The Twits by Roald Dahl

This is a book I read and loved as a child, and recently decided to re-read my Roald Dahl books. I have to say, I think I found The Twits funnier this time round!

This is a very short children’s book. The main characters are Mr and Mrs Twit, the monkey family and their friend the Roly-Poly bird.

Here is the synopsis from Amazon.co.uk

Mr and Mrs Twit are extremely nasty, so the Muggle-Wump monkeys and the Roly-Poly bird hatch an ingenious plan to give them just the ghastly surprise they deserve!

I just adored this book. Roald Dahl has such an amazing imagination. I wasn’t sure what to expect as this is a predominantly children’s book, but actually I was pleasantly surprised. Although I would not call this book particularly politically correct – having been written some years ago -  the book had me laughing all the way through. Some of the nasty tricks Dahl thinks up are incredible. How he has come up with ideas is just beyond me!

My favourite character was the Roly-Poly bird. He definitely had the the funniest one-liners, which were relevant even to our society today. It was these lines which make this an excellent book for adults as well as children.

If you are looking for a book to enjoy with your children, or just a humorous light read, The Twits is certainly a good contender. There are some books we will just never be too old for!

10/10

The Piano Man by Marcia Preston

from Amazon ~

Three years after the car accident that killed her 17-year-old son, Nathan, Claire O’Neal clings to grief, her life empty but for imagined conversations with the boy she raised on her own and her hectic job as a San Antonio, Tex., real estate agent. Preston (Butterfly House) strikes an uneven tone in this sentimental novel about loss and letting go. When therapy doesn’t help, Claire decides to chase after Nathan’s heart, which was transplanted to Mason McKinnon, a concert violinist with heart disease. She tracks Mason down to Sante Fe, New Mexico, where she finds him working as a piano player in a seedy bar, “wasting his health and a providential talent.” She schemes her way into Mason’s life and strives to preserve her son’s gift by preparing healthful meals for Mason and hiding his cigarettes. Their friendship survives the revelation of her identity as the mother of his organ donor, and evolves into a strange romance. Awkwardly woven in with this story are peeks at other characters significantly affected by Nathan’s death: his high school girlfriend Lindsey and the trucker who’s wracked with guilt for his role in Nathan’s accident. Preston’s well-intentioned novel ultimately offers redemption and healing for its tragedy-stricken characters.

Three years earlier Claire loses her son in a freak accident. In the wake of her grief she donates her sons heart to someone who is in dire need of it. While trying to get on with her life, Claire has visions of her son and is able to speak with him. He tells her that she needs to move on with her life. And in order for her to do that she seeks out the man who has received her sons heart. Mason is wasting his life away playing piano in a bar instead of the Symphony like he used to. At this point he doesn’t care if he lives or dies. Until Claire comes into his life. At first he doesn’t know who she is, but when she reveals herself they begin to work together towards healing and moving forward. We also meet the man who caused the accident as well as Nathans best friend and girlfriend – all of which are trying to move on in their own ways. A heartwarming tale with no villians, just ordinary people with lessons to learn.

Silent Thunder by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen

Expert submarine designer Hannah Bryson has been hired by a museum to inspect a Russian sub about to be open to the public for display. Along with her brother, Connor, she is to inspect every nook and cranny of the sub to make sure it is safe. When her brother discovers a plate with mysterious markings, a deadly tragedy occurs that catapults Hannah into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a former Russian submarine captain.

I don’t know why I don’t read more books like this. Sometimes I get so caught up in reading “serious” novels that I forget how much fun reading can actually be. This book by the mother-and-son Johansen team reminds me. They give the reader a spunky, smart heroine, fast-paced action, just enough love interest to keep things interesting, and some really great bad guys. Hannah is easy to root for – several times other characters refer to her tendency to relate better to machines than people, so when she allows herself to be vulnerable she becomes even more endearing. Her secondary characters are an entertaining mix of good and bad – noone is ever quite what they seem, which keeps the tension building right up to the end.

I’m not really sure how the writers divided up the writing tasks, but the result is seamless. The book has a consistent voice, and if I hadn’t been told I would not have known it was the work of two authors. The Johansens are a great writing team, and I certainly hope there will be more from them in the future!

Finished: 7/5/08
Rating: 8/10
Source: Review copy from publicist