The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

( 2 )

All Available Formats + Editions

$0.01

$6.78

Paperback

$0.01

$6.78

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar Pub. Date: 5/28/2000 Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
$1.99

——

Hardcover

$1.99

——

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar Pub. Date: 9/12/1977 Publisher: Random House Children's Books
$7.85

$16.15

Audiobook

$7.85

$16.15

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (CD - Unabridged, 2 CDs, 2 hours 30 minutes) Pub. Date: 6/13/2006 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Want to read this on your NOOK? Request as NOOK Book from the publisher

Thank you for requesting this book as a NOOK book from the publisher.

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

Advertising

Overview

If you could see with your eyes closed…would you use your power for good or for personal gain?

The life story of "The Man Who Could See Without His Eyes" inspires Henry Sugar with a wonderful idea. Such an amazing ability could allow Henry to cheat at cards!

Henry undertakes years of training to achieve this remarkable feat and promptly uses his new power to win, and win big, but he soon discovers that more than his eyes have been changed by his studies…

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780141304700
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
Publication date: 5/28/2000
Pages: 240
Sales rank: 159,783
Age range: 12 - 17 Years
Lexile: 0850L (what's this?)
Product dimensions: 5.06 (w) x 7.76 (h) x 0.62 (d)

Meet the Author

Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) is one of the most beloved storytellers of all time. He wrote many award-winning books for children, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda.

Biography

"I have never met a boy who so persistently writes the exact opposite of what he means," a teacher once wrote in the young Roald Dahl's report card. "He seems incapable of marshaling his thoughts on paper." From such inauspicious beginnings emerged an immensely successful author whom The Evening Standard would one day dub "one of the greatest children's writers of all time."

Dahl may have been an unenthusiastic student, but he loved adventure stories, and when he finished school he went out into the world to have some adventures of his own. He went abroad as a representative of the Shell corporation in Dar-es-Salaam, and then served in World War II as a pilot in the Royal Air Force. After the war, Dahl began his writing career in earnest, publishing two well-received collections of short stories for adults, along with one flop of a novel.

The short stories, full of tension and subtle psychological horror, didn't seem to presage a children's author. Malcolm Bradbury wrote in The New York Times Book Review, "[Dahl's] characters are usually ignoble: he knows the dog beneath the skin, or works hard to find it." Yet this talent for finding, and exposing, the nastier sides of grown-up behavior served him well in writing for children. As Dahl put it, "Writing is all propaganda, in a sense. You can get at greediness and selfishness by making them look ridiculous. The greatest attribute of a human being is kindness, and all the other qualities like bravery and perseverance are secondary to that."

In 1953, Dahl married the actress Patricia Neal; two of his early children's books, James and the Giant Peach (1961) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) grew out of the bedtime stories he made up for their children. Elaine Moss, writing in the Times, called the latter "the funniest children's book I have read in years; not just funny but shot through with a zany pathos which touches the young heart." Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a colossal hit. A film version starring Gene Wilder was released in 1971 (as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory), while James and the Giant Peach was made into a movie in 1996.

Dahl followed his initial successes with a string of bestsellers, including Danny, the Champion of the World, The Twits, The BFG, The Witches and Matilda. Some adults objected to the books' violence -- unpleasant characters (like James’s Aunts Sponge and Spiker) tend to get bumped off in grotesque and inventive ways -- but Dahl defended his stories as part of a tradition of gruesome fairy tales in which mean people get what they deserve. "These tales are pretty rough, but the violence is confined to a magical time and place," he said, adding that children like violent stories as long as they're "tied to fantasy and humor." By the time of his death in 1990, Dahl's mischievous wit had captivated so many readers that The Times called him "one of the most widely read and influential writers of our generation."

Good To Know

When Dahl was in school, he and his schoolmates occasionally served as new-product testers for the Cadbury chocolate company. Dahl used to dream of working in a chocolate manufacturer's inventing room. He wrote in his autobiography, "I have no doubt at all that, 35 years later, when I was looking for a plot for my second book for children, I remembered those little cardboard boxes and the newly invented chocolates inside them, and I began to write a book called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

Dahl's first book for children, The Gremlins (1943), was a story about the mythical creatures that sabotaged British planes. (Dahl claimed for most of his life that he had coined the term "gremlins," but it had been in use by members of the Royal Air Force for years.) Walt Disney planned to use it as the basis for a movie, but the project was scrapped, and only 5,000 copies of the book were ever printed.

1. Date of Birth:
  
  September 13, 1916
2. Place of Birth:
  
  Llandaff, Wales, England
1. Date of Death:
  
  November 23, 1990
2. Place of Death:
  
  Oxford, England

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 1

( 2 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(2)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines

Tell the world what you think of this product.

Add Recommendations

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.

mbdono

Posted December 7, 2009

My son loves this book

This is a good book for kids who like Roald Dahl, and especially for this time of year when we are always running around because it has short stories so he can read small sections -- good for his reading log every night for homework.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted October 18, 2007

Good Stories, however

This book has six stories and all are very good and entertaining. The last story I am unsure is meant for children. In my own personal opinion the last story, A Piece Of Cake, teeters on the edge. I recommend this book of stories but I also suggest parents of a young reader read the book first.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted April 25, 2003

Long Live Roald!

This book is delightful! A must read for any Roald Dahl fan. I especially enjoyed the hitchhiker and of course, Henry Sugar. Go read it now, ok?
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted April 23, 2003

All But One

A wonderful grouping by stories by a prolific author. My problem is the inclusion of the last story in the book, entitled 'A Piece of Cake'. While other stories appeal to young and emerging readers, this very adult story does not belong in this book of tales. At the very least there should be a *notice* not unlike warnings on movies, television programs, and music, that it may not be suitable for young readers.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted May 27, 2001

On my top ten list of books

The Wonderful story of Henry Sugar is one of the best collection of children's short stories out there. In fact, it's one of the best collections of short stories, period. 'The Swan' is particularly memberable as a touching portrait of the struggle of man against beast, a story that is both beautiful and humorous as it is maddening and sad. A treasure for any Dahl fan.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted April 23, 2001

I Want to Be Henry Sugar

The story of Henry Sugar feels different from many of Dahl's more popular works, like Matilda and James & the Giant Peach, but it's feeling of being set in the 'real' world does not detract from the sense of magic that Dahl gives all his work. These stories were touching and amazing, so much so that I want to believe they're true. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Dahl's other works. However, if you want to read something else in the vein of the aforementioned Matilda et. al., I would not say this is the one to go for. But it is an excellent, EXCELLENT book.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted November 15, 2010

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted April 28, 2011

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted June 5, 2009

No text was provided for this review.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Pick Up in Store

Overview

All Available Formats + Editions

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

More About This Book

Overview

Related Subjects

Product Details

Meet the Author

Roald Dahl

Biography

Good To Know

Customer Reviews

Rating Distribution

5 Star

4 Star

3 Star

2 Star

1 Star

Your Rating:

Your Recommendations:

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

What to exclude from your review:

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

Reminder:

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

My son loves this book

Good Stories, however

Long Live Roald!

All But One

On my top ten list of books

I Want to Be Henry Sugar