I wanted a quick break from the crime series I’m currently reading so just whizzed through this book by Roald Dahl. I’m trying to do a bit of completionism on his main novels otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered reading this again - it’s really not one of my favourites. But I do like that there are elements of determination, of stubborn-ness, of sharing and caring, and of a family pulling together to do what it takes for the village. Nice enough.

It’s been a while since I’ve read an 87th Precinct book, I was obsessed with them for a while and raced through loads. Then I sort of lost interest for a while, but reviewing my old digital bookshelves has brought them back to mind again. I started reading this one, and I think I must have attempted it before because it rang a lot of bells. I don’t know why I gave it up because it’s a fun read, a bit different to the usual ‘someone’s been murdered, whodunnit?’ This time, it’s a bit of a treasure hunt, combined with some murder on top.

I know of this book only because it’s so very famous, and I can’t believe I never read it as a teenager, I can totally see why people love it. Frank and fresh, it’s just the inner workings of a teenage girl’s mind - the concerns and wobbles that a teenager has when navigating friends, family and school.