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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have learned over the years that Roald Dahl's shorter stories are not nearly as engaging and well-plotted as his longer works such as Matilda, The BFG, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They are still great concepts with loads of magic, but they lack the same level of investment I have when reading his longer stories.
I had a similar reaction to George's Marvellous Medicine as I had to the books Esio Trot and The Twits. This was a fun, fast read about a boy with a miserable, nagging grandmother who decides to create a wild concoction of a drink to replace the old woman's usual medicine. Chaos ensues. While fun within reason, the characters were all quite unlikable and the ending fell pretty flat for me. If I was going to choose a Dahl read aloud book for my lower elementary students, this one would not be it.
I had a similar reaction to George's Marvellous Medicine as I had to the books Esio Trot and The Twits. This was a fun, fast read about a boy with a miserable, nagging grandmother who decides to create a wild concoction of a drink to replace the old woman's usual medicine. Chaos ensues. While fun within reason, the characters were all quite unlikable and the ending fell pretty flat for me. If I was going to choose a Dahl read aloud book for my lower elementary students, this one would not be it.
George has a grandma who is not the typical kind and helpful grandma. She is grumpy and grouchy, and he decides to teach her a lesson by creating a special medicine that is sure to have an explosive effect on her behavior. This bubbling, frothing mixture is designed to send his grandma "through the roof."
Dahl is known for writing memorable characters, and I cannot help but fondly recall the wicked grandmother. She's entitled, rude, and rivals any villain of childhood literature. After George makes the medicine, wackiness ensues. I found George's reasons for adding specific ingredients to be charming.
Kids will love this story, but it is important to remind them that mixing household chemicals and serving it to anyone as a "medicine" should only be done in fiction.
Dahl is known for writing memorable characters, and I cannot help but fondly recall the wicked grandmother. She's entitled, rude, and rivals any villain of childhood literature. After George makes the medicine, wackiness ensues. I found George's reasons for adding specific ingredients to be charming.
Kids will love this story, but it is important to remind them that mixing household chemicals and serving it to anyone as a "medicine" should only be done in fiction.
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It is impossible to rate this with any objectivity. This was the first book I read EVER (that wasn't a comic), on a school trip to the local library at age ... 7 ? It's a testament to Roald Dahl's power as a writer that he sparked a lifelong love for the written word.
I hadn't read this for a very long time, but remembered it fondly. Ezra and I decided to read it together and I was shocked by a couple of things. First, it is quite funny, even if the plot is underdeveloped. Second, it just ends. Abrupt and feeling unfinished, I'm not sure what Dahl was thinking. Perhaps he hated his mother-in-law so much that it was enough to do away with her.
Ezra enjoyed it a lot though.
Ezra enjoyed it a lot though.
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
I can’t imagine they would publish this today but it’s quite darkly amusing.
Definitely Roald Dahl. I enjoyed it, but as an adult it made me cringe. Probably not for today's kids since they don't seem to understand fantasy. But if you have a kid that likes dark fantasy they may be able to handle it. Definitely recommend the parent read it first.