For day 1, a favourite book from childhood, Rob has chosen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl and Kate has chosen The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo.
Rob: I devoured all the Roald Dahls, they’re delightfully gruesome and mischievous which appealed to me as a young boy. With Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, there was the element that Charlie, who is a nobody – an “every-boy” – is given the chance to go to Willy Wonka’s magical factory. I imagined myself as Charlie, I wanted to be Charlie, and most of all I wanted an Everlasting Gobstopper
Kate: I can tell how many times I’ve read The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo due to the condition of its cover – the paperback’s spine is almost falling apart because it’s so well-read and well-loved. This is a tale of magic and friendship in the wildness of the Welsh mountains, blending modern life with myth and finding the strange in the everyday. This, with Emlyn’s Moon and The Chestnut Soldier, is some of the most involving, sinister, beautiful fiction I’ve ever read.
The snow spider is an exciting read for adults too- one small extra blessing from children is finding wonderful books, like jenny’s thrilling trilogy.