Boy and Going Solo

by Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

Overview

Roald Dahl's personal stories together in one edition!

Where did Roald Dahl get all of his wonderful ideas for stories? From his own life, of course! Boy includes tales of sweetshops and chocolate, mean old ladies, and the Great Mouse Plot. And then Going Solo tells of how, when he grew up, Roald Dahl left England for Africa and later went flying with the Royal Air Force.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780142417416
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	09/02/2010
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	314,681
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.60(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was born in Wales of Norwegian parents. He spent his childhood in England and, at age eighteen, went to work for the Shell Oil Company in Africa. When World War II broke out, he joined the Royal Air Force and became a fighter pilot. At the age of twenty-six he moved to Washington, D.C., and it was there he began to write. His first short story, which recounted his adventures in the war, was bought by The Saturday Evening Post, and so began a long and illustrious career.

After establishing himself as a writer for adults, Roald Dahl began writing children’s stories in 1960 while living in England with his family. His first stories were written as entertainment for his own children, to whom many of his books are dedicated.

Roald Dahl is now considered one of the most beloved storytellers of our time. Although he passed away in 1990, his popularity continues to increase as his fantastic novels, including James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The BFG, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, delight an ever-growing legion of fans.

Learn more about Roald Dahl on the official Roald Dahl Web site: www.roalddahl.com

Date of Birth:

September 13, 1916

Date of Death:

November 23, 1990

Place of Birth:

Llandaff, Wales, England

Place of Death:

Oxford, England

Table of Contents

	Starting-point
	Papa and Mama	13
	Kindergarten, 1922-3	21
	Llandaff Cathedral School, 1923-5 (age 7-9)
	The Bicycle and the Sweet-shop	27
	The Great Mouse Plot	35
	Mr Coombes	38
	Mrs Pratchett's Revenge	45
	Going to Norway	51
	The Magic Island	57
	A Visit to the Doctor	64
	St Peter's, 1925-9 (age 9-13)
	First Day	69
	Writing Home	74
	The Matron	79
	Homesickness	86
	A Drive in the Motor-car	91
	Captain Hardcastle	99
	Little Ellis and the Boil	112
	Goat's Tobacco	115
	Repton and Shell, 1929-36 (age 13-20)
	Getting Dressed for the Big School	123
	Boazers	128
	The Headmaster	130
	Chocolates	133
	Corkers	136
	Fagging	140
	Games and Photography	146
	Goodbye School	151

Editorial Reviews

Gr 4-7-Fans of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda will be entranced by actor Derek Jacobi's amusing and captivating narration of the formative years of Dahl's life. Listening to the boyhood antics of this world famous and best-selling author provides a glimpse into where he got some of the plot ideas and inspirations for his most popular books. Dahl's upbringing was, by any standard, eccentric. In Boy (FS&G, 1984), the first of his two autobiographical titles (the second is Going Solo), he details many of his more unusual boyhood adventures, such as almost losing his nose in a car accident, the "Great Mouse Plot" of 1924, and boarding school antics in prose that will leave listeners laughing out loud. Jacobi's wry delivery is completely unselfconscious, and his pacing is perfect. This audio treat will appeal to Dahl fanatics of all ages.-Cindy Lombardo, Orrville Public Library, OH Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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