You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Told with the same humor (if a slight bit less absurdity) as all of Dahl's other books, "Boy" recalls the author's childhood, mostly focusing on various boarding schools. There's also a bit about vacations to Norway that left me longing to go on a trip.
You can also see some of the inspiration for Dahl's later books here, particularly "The Witches." The mouse plot and the candy shop will probably leave you a bit more than queasy, and very careful to check on the contents of your cabinets before cooking.
A warning to parents: in England, the term for an annoying chore and those boys in boarding school expected to do them is "fag." So that's going to be thrown out a lot. I'd advise speaking to your kids about this before they read, to make sure they understand the cultural context and they don't use the term in their own school.
You can also see some of the inspiration for Dahl's later books here, particularly "The Witches." The mouse plot and the candy shop will probably leave you a bit more than queasy, and very careful to check on the contents of your cabinets before cooking.
A warning to parents: in England, the term for an annoying chore and those boys in boarding school expected to do them is "fag." So that's going to be thrown out a lot. I'd advise speaking to your kids about this before they read, to make sure they understand the cultural context and they don't use the term in their own school.
A favorite, for sure. Dahl recounts stories that both horrify and delight all ages, from getting his tonsils removed without anesthesia to planting a mouse in a candy jar (fans of "You've Got Mail" will especially remember this story). An enlightening look behind the scenes of the man whose genius and imagination continue to delight decades later.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
One of the only books by Roald Dahl I hadn't read yet, nice to read about his childhood even though I'm not a child anymore, you can tell he got some of his idea's from his childhood. Going Solo next and then I've read almost all of his books, just the collections of short stories after that.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Abandonment
Boarding school talked about, with all the child abuse that comes with it
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Incredibly fun little book of short stories from RD life. I enjoyed every word.
I can’t believe I’d never read this before. Having recently visited his home in Great Missenden, it’s a timely read!
Wow… you can see the inspiration for Matilda, and Charlie and the Chocolate factory, and the idea behind plenty of other cruel adults. Reading about the surgeries and broken noses etc had me cringing in sympathy.
Wow… you can see the inspiration for Matilda, and Charlie and the Chocolate factory, and the idea behind plenty of other cruel adults. Reading about the surgeries and broken noses etc had me cringing in sympathy.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced