This was probably one of the first books I ever read. I remember that I was about 6 years old and I read it because I had nothing else to do and there were no other books (it was quite a difficult book for someone of that age). It was... well, to say it was scary would be an understatement. For a long time I was terrified of a neighbor of ours because she always wore gloves and, because of Dahl, I was sure that she was a witch in disguise. In spite of the fact that she had two children of her own (a clever ruse, obviously). I feel queasy writing this, 20 years after reading the book.