Although he wore many hats during his lifetime (including serving in the Royal Air Force during WWII, before becoming a poet, short story writer, screenwriter, and non-fiction author), Roald Dahl is best known for creating some of the most beloved stories of our childhoods that, upon growing up, continue to stick with us.
This World Fantasy Award-winner masterfully wove the wackiest, most absurd, darkly comedic plots with larger-than-life characters into heartfelt tales filled with hope and a child-like sense of wonder. In most of his stories, children, not only adults, are allowed to be clever, courageous and resourceful and most importantly, are given the opportunity to become their own heroes.
In Dahl’s fantasy novels, good always prevails over evil, and magic makes the impossible possible. Roald Dahl was a writer who knew the importance of exercising his imagination so that he never lost it, and in doing so permitted others to do the same.
Just as Dahl’s character, Willy Wonka, declares, “I am the maker of music, the dreamer of dreams!” Roald Dahl’s stories remind readers that with creativity and self-confidence, we can fulfill our wildest hopes and lead miraculous lives.
Below are 10 splendid Roald Dahl fantasy books to share with a child in your life or with your inner child!
The Gremlins
Roald Dahl’s very first children’s book was inspired by his background working as a Royal Air Force pilot during WWII. The story centers around Gus, an RAF pilot whose Hawker Hurricane is destroyed by tiny, vengeful creatures called Gremlins in retaliation after their forest home was demolished to make room for the construction of an aircraft factory.
However, Gus develops a plan in hopes of convincing these clever creatures to join forces with them in the fight against Hitler and the Nazi regime. Will Gus be able to successfully turn these mischievous creatures into the RAF’s most useful allies, or will the Gremlins remain their rebellious adversaries?
James and the Giant Peach
Praised as one of TIME Magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time, James and the Giant Peach is about an orphaned boy named James Henry Trotter, who is forced to live with his two unloving aunts, Spiker and Sponge. But one day a mysterious stranger takes pity on him and gifts him a bag of magical crystals meant to improve James’ life. However, upon returning home, he accidentally spills the crystals onto the ground, which end up burrowing themselves into the dirt, resulting in the growth of a massive peach the size of his house.
Inside this magical fruit, James meets a group of peculiarly oversized insects, including a Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybug, and a few other bug friends. They soon find themselves on a wild adventure after the peach’s stem is cut and the fruit begins rapidly rolling away. This hopeful, endearing tale reminds us that we can find friendship in the unlikeliest of places with those exceedingly different from us.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Five lucky children win the opportunity to take a tour of Willy Wonka’s famous chocolate factory: Augustus Gloop, a boy who loves food as much as he enjoys eating it; Veruca Salt, a spoiled brat who always gets what she wants; Violet Beauregarde, a competitive gum-chewer; Mike Teavee, a boy who always carries a toy pistol and is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, a sweet boy with a humble upbringing living with his family in poverty.
What awaits these children is an abundance of uniquely strange and delicious candies, mouthwatering chocolate and the secrets and wisdom of one extremely mysterious and magnificently absurd candy maker eager to introduce them to a “world of pure imagination.”
Fantastic Mr. Fox
To keep his family well-fed, Mr. Fox has been stealing from three greedy, callous local farmers: Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Unfortunately, the three are catching on to Mr. Fox’s nightly schemes and want to put an end once and for all to this thief. But this fox is not going down without a fight, especially when his life, his family’s lives and the lives of his neighbors are in jeopardy. Readers will quickly comprehend why this clever fox has earned the respected title of being nothing short of fantastic.
The Twits
Have you ever heard of the meanest and most hideous couple in the world? That would be Mr. and Mrs. Twit! They spend their days constantly pulling unkind, gross pranks on one another finding joy in making each other uncomfortable and angry. When they aren’t being cruel to each other, they take pleasure in forcing their pet monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps, to stand on their heads for hours to fulfill their dream of forming the first upside-down monkey circus. And for meals, they love to catch unassuming birds to use in their bird pies.
But these animals have been terrorized for far too long and have brilliant ideas on how to deliver proper payback…
George's Marvelous Medicine
Rather than having a sweet, thoughtful grandmother who shows interest in her grandson, eight-year-old George Kranky has a grandmother who intimidates, bullies and bosses him around. She only seems to speak to him if she needs an unpleasant chore completed or wants to take out her frustrations by spewing mean comments and criticisms.
So George decides that Grandma could use a special concoction to cure her grouchiness and gets to work collecting ingredients to mix together, some of which include: shampoo, floor polish, hot sauce and anti-freeze. You’ll have to pick this story up if you want to know what happens to Grandma after she drinks her “medicine.” The results are outrageously silly and utterly satisfying in typical Roald Dahl fashion!
The BFG
One night Sophie is carried off by a giant from the window of her orphanage. Luckily for her, this giant is known as the BFG, or “Big Friendly Giant,” who, unlike other giants, abstains from eating humans. Sadly, other children are still in danger of being eaten as long as the other nine man-eating giants are free to roam around hunting for their next victims. Together, Sophie and the BFG work to put an end to the other powerful, cruel giants, while going on one daring journey neither will ever forget.
The Witches
What if witches didn’t fly around on broomsticks or wore pointy hats? What if they hid among regular-looking women and disguised their sharp claws with elegant gloves and their misshapen feet with stylish shoes?
The young English protagonist in this novel has grown up hearing real stories of witches from his grandmama, who has armed her beloved grandson with the knowledge to successfully identify treacherous witches and guard himself against the harm they would surely inflict if ever given the opportunity. Since one thing is for sure: Witches hate children.
They want the entire world to be rid of kids and will scour the earth, slowly killing them one by one, until none are left. When our young protagonist stumbles upon The Grand High Witch and her coven, he’ll have to use all the wisdom his grandmamma has passed on to outsmart the evil sorceresses.
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me
The Ladderless Window-Cleaning Company is on the job! They are an unlikely band of misfits that together have created a successful business. They include a pelican whose beak acts as a perfect makeshift bucket; a monkey in charge of washing the windows; a giraffe that helps them reach the tip-top of high structures; and Billy, their child manager.
When they receive the job of a lifetime, cleaning all 677 windows of the Hampshire House, owned by the wealthiest man in England, they are eager to see what exciting adventures await. However, what they hadn’t predicted was how dangerous window-washing could be, particularly when there’s a burglar on the loose!
Matilda
Matilda is a remarkably intelligent and empathetic girl, despite being raised by ignorant, abusive parents who disregard and belittle her, especially for her academic talents. At merely five and a half, she has enjoyed long works of classic literature and is excelling in mathematics while surpassing her peers. Sadly, school life is not a place of refuge for Matilda since her school’s principal, Miss Trunchbull, enjoys bullying schoolchildren, especially those who challenge her strict, unnecessary rules.
But thankfully, there’s Miss Honey, Matilda’s compassionate teacher, who knows she is special. Yet neither of them realizes how truly extraordinarily gifted Matilda is until the young girl reveals her astonishing new-found powers—superhuman abilities that will change both of their lives forever.
