3.5

This was a delightful little book that I zipped through in a couple of hours. I would have loved it as a younger child, that’s for certain! Magic, witches, mice, adventure, and more, this tale is a wild ride. There were a few mildly problematic elements that make me hesitate to give it a higher rating, however—maybe I read too much like a teacher already! The book is meant for pretty young readers, however, so some potentially harmful messages would likely pass over childrens’ heads. I couldn’t help but be a bit concerned by the ending. And Bruno’s character was pretty shallow and fat-shaming (making all larger children out to be children that just eat all the time and don’t think of others). Not that this is what Dahl meant by any means, but it would have helped if both the main character and Bruno were a bit better developed.

Again, maybe I’m reading too critically and being to hard on this little tale. Overall, it was another delightful story by Roald Dahl and is a whimsical way to pass a couple of hours.