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The Magic Finger

3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 · rating details · 9,812 ratings · 427 reviews

To the Gregg family, hunting is just plain fun. To the girl who lives next door, it's just plain terrible. She tries to be polite. She tries to talk them out of it, but the Greggs go too far, and the little girl turns her Magic Finger on them.

Paperback, 64 pages

Published February 1st 1993 by Puffin Books (first published 1966)

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Oct 11, 2011 Miriam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: younger

No hunting! It is mean! Plus, you never know when your psycho neighbor is going to flip out and and punish you with her "Magic Finger" (does that sound dirty to anyone else?). Better to stay inside where it's safe. Don't answer the door to any kids, or ducks.

This seems preachier than is the norm for Dahl. The magic isn't developed, and we don't spend enough time with the narrator to know her or care about her. The way in which the narrator characterized her magic finger as something outside hers...more

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Sep 27, 2007 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a book about a girl who punishes a family who hunts using her magic finger. In the end, the family vows never to hunt again. But my question still remains: plenty of people who read this book eat meat, yet agree that the hunters should be punished. But should they? What's the difference between eating meat and hunting your own meat? At least they know the animals weren't tortured or abused. Maybe I'm reading too much into this...

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Oct 14, 2012 April rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, childrens

There’s something about reading Roald Dahl that fills me with joy and nostalgia. I always include a Dahl book in my reading pile for every Dewey 24 Hour Readathon because they are FUN, quick and put me in an ‘I love reading’ frame of mind which is essential for any reading marathon. For the April 2012 Readathon, I chose The Magic Finger which is among the more slim Dahl books I own.
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Jan 08, 2013 Farhan Rahman rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Two young boys, whose last name is Gregg, live next door to the eight-year-old narrator. The girl “just can’t stand” hunting, and the boys next door and their father hunt both animals and birds: “Even Philip, who was only eight years old, had a gun of his own.” Adding intrigue to these rather ordinary circumstances is the unusual “gift” that the girl possesses—a magic finger.

The girl does not understand this gift; she only knows that she has always possessed it. It is activated when she becomes...more Two young boys, whose last name is Gregg, live next door to the eight-year-old narrator. The girl “just can’t stand” hunting, and the boys next door and their father hunt both animals and birds: “Even Philip, who was only eight years old, had a gun of his own.” Adding intrigue to these rather ordinary circumstances is the unusual “gift” that the girl possesses—a magic finger.

The girl does not understand this gift; she only knows that she has always possessed it. It is activated when she becomes angry. A jolt of something similar to electrical power is released from her finger and lands on the person who has angered her, causing all sorts of outrageous things to happen—things over which she has no control. Therefore, when the Greggs begin to hunt and kill deer and wild ducks, the magic finger takes over. It is not until the next day that the girl learns the amazing results of its actions.
The jolt from the girl’s magic finger lands on the Greggs. At first, nothing out of the ordinary occurs. The hunting expedition is actually quite successful at the beginning, and a large number of wild ducks are captured. Then, things suddenly change when a small group of ducks flies into the hunting arena. No matter how stubbornly the Gregg boys and their father attempt to shoot, the Greggs are still unable to hunt down their prey. They finally abandon the hunt and return home

The next morning, to their astonishment and horror, the members of the Gregg family awake to discover that they have been changed into pint-sized people with duck like wings, while the ducks outside have been transformed into people-sized ducks with human arms. The large ducks quickly proceed to set up residence in the house. In the chaos that follows, the Greggs, locked out of their own home, learn at first hand lessons on survival in the wild. The role reversal presents the Greggs with a very different perspective on hunting and a new sensitivity to animals and birds, especially to wild ducks. Although their problems are resolved by the end of the book, the magic finger continues its relentless pursuit of other purveyors of injustice.

I’ve been a massive fan of Roald Dahl from an early age. His books are simple, and easy to read, and hence cater to a large audience. I particularly like the themes that are mentioned in all of his books. The Magic Finger touches on hunting, and animal cruelty, and these are teachable issues I can talk to children in my class about if I chose to read this book to them. I would recommend this book to an upper end key stage one class, as well as a key stage two class because of the uncomplicated style of writing.
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Farhan Rahman Two young boys, whose last name is Gregg, live next door to the eight-year-old narrator. The girl “just can’t stand” hunting, and the boys next door a...more Two young boys, whose last name is Gregg, live next door to the eight-year-old narrator. The girl “just can’t stand” hunting, and the boys next door and their father hunt both animals and birds: “Even Philip, who was only eight years old, had a gun of his own.” Adding intrigue to these rather ordinary circumstances is the unusual “gift” that the girl possesses—a magic finger.

The girl does not understand this gift; she only knows that she has always possessed it. It is activated when she becomes angry. A jolt of something similar to electrical power is released from her finger and lands on the person who has angered her, causing all sorts of outrageous things to happen—things over which she has no control. Therefore, when the Greggs begin to hunt and kill deer and wild ducks, the magic finger takes over. It is not until the next day that the girl learns the amazing results of its actions.
The jolt from the girl’s magic finger lands on the Greggs. At first, nothing out of the ordinary occurs. The hunting expedition is actually quite successful at the beginning, and a large number of wild ducks are captured. Then, things suddenly change when a small group of ducks flies into the hunting arena. No matter how stubbornly the Gregg boys and their father attempt to shoot, the Greggs are still unable to hunt down their prey. They finally abandon the hunt and return home

The next morning, to their astonishment and horror, the members of the Gregg family awake to discover that they have been changed into pint-sized people with duck like wings, while the ducks outside have been transformed into people-sized ducks with human arms. The large ducks quickly proceed to set up residence in the house. In the chaos that follows, the Greggs, locked out of their own home, learn at first hand lessons on survival in the wild. The role reversal presents the Greggs with a very different perspective on hunting and a new sensitivity to animals and birds, especially to wild ducks. Although their problems are resolved by the end of the book, the magic finger continues its relentless pursuit of other purveyors of injustice.

I’ve been a massive fan of Roald Dahl from an early age. His books are simple, and easy to read, and hence cater to a large audience. I particularly like the themes that are mentioned in all of his books. The Magic Finger touches on hunting, and animal cruelty, and these are teachable issues I can talk to children in my class about if I chose to read this book to them. I would recommend this book to an upper end key stage one class, as well as a key stage two class because of the uncomplicated style of writing.(less)
Jan 08, 2013 05:41am

Dec 16, 2012 Cruth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-aloud, childrens-chapter-book

One of the wonderful novellas (57 pages) by Roald Dahl with Quentin Blake's humorous illustrations.

First published in 1966, my edition was published 2001.

Basically, "The Magic Finger" is a modern fairy tale with an anti-hunting refrain. As such, while the 6yo enjoyed it, it's probably more 8+ for comprehension without an adult supporting it. (As a very urban Aussie, hunting is not a normal nor regular activity for us. It moves the book into pure fiction for us.)

The story is mostly from first per...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Neelam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was told by niece to read this book and again like every other Roald Dahl book, this too was a great short story. It is about a young girl who has a magic finger and when she becomes angry she punishes those who are cruel. The Gregg family live on a farm next to her; they are a family of hunters. The girl cannot stand the cruelty of hunting animals and has often tried to discourage the family members; but in return they mock her. This makes the girl extremely cross and she uses her finger agai...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Carlena Aaron-Aggarwal rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Magic finger is a short story by Roald Dahl about a young girl who has a magical secret ; her magic finger. She has always had her magic finger and uses it to teach those who are cruel a lesson. The Magic Finger focuses on the Gregg family, a family of hunters who live on the farm next to hers. The girl can not stand hunting and has often tried to discourage the young Gregg boys, William and Philip. The Greggs boys love hunting so much they laugh and pull faces at her. The girl even tries to...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Kimberley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is another one of Roald Dahl's easy to read books. It follows an eight year old girl (who remains nameless throughout the book) who has magical finger. It predominately follows the second time that she has used her powers, which is when she saw the Gregg family shooting at animals which they do for leisure and this went against her ideals. By using her powers the girl caused a switch in power whereby the Gregg family changed into birds and the ducks into humans. It was during this stage of...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Colin Miller rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Roald Dahl’s The Magic Finger may stop shy of all the avenues it could take to be a fully-fledged kid’s novel, but it’s an amusing short story as is.

When I was a kid, I never thought of a book being a short story, novella, novel, etc.—a book was a book—but now that I’m an adult revisiting Roald Dahl, it’s clear how short The Magic Finger really is. The huge drawings from Pat Marriot also help speed things along (though it’s odd to me how many Dahl works I have where Quentin Blake—the staple I th...more Roald Dahl’s The Magic Finger may stop shy of all the avenues it could take to be a fully-fledged kid’s novel, but it’s an amusing short story as is.

When I was a kid, I never thought of a book being a short story, novella, novel, etc.—a book was a book—but now that I’m an adult revisiting Roald Dahl, it’s clear how short The Magic Finger really is. The huge drawings from Pat Marriot also help speed things along (though it’s odd to me how many Dahl works I have where Quentin Blake—the staple I thought I had in my youth—is not the illustrator). The basic premise is that when an unnamed girl gets mad at someone, she points her finger and magic things happen. When she sees her neighbors, the Greggs, hunting ducks, she points her anger at them and they have an experience that has them questioning their previous views on how the world works.

What I like about The Magic Finger is that it gives younger kids a bite-size questioning of our moral standards while keeping things entertaining. If the book were a bit longer, maybe for an older audience, the material could get a lot darker, but Dahl keeps that potentially grim plotline leashed. There’s very little on the girl with the magic finger either. She doesn’t even have a name or an origin story to her mysterious power. About all the reader knows is that this isn’t the first or last time her magic finger has unleashed an obscure form of judgment. The story is more about the Gregg family and their ordeal. Again, there could’ve been a lot on the effects of judgment, but Dahl keeps his plot bullseye clean within the ring.

In rereading Dahl, I’m keeping track of his staples. As this is a shorter work, there isn’t the lone nice adult to balance out all the other cruel adults. This time around, I noted that Dahl doesn’t view guns favorably (in Fantastic Mr. Fox they’re brandished by career farmers, this time by a family of hunters). Off-hand, I can’t think of a book where he does present guns positively, which is interesting considering his wartime past. For all the ways kid fiction is full of things that parents wouldn’t want them to do (hence why kids find it entertaining), so far, guns remain negative. If we’re honest, adult books are full of things you shouldn’t do either (which is also part of what makes them compelling), but that’s a rabbit trail for another review. For now, I’ll say that The Magic Finger could’ve done much more, but its set limitations allowed it to do plenty. Three stars.
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Jun 09, 2012 Naseem added it · review of another edition

This story is about the Gregg family that hunts ducks for pleasure and fun and the story is related to the audience through the eyes of an eight-year-old girl who lives next door to them.

This girl possesses a magical power to punish people who make her but she is unable to control when she uses it, or what happens to the people she uses the magic finger on. Consequently this often gets her into a lot of trouble.

Although the Gregg family are her friends, she is angry and upset with the ducks hu...more

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Sep 18, 2011 Shanaz Begum rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got told by my little cousin to read this book who is in year 5. When I first looked at the book I wasn’t too keen to read the book but I was glad I did. I really like how Roald Dahl keeps the reader engaged into the book, because when the Girl uses her magic finger you want to what happens to them straight away. As a reader I wanted to quickly finish the page I was reading and go on to the next one so I can find out what’s next. At point I had to put the book down but I really didn’t want to....more

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Sep 01, 2011 Aisha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is another classic Roald Dahl book that manages to entertain and amuse its readers. The Gregg family are all keen hunters, but their next door neighbour, the little girl with the magic finger, is anti-hunting, and whenever she sees them going out to hunt animals, she gets very mad. One day she cannot control her anger anymore and casts her magic finger on the Greggs, teaching them a lesson they will never forget.

The Magic Finger touches on the sensitive issue of hunting in a humorous, but...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Helen Parsons rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Roald Dahl is a clever children’s writer who manages to put across a message in a clear yet understated way. The Magic Finger was a childhood favourite of mine that looked at an unapologetic family with a love for hunting (purely for fun). Very much angered by this the little girl next door teaches them a lesson they will never forget and puts the magic finger on them! With this the Greggs turn into small humans with wings and are tossed out of their home by a family of human sized ducks with a...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Jazel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Roald Dahl's books have been present in my life since I could remember, that is why I was presently surprised to see my son enjoying reading Dahl's books also. I chose to review this book as this was one I actually don't remember. The title, although not one of the best, drew me in straight away into the wonderful imaginary world of Dahl. I wanted to know what this magic finger does and who it belonged to.

As in most of Dahl's books there are a wonderful array of characters that always almost in...more

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Jan 07, 2011 Despina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kids-like-me

30 минути и през цялото време саркастичната ми усмивка не слезе от лицето. Виктор каза, че още щом прочел анотацията на книгата и се сетил за мен, или нещо от сорта. Спокойно, дишайте, нямам магически пръсти и бидейки примерна, днес няма да извадя от торбата със сарказма нито един язвителен коментар относно чиито и да било пръсти.

Книгата е много забавна, но е за деца. И под деца, разбирайте наистина такива, които тепърва поемат през дебрите на чудото литература. Все пак съм благодарна за подаръ...more

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Sep 13, 2010 Joanne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-books

The Magic Finger is something I've been able to do my whole life. I can't tell you how I do it, because I don't even know myself. But it always happens when I get cross... and suddenly a sort of flash comes out of me, a quick flash, like something electric. It jumps out and touches the person who has made me cross... From Amazon UK

It's Roald Dahl Day today, and though I don't normally review children's books, I thought I would celebrate the writings of such a brilliant author by reviewing one of...more

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Sep 10, 2011 Cliff rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So, on a whim, I've elected to "rediscover" Roald Dahl again. There's just a sensibility to his storytelling that is just a tad bit off...but in a good way.

The Magic Finger was a super quick read...in fact, I polished it off and put it back on the shelf at the library before my kids were ready to leave.

For a tale from 1966, I was impressed with Dahl's treatment of the issue of hunting. The story makes for a nice cautionary tale for children. However, I do take some issue with the fact that the b...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Aine added it · review of another edition

Written by Roald Dahl, 'The Magic Finger' is a light hearted story with valuable lessons. It tells the story of a young girl that cannot control her anger. She explains the misfortune that her anger places on people by narrating the story of the Gregg family and how her magic finger taught them to appreciate and respect the animals that surround them. The Greggs were an active hunting family. Often Mr. Gregg and his two young sons would wander into the woods to do a spot of hunting, while Mrs. G...more

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May 09, 2013 Juste rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to admit, before acquiring a box set of Roald Dahl books, I’d never actually heard of The Magic Finger so wasn’t too sure what to expect. Not being one to read a synopsis, I just ploughed straight into it.

The magic finger is a quick and devilishly dark read. The short tale effectively revolves around a girl who has a magical power that she names ‘The Magic Finger’. With this power she effectively curses people, who in her eyes, deserve to be taught a lesson, often with unexpected results....more

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Sep 08, 2012 Jade Singleton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The story is about an 8 year old girl and her 'magic finger'. The magic finger gives the girl power to transform people and situations. She simply points it at people who have bothered her in some way, and right away strange and bad things happen.

In this book, the girl discovers her special power when in a spelling test a teacher calls her stupid and makes her stand in the classroom corner. She points her finger at the teacher and she suddenly grows whiskers and a big bushy tail. Later on in th...more

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Apr 16, 2011 Bev Hankins rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens

I just read a lovely children's book as part of my Birth Year Challenge. The Magic Finger by roald Dahl is about a little girl with a big bit of magic up her sleeve...or rather at the end of her sleeve. Whenever anybody makes her very angry, she sees read just like any other person but then the tip of her finger turns red and before she knows it the Magic Finger has launched a suitable revenge. In this case, it's the Gregg family. The little girl cannot stand hunting. She thinks it's a horrible...more

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Jan 19, 2012 Holden Attradies rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, kids

My son (who is 6) really liked this. The pacing of the story and length of the sentences seemed perfect for his age. He very much wanted to go through the book in one sitting.

From my perspective I had mixed feelings about it. As other reviewers have said it does come across as a bit preachier than Dahl's other books. The message is also something that I think doesn't fit in with our culture so well any more. I can't be certain, but assumption was the inent of the story was "Don't hunt for sport....more

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Nov 30, 2012 Jonathan Ryal rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl is a creatively written story about an eight year old girl and a family named the Gregs. The Gregs are a big hunting family and the girl is completely against it. The girl tries to ask the family to stop hunting, but the refuse to listen. One day the Gregs even come home after shooting 16 birds so the girl decides to teach them a lesson. This girl has a magic finger that when she gets angry, she loses control and zaps the person she is pointing it at. This turns th...more

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Nov 25, 2010 Ana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 10, 2013 Kristina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: brilliance-at-best, childrens-books, i-own-a-copy, my-childhood

Roald Dahl and his imagination, oh, how much of my childhood was spent reading and re-reading his children's books. In nearly every one, there is a child or creature with seemingly magical powers.

In The Magic Finger, the narrator, the girl next door, has the power of her Magic Finger, that of which she uses to teach people lessons. Here, she turns it on her neighbors the Gregg family because their excessive pleasure hunting makes her see red. In the end, the Greggs do indeed learn their lesson....more

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Nov 10, 2012 Sadia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This story is about a young girl and her neighbours the Gregg family who are hunters. The girl has a magic finger that she uses when she is angry as a way to punish people. Although the girl and the neighbours are friends she becomes angry at them because the Greggs hunt animals and she finds this to be very cruel. The girl points her finger towards them and the Gregg family wake up to live the life of the animals they kill. Eventually the Gregg family realise what it is like to be an animal who...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Carolyn S rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So far, I just finished the book "The Magic Finger" by Roald Dahl. I always tend to like Roald Dahl's books, but this was one of my favorites. The story was about a family of ducks and another family of humans that switched lives for a day. They both learned different lessons that were very beneficial. I liked it because unlike some books that give you too much detail, this book gave you just enough to understand. And since normally I don't really read that many folktale or fairytale stories, it...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Charissa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this at a friend's sleepover last year, so I don't really remember much of the book. Anyway, there's this girl who is a little kid. But she's different, because she has a magic finger! (Yes, of course you knew that already.) One day in school she is doing spelling exercises and she spells cat wrong, so the teacher says that she spelled it wrong. The girl (who I am going to call X) gets angry and uses her magic finger on the teacher (view spoiler)...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Peacegal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humane-education

This is a delightful little story that encourages readers to look at life from another's point of view--human or otherwise.

The Gregg family is simply obsessed with hunting. It seems that each time the eight-year-old protagonist spots her neighbors, they are hauling dead animals out from the woods. One day, the little girl has simply had enough--and accidentally curses them by pointing at them.

The Gregg family awakes the next morning to find themselves winged and tiny as birds, and being hunted...more

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Nov 29, 2010 Yan cao rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 8th-grade

The girl has no idea that she has the magic finger,she was probably born with it.But whatever the origins it would have terrible results if she ever got angry enough to use it.The Gregg family thought that because they were next door neighbors and the two Gregg boys, Philip and William,played with the girl that they were somehow immune to the effects of the magic fingers spell. When the girl saw the Greggs walking from the woods one morning she knew they had been up to no good, when she saw what...more

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About Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short story writer and screenwriter of Norwegian descent, who rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for both children and adults, and became one of the world's bestselling authors.

Dahl's first published work, inspired by a meeting with C. S. Forester, was Shot Down Over Libya. Today the story is published as "A Piece of...more

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Books by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie Bucket, #1)

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