Roald Dahl books

James and the Giant Peach

We wanted to celebrate the Roald Dahl centenary by putting a selection of 'wondercrump' books Roald Dahl has written into one perfect list.

Go on an adventure and get caught up in the nostalgia of The Witches ('It doesn't matter who you are or what you look like, so long as somebody loves you'), James and the Giant Peach ('Come right up close to me and I will show you something wonderful') and Matilda ('If you are good life is good').

You've probably read all these books several times already, but you can never get tired of these individual pieces of magic.

  • James and the Giant Peach

    Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake
    Publisher: Puffin
    Interest age: 8-11
    Reading age: 8+

    Through a series of peculiar and magical happenings, James finds himself on an adventure inside a giant peach with a bunch of friendly giant insects for travelling companions.

  • Revolting Rhymes

    Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake
    Publisher: Penguin
    Interest age: 5+
    Reading age: 7+

    This is an hilarious collection of some well-loved fairy tales, cleverly reinvented by Roald Dahl.

  • Matilda

    Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake
    Publisher: Puffin
    Interest age: 7+
    Reading age: 8+

    This modern fairy-tale with a brilliantly inspiring young heroine is one of Roald Dahl's best loved stories.

  • The BFG

    Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake
    Publisher: Jonathan Cape
    Interest age: 6-10
    Reading age: 7+

    The BFG stands for Big Friendly Giant, who unexpectedly spirits a little girl named Sophie out of bed, and into the land of the child-eating giants.

  • The Vicar of Nibbleswicke

    Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake
    Publisher: Puffin
    Interest age: 9-11
    Reading age: 9+

    This is the highly amusing tale of Reverend Lee, who does not realise that his dyslexia is affecting his sermons.

  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

    Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake
    Publisher: Puffin
    Interest age: 8+
    Reading age: 8+

    Roald Dahl's wicked sense of humour is perfectly in evidence in this marvellously imaginative classic story, which has been loved by generations of children. 

  • The Witches

    Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake
    Publisher: Puffin
    Interest age: 9+
    Reading age: 9+

    Real witches disguise themselves as lovely ladies, when secretly they want to squish and squelch all the wretched children they despise.

  • The Twits

    Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake
    Publisher: Puffin Books
    Interest age: 10+
    Reading age: 9+

    Mr and Mrs Twit are extremely nasty, so the Muggle-Wump monkeys and the Roly-Poly bird hatch an ingenious plan to give them just the ghastly surprise they deserve!