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THE ENCHANTED APRIL

★ Basic information of the book

Author：Elizabeth Von Arnim

Retold：Margaret Tarner

Series Editor：John Milne

Illustrator：Tracey Joanne Ramsdale

Publishing and distributed by Heinemann

Word level：Intermediate (1600 words)

Number of Pages：68

Travel makes people change and grow. In the novel, four unhappy women answered the advertisement to San Salvatore－an Italian castle near the sea. Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot met in a ladies' club. Though they both had a husband successful in business, they didn't satisfy with their marriage. Another woman was Lady Caroline. Her family was one of the oldest and richest in England, but she was unhappy and bored. Mrs. Fisher, who was a lonely widow, also came with them. During their spring vacation in Italy, they found enchantment and delight again. Besides, they deeply realized the power of love and be loved.

Honestly to say, it's an ordinary story. Yet, the beauty of the scene in it couldn't be described by words.

MATILDA

★ Basic information of the book

Author：Roald Dahl

Illustrator：Quentin Blake

First published in Great Britain by Jonathan Cape Ltd in 1988

First published in the United States America by Viking Penguin in 1990

Publishing and distributed by Person Education Limited

Classification：Contemporary English

Number of Pages：233

It's bad enough when parents treat ordinary children as though they are scabs, but it becomes somehow a lot worse when the child is brilliant and sensitive. In this novel, Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood were two such parents who had a daughter called Matilda. In fact, Mr. Wormwood, the dishonest car dealer, cared nothing but his career. However, Matilda was a three years old prodigy having a father refused to buy her any book. Therefore, she would toddle down to the library and devour one book after another alone. Though she had horrible, mean parents, she was clever enough to give them what they deserved.

Matilda entered school soon after she was five and half years old. Fortunately, she met a lovely and mild teacher, Miss Honey, discovering that Matilda was out of the ordinary. Nevertheless, the headmaster, who was Miss Honey's aunt, was tyrannical monster. She not only occupied her niece house by force but also regarded Matilda as a naughty child. To give what the headmaster deserved, a miraculous idea arouse in Matilda's mind. In the end, Mr. Wormwood left for Spain because he was in with a bunch of crooks, yet Matilda still stayed with Miss Honey.

The World's Favorite Children's Author

I chose this novel because I read "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", which also wrote by Roald Dahl, few months ago. It captured my heart and I even lost myself in the fairy tales' world created by him.

"Roald Dahl is without question the most successful children's writer in the world," wrote Brian Appleyard in THE INDEPENDENT in 1990. Roald's career as a children's book author did not begin in earnest until the 1960s, after he had become a father himself. Walt Disney also invited him to write for Hollywood. I strongly recommended his book to someone who enjoys burying himself/herself in children's book like me.

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