From the back cover: Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike … [Read more...] about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl: A-
Children's Fiction
Matilda by Roald Dahl: A
From the back cover: Matilda is a genius. Before she was three years old she was reading the newspaper. By the age of four, Matilda was reading classics by Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. By the time Matilda becomes a student at Crunchem Hall, she's bored stiff. When Matilda's teacher, Miss Honey, tries to get her moved up a few grades she runs up against the Headmistress, … [Read more...] about Matilda by Roald Dahl: A
M Is for Magic by Neil Gaiman: A-
From the back cover: Master storyteller Neil Gaiman presents a breathtaking collection of tales for younger readers that may chill or amuse, but that always embrace the unexpected: * Humpty Dumpty's sister hires a private detective to investigate her brother's death. * A teenage boy who has trouble talking to girls finds himself at a rather unusual party. * A boy … [Read more...] about M Is for Magic by Neil Gaiman: A-
The Witches by Roald Dahl: A
From the back cover: Grandmamma loves to tell about witches. Real witches are the most dangerous of all living creatures on earth. There's nothing they hate so much as children, and they work all kinds of terrifying spells to get rid of them. Her grandson listens closely to Grandmamma's stories—but nothing can prepare him for the day he comes face-to-face with The Grand High … [Read more...] about The Witches by Roald Dahl: A
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder: B
From the back cover: Eleven-year-old David is about to meet his new stepsister, Amanda, who is only one year older than he is. Amanda arrives at their big old house wearing a huge tattered shawl and carrying a sharp-eyed crow in a cage. She is hardly what David expects. Before long, she introduces David to a strange world of witchcraft and the occult. At first, spells and … [Read more...] about The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder: B