The Ugly Great Giant

Sam did not want to lose face when he first met the ugly great giant, so he accepted the challenge to play cards. He won the first time, and the second time, but then he lost. His penalty? His head, in four days’ time. How Sam travels to the castle and, with the help of the giant’s daughter, manages to outwit the giant reads like a traditional fairy tale with elements of the unexpected thrown in at regular intervals to keep the reader turning the pages. Doyle’s touch as a storyteller is as assured as ever; if you already have books by him, this is worth adding to your library. If not, you could do worse than to start with this one.