found an awful lot of British vocabulary that I’m sure must have gone completely over my head as a child. Nevertheless, this is a fantastically amusing story about believing in yourself and reaching your full potential. The illustrations by Quentin Blake are wonderful and bring you so much deeper into the story. I like the reasoning behind how Matilda gains her powers and then loses them, something that is in the novel but not in the movie, so you will have to read this great novel to find out.

This book is a must-read for everyone. Even if you have already seen Mara Wilson work her magic in the movie, nothing can compare to the novel. I don’t know anyone who says, “Matilda, ugh I hate that story.” No one. So if you do not know this novel or if it has just been a while, please read it. Whether it is for the first, second or thirtieth time, reading this book will remind you of your love for reading and the power reading novels can hold and will definitely inspire you to continue reading. (And if you need any suggestions, you are already at the right place!)

I think this following quote is completely perfect for this review that will be dedicated to my mother...
“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”
- Emilie Buchwald

And for your enjoyment/a trip down memory lane:

The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada, by Lauren Weisberger

What started as an Anne Hathway interest combined with my constant driving back and forth between home and Ann Arbor to cause me to resort to my second audio book for this blog. Read by Rachel Leigh Cook, The Devil Wears Prada kept my long hours in the car lively enough that I didn’t mind the amount of time behind the wheel that is putting a serious dent in my wallet.

Andrea Sachs is an aspiring writer fresh out of Northwestern University looking for some type of big break in New York City that will result in a job at The New Yorker. After very few positive responses, Elias Clark Publishing hires Andrea for a job as an assistant to the editor-in-chief of prestigious fashion magazine Runway, Miranda Priestly. Landing a job that a million girls would kill for, Andrea finds it’s not as glamorous as her co-workers are forcing themselves to believe. After a week of intense training with first assistant Emily, Andrea thinks she has everything under control until Miranda comes back to town and Andrea’s life, as she knows it, is changed. She is running impossible errands on demanding timelines, which causes her to alienate her family and friends for the job, resulting in strain on her relationship with English teacher boyfriend Alex (me?) and almost missing that her graduate student roommate Lily is gradually becoming an alcoholic. Andrea becomes enwrapped in the fashion industry she previously had no interest in to reach her goal. One year at Runway with Miranda and she could pretty much have her pick of any job, including her spot at The New Yorker. But how much was it worth? Andrea is running errands, fetching clothes and Starbucks, picking up Miranda’s dog from the groomer’s and even locating a pre-published version of the latest Harry Potter book for Miranda’s twin daughters. One year, it’s just one year. Or will this job have more of an effect than Andrea originally plans?

It’s impossible for me not to compare this book to the movie. Personally, and maybe because I saw it before the audio book, I like the movie better. Granted, Anne Hathaway is a major factor in this comparison, but there are minute plot and character differences between the book and movie that I think work better in the movie version (not to mention that the movie includes the Stanley Tucci character missing from the book). In the book, Emily is more of a helping figure for Andrea and Miranda is simply mean on purpose (making Andrea get an impossible lunch, knowing that she already has lunch plans elsewhere, calling people by the wrong names, and leaving out details over the phone just to make her assistants work harder). I think that Andrea in the book is less of a dynamic character than Andrea in the movie. I never really saw a character shift in the book. Andrea at the beginning seems to be Andrea at the end, the only difference being that when she finally is given an impossible task, she seems to quit because it’s too hard when she was previously able to accomplish everything. In the movie, Andrea’s character is changing. She is good at her job and her priorities are changing, but when she realizes that she could end up as Miranda, this is not how she wants to lead her life and chooses to leave. Also, in the movie, Miranda ends up being okay and giving a reference for Andrea’s new job for a newspaper, while in the book Andrea is hired because of a common link with someone who hates Miranda as much as she does. Not that impressive. I know it’s not really fair, but I’d rather watch the movie.

Rachel Leigh Cook does a good job at reading Weisberg’s novel, which is possibly based off of some real life experiences as a personal assistant. Cook does some voices in a good way that adds variety without being obnoxiously theatrical. She was a good reader and I can recommend her version of the audio book for those of us who are constantly driving back and forth and need something to fill the time constantly driving by mile markers that tick by like seconds. It’s nice to reach your destination and feel some sense of accomplishment rather than just whining about leg cramps and poor air conditioning.

“The habit of reading is the only enjoyment in which there is no alloy; it lasts when all other pleasures fade.”
- Anthony Trollope

Julie of the Wolves

Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George

I am coming upon the end of my time spent working in a middle school and as such, this is the last book I have read along with my sixth grade students. While some parts were pretty slow, others made up for it. The funny thing is that my sister saw me reading this book, remembered it from when she read it way back when and then proceeded to tell me the exact page number of a “dirty” scene. Interesting.

Known as Julie to the English-speakers and Miyax to the Eskimo, Julie lives in Alaska where the sun shone for months and then remained dark until the sun returned and brought life back. Her father is a skilled Eskimo hunter, but when he disappears while hunting, Julie must live with her conservative aunt that scolded Julie for speaking English and cutting her hair short. In an attempt to escape her aunt, Julie consented to an earlier pre-arranged marriage set up by her father. At the age of 13, Julie was married to a total stranger, lived with a whole new family, went to a whole new school and started to exchange letters with a pen pal in San Francisco. When her new “married” life became intolerable (see page 101, thanks sister), Julie decided to run away and take up her pen pal’s constant offers of going down to San Fran. Yet, running away was not as simple as she thought. Julie became lost on the tundra of the Arctic Circle and tried to survive with what Eskimo traditions her father had taught her from before. Just as she is about to starve, Julie takes a risk with a nearby wolf pack that eventually adopts her as their own. Julie is saved and becomes one of the tribe, with Nails, Silver, Sister, Zit, Zat, Zing, the friendly pup Kapu, the bold leader Amaroq, and the lone wolf who is constantly suspicious and never trusting of the new human Jello. Amaroq takes care of Julie after she learns the ways of the wolf and how to communicate properly. Living for months, lost on the tundra, Julie returns to the Eskimo ways of her ancestors, living with nature and accepting the name Miyax. Miyax appreciates her new way of life with the wolves, but when Miyax finds her way back to civilization during the hunting season, she must try to protect her new wolf friends from the bounty out on wolves for hunters.

I am very happy with the way the narrative of this novel was set up. It is split into three parts. During part one, Miyax is already lost on the tundra and must figure out a way to survive and learn how to get the wolves to accept her and offer her help before she starves. The sections on the tundra are pretty dry for the most part. Part two, though, goes back in time during Julie’s childhood to learn why Julie had run away and found herself in such a position. Part three has Miyax working with the wolves, but trying to find a new balance between old and new world traditions as she comes back to civilization. The tundra parts may have been slow but they were thankfully broken up in the middle. The ending to this novel is bittersweet, but I will admit that it was also confusing. On the last two pages, Miyax changes her mind for what seems to be 15 times and then finally she makes up her mind during the last sentence and I still have not yet decided if I like it. I say bittersweet because I like the ending and hate it at the same time. Or maybe I just hate the situation because of the characters involved and the conflict between a dying older way of life being put aside for a newer modern one.

This book has some very dry parts and the tundra scenes seem to last forever. I would not recommend this book for anyone who gets bored easily or has trouble paying attention when things get repetitive. However, do not let that stop you. I think this book has some great things to say and some actually stunning scenes that are both exciting and moving. And how bad can this book really be if it won the Newberry Medal? Enough said; read it.

“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island.”
- Walt Disney

The Call of the Wild

The Call of the Wild, by Jack London

I am surprised how long I lasted without reading this book or anything by Jack London. I was told that this book is a rite of passage for boyhood; it looks like I am a little late. This was definitely an interesting novel considering that I was not to eager to read a book whose main character was a dog.

Buck was kidnapped from his comfortable home in sunny California to be sold and transported up into the frigid Artic Canada where dogs were needed to work the ever-popular Gold Rush. After a grueling train ride, and an even more violent training session with “the man in the red sweater,” Buck was transformed into a dog whose spirit could not be broken. This novel portrays Buck’s growing assent to popularity in Canada as well as his journey from domestic to wilderness. He pulls sleds for many different men and learns how to grow in the ranks until finally becoming the lead sled dog. But one group of owners is too stupid and mean and for the first time Buck refuses to pull the sled and is almost beaten to death. He is saved when John Thornton removes him from the horrible owners, which works out well because both John and Buck witness their awful fate. Finally, Buck has found a man he can love and hopes that this one will not leave him like all the others. His growing dedication to Thornton adds to the legend of Buck after defensive attacks, rescues and feats of strength make him a well-known name. Slowly Buck comes closer and closer to the wild side the more he is exposed to the natural arctic world. This is the remarkable story of a dog born into luxury and how he becomes the leader of a wolf pack.

I was not sure how much I would like this book once I found out it was about a dog. I was not sure what to expect. I was thinking it would be something akin to Disney’s animated 101 Dalmatians but it is much closer to the Glenn Close version of the film. The story is told in third person so you never fully get inside Buck’s head. Instead, you learn about Buck through his actions and through the dialogue of the human characters that come in and out of his life. I never felt like I was reading a silly story about an animal, I liked the presentation London offered. The story was told well and had a great plot with constant action that kept the adventure going.

This action and adventure story is perfect for younger readers who want to be proven wrong that books are boring. This book is definitely not boring. It holds an amount of action and violence to remain heart pounding, while still remaining appropriate for all ages. And don’t let the fact that the main character is a dog stop you from reading this book as it almost did me. You will still be invested and rooting for a character you can relate to, even if you don’t have four legs and are covered in fur.

“Read, read, read.”
- William Faulkner