Where did Roald Dahl get all of his wonderful ideas for stories?
From his own life, of course! As full of excitement and the unexpected as his world-famous, best-selling books, Roald Dahl’s tales of his own childhood are completely fascinating and fiendishly funny. Did you know that Roald Dahl nearly lost his nose in a car accident? Or that he was once a chocolate candy tester for Cadbury’s? Have you heard about his involvement in the Great Mouse Plot of 1924? If not, you don’t yet know all there is to know about Roald Dahl. Sure to captivate and delight you, the boyhood antics of this master storyteller are not to be missed!
Content Considerations:
This is an autobiographical account, so the events are true stories, though fictionalized.
The book contains several descriptions of corporal punishment by school authorities, and these are frequent and detailed, though the tone is light-hearted (caning and once a flogging). The headmasters and other school staff seem almost sadistic--for example, pausing between caning so that the pain peaks before the next one, once offering a sponge to wipe off the blood before putting trousers back on.
It also includes descriptions of medical procedures done incorrectly or without consent and without anesthesia; for example, a drunk doctor repeatedly pulls a boy's fractured arm and that results in amputation.
Did you find this review helpful?