A lot of people cite 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' as one of their favorite books from childhood. While I agree that it's a fabulous book, I prefer one of Roald Dahl's far lesser-known books. 'Danny, the Champion of the World' tells the story of a little boy who lives with his father at the edge of a woods where rich people go to shoot pheasants. The owner of the land is threatening both Danny and his father and something must be done to deal with him. Ultimately Danny and his dad come up with a brilliant plan to basically steal all the birds from the woods on the night before the bad guy is having a big hunting event, so that he will be humiliated. The plan is incredibly creative and convoluted and just plain wonderful.
Personally, I hate the Quentin Blake illustrations that accompany most Roald Dahl books published today. That is especially true of 'Danny.' There is magic in the original pictures - of little Danny behind the wheel of an Aston Martin late at night, of his father in poacher's clothes on the edge of the woods, of a woman running down the street with her baby perched atop a baby carriage filled with pheasants that are just waking up from a groggy drugged sleep... I have gone out and bought copies of those original books off eBay and half.com to give to friends, just because I think that the book is not the same without them. If you have a chance, go out and get this book. It's wonderful. Just... magical.
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