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Boy: Tales of Childhood

by Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 · rating details · 20,281 ratings · 984 reviews

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 t...more

Paperback, 176 pages

Published January 22nd 2009 by Puffin Books (first published 1984)

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Oct 07, 2011 Sita Sargeant rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of Roald Dahl

Recommended to Sita by: Yr 7 English Teacher

Shelves: read-for-school, reviewed

I read this in year 7 for English and I loved it.

Me, I normally hate school books. But this one was different, I really liked this one. It was just so interesting. I can still remember half the stuff that happened in the book. That is how much it stuck with me. I recommend this to fans of Roald Dahl and even non fans, this book is different from all his other work.

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Good different...

I still recommend it, the things that happen and how he describes it is just...

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That is the only word to describe...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history-smishtory, hometown-glories-uk, memoir, re-reading, e, hometown-ya

(Deciding to re-read this book was inspired by the wonderful ladies at Gathering Books and their fantastic bimonthly meme‘Everything Dahl and Magical’. Which I absolutely adore. )

“When writing about oneself, one must strive to be truthful. Truth is more important than modesty. I must tell you, therefore, that it was I and I alone who had the idea for the great and daring Mouse Plot. We all have our moments of brilliance and glory, and this was mine.”

I first read this glorious memoir aged twelve...more

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Sep 29, 2007 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Both children and adults

My interest in reading this novel was stimulated a few weeks ago when I visited some friends, one of whom over the course of the evening dug up his collection of Roald Dahl books and proceeded to reintroduce us the magic we had near forgetten we had experienced as children in reading them.

I have always loved the sheer dottiness of the tales of Roald Dahl - the horrid nature of the some of his adult characters and the heroic nature of his young but strong willed main characters.

What I loved abo...more My interest in reading this novel was stimulated a few weeks ago when I visited some friends, one of whom over the course of the evening dug up his collection of Roald Dahl books and proceeded to reintroduce us the magic we had near forgetten we had experienced as children in reading them.

I have always loved the sheer dottiness of the tales of Roald Dahl - the horrid nature of the some of his adult characters and the heroic nature of his young but strong willed main characters.

What I loved about this book was that, not only was it written in the eccentric and yet no-nonsense style Dahl was known for, but it also gave me fascinating insight into some of the influences that shaped his writing.

One experience of note that I particularly warmed to was the tale of the woman who owned the sweet shop near his school, who had hideously dirty fingers, and was the fond recipient of one of Dahls' school boy pranks - putting a dead mouse inside one of her lolly jars to find.

From this, and some of the members of his family (the ancient older sister for example) I can only imagine Dahl gained the inspiration for his extraordinarily nasty characters - Aunt's Sponge and Spiker, the Twits, and George's horrible Grandma.

Charming were also some of his harder experiences - the joys of growing up in a time where there was no such thing as anaesthetic and so getting your tonsils out was a lot more painful.

Enchanting were his recounts of visiting his Norwegian family on holidays as a child, the confusion of language barriers and cultural differences I'm sure inspired some of Dahls more eccentric characters - Mr Willy Wonka for instance.

All in all, this reads more like one of Dahl's fictional novels and not like an autobiography at all. Not one for pomposity, Dahl cheerfully deleted the duller elements of his life, for which I am thankful. Nevertheless, this book is a wonderful recount of a well spent (for the most part) childhood. For those fans of autobiographies, who love to read to understand what makes a person tick, this story of childhood will not disappoint. This book goes far to impress upon the reader the events that led to the cheerful dottiness his readers loved him for. (less)

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Aug 03, 2007 Michelle Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my favorite autobiography. I was envious of Dahl when he told of the story of when Cadbury would send new candy to his boarding school for the children to test. I remember the candy he described, it sounded delicious, but today you can't find the candy because this was around the 40's. I don't know why I just went on a tangent about candy; I guess Roald Dahl has that effect on me.

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Aug 03, 2012 Andy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, illustrated, autobiography

This was one of those eye openers for me as a child; I read Boy countless times (and back home still have the well worn edition from 1986). The concept of an autobiography was so new and radical, at a time when reading was all make believe and fiction; it 'really happened', it wasn't made up! Rather, a magical book that opened up another world, glimpsing a life I would never experience.

His remembrances of childhood and school life are frank, vivid and frequently horrific. In particular, his acc...more

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Feb 13, 2009 Susan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not usually one for autobiographies, but this one rocked. Ronald Dahl was a fortunate child. Fortunate that he wasn't killed many times by events in his life and by the awesome adventures and memories he was privileged to have.
I will give you my favorite excerpt from this book.
"It won't take two seconds, " the doctor said. He spoke gently, and I was seduced by his voice. Like an ass, I opened my mouth.
The tiny blade flashed in the bright light and disappeared into my mouth.

You must read the...more

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Sep 09, 2012 K. Jared Hosein rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone remotely interested in Dahl or his books

Recommended to K. Jared by: Given to me on my 26th birthday by Portia Subran.

'We all have our moments of brilliance and glory, and this was mine.'

"Boy: Tales of Childhood" was one of the books gifted to me by my girlfriend, Portia, on my 26th birthday. She had urged me to read this before delving into Roald Dahl's other work of personal nature, "Going Solo". So I started this today and finished it today. The book is described by Dahl not as an autobiography but just a recollection of events that he could skim from the top of his consciousness, events that have stayed wi...more 'We all have our moments of brilliance and glory, and this was mine.'

"Boy: Tales of Childhood" was one of the books gifted to me by my girlfriend, Portia, on my 26th birthday. She had urged me to read this before delving into Roald Dahl's other work of personal nature, "Going Solo". So I started this today and finished it today. The book is described by Dahl not as an autobiography but just a recollection of events that he could skim from the top of his consciousness, events that have stayed with him for decades until 1986, when he wrote the book, a mere four years before he died.

"Boy" is layered with an aspect that I appreciate most in literature, fiction or non-fiction: honesty. The tone, narration and overall nostalgic feel of the book never comes across as hokey invention, glossy or over-saturated. His wording is simple, as if telling the story himself to his own descendants, or any rounded group of intent listeners. The story itself follows Dahl through the death of his little sister and father; the challenge these deaths bestowed upon his mother; his time in boarding school and being a "fag" in Repton and having to succumb to their own prefects from hell, referred to as Boazers.

There are also stories of childish cunning and mischief as Dahl relates the tale of a prank pulled on the clerk of a local candy shop, and on his sister's pipe-smoking fiance. Towards the end, Dahl relates the difference between working as a businessman in the petroleum industry and being a writer. It is brief but he sums it up well in an astounding few paragraphs without any overindulgence. Another chapter to look out for is his ruminations after having to sample Cadbury's chocolate, which led him to write one of his most famous works: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

"Boy" is an honest book, a highly personal work rooted in the reality of a writer who dwells in universes that are filled with charming whimsy. If you are even remotely interested in Roald Dahl or his writings, this should come highly recommended.(less)

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May 13, 2012 Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-lit

"Boy" is a hilarious, sometimes painful, and didactic account of a young British man's life in the first part of the twentieth century. This young man just happpens to become the very influential author and diplomat, Roald Dahl. I am a big Roald Dahl fan, and its wonderful to get a glimpse into the childhood of a brilliant mind, who gave the world many wonderful characters, this time all nonfiction. Next I think i'll reread "Matilda" and "The BFG".

The memoir takes a the reader on a walk through...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Alexa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kids-books, non-fiction

Every time I re-read something by Roald Dahl I remember how much I love his writing style. I don't care what is and isn't true, I just love reading him write about anything. The story about the chocolate bar tasting and its relation to Charlie & the Chocolate Factory is my favorite.

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Oct 30, 2008 Eleanor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think Roald Dahl is probably the best children's storyteller. When my third grade teacher read "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" to our class I remember thinking, "This guy is really good." But as good as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is (or The Twits or The Witches or Matilda or pick your favorite), it is "Boy", his memoir or childhood written for children, that I read so many times that the copy I found in my basement last week is completely ripped to shreds. He writes for children a...more

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May 19, 2013 Shahe added it · review of another edition

I chose this book because I like the humor the author puts in his stories. In this autobiography Roald Dahl talks about his days as a child growing up in England. From switching boarding schools 3 times to the pranks he pulled with his friends by planting a mouse in a jar of candy at a local candy shop and when he put goat droppings in his older sisters fiancé's tobacco pipe while visiting his grandparents in Norway. The tragedy's he faced were also unfortunate like the time he almost got his no...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Cleo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned-books

Roald Dahl is one of those authors who manages to make something absolutely horrible into something rather funny. He does so in Boy, which contains various stories of his childhood. His many childhood trials and tribulations, though dreadful for him at the time, make entertaining reading material, and Boy is a short but sweet collection of them. I hadn't read it in a while, and I didn't own this particular Roald Dahl, so I purchased it at Orca and enjoyed it all over again. Dahl also tells about...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Haley Shade rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This autobiography that is claimed to not be an autobiography was absolutely wonderful. I am a huge fan of Roald Dahl and reading about his childhood made my love for his writing grow exceptionally. Before the book even started, he wrote a little expert about what the next pages were going to be about. He started it by claiming that it was not an autobiography because autobiographies were filled with boring facts about life, but this book would just be filled with stories. I liked that because I...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Xiaoxiao Zhu rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Many remarkable things did happen to Roald Dahl when he was a boy, no doubt providing some of the marvellous ideas for his later books. And, like his stories, Dahl's childhood tales are unmissable. "Boy: Tales of Childhood" was one of the books gifted to me by my girlfriend, Portia, on my 26th birthday. She had urged me to read this before delving into Roald Dahl's other work of personal nature, "Going Solo". So I started this today and finished it today. The book is described by Dahl not as an...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Uci rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kalau Roald Dahl diminta menulis autobiografi, ya beginilah jadinya. Walaupun dia bilang ini bukan autobiografi, karena katanya: Autobiografi adalah buku yang ditulis seseorang mengenai kehidupannya sendiri dan biasanya penuh detail yang membosankan. Aku tidak akan pernah menulis tentang sejarah diriku sendiri

Dan buku ini memang jauh dari membosankan. Karakter orang-orang yang dia ceritakan di sini kadang tampak begitu absurd, mungkin Dahl tidak tahan untuk menambahkan ~~sedikit~~ banyak imajinasi d...more Kalau Roald Dahl diminta menulis autobiografi, ya beginilah jadinya. Walaupun dia bilang ini bukan autobiografi, karena katanya: Autobiografi adalah buku yang ditulis seseorang mengenai kehidupannya sendiri dan biasanya penuh detail yang membosankan. Aku tidak akan pernah menulis tentang sejarah diriku sendiri

Dan buku ini memang jauh dari membosankan. Karakter orang-orang yang dia ceritakan di sini kadang tampak begitu absurd, mungkin Dahl tidak tahan untuk menambahkan ~~sedikit~~ banyak imajinasi dalam kisahnya.

Beruntunglah Dahl sangat dekat dengan sang ibu sehingga surat-menyurat di antara mereka selama 32 tahun terekam rapi dan bisa digunakan sebagai dasar untuk menulis kisah ini. Dari perjalanan masa muda Dahl pula pembaca langsung tahu dari mana dia mendapatkan ide untuk menulis kisah-kisahnya yang luar biasa, seperti Matilda dan Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Di pertengahan buku sempat agak skeptis sih, kok kayaknya sekolah begitu mengerikan bagi Dahl muda. Dengan guru-guru kejam dan super kolot serta senior-senior galak yang hobi merundung. Untunglah kemudian Dahl bercerita tentang Mr. Corkers, gurunya yang unik, juga bagaimana dia tetap bisa berprestasi (dengan gemilang malah) meskipun sekolahnya begitu menyebalkan.

Asyiknya lagi, Dahl begitu mudah menertawakan diri sendiri, sehingga pembaca dengan mudah ikut bersenang-senang bersamanya.

Dan siapa lagi kalau bukan Dahl yang begitu kepingin bekerja di Shell, perusahaan minyak kelas dunia, bukan karena prestise atau gajinya. Melainkan karena dia ingin ditempatkan di negara-negara eksotis tempat dia bisa melihat hutan belanata, singa, gajah dan pohon-pohon kelapa yang tinggi melambai di pantai keperakan.

Siapa coba yang nggak bakal jatuh cinta pada Roald Dahl? Bahkan nasib pun begitu berbaik hati kepadanya, sehingga impiannya untuk melihat negara-negara eksotis tercapai saat dia diterima di Shell dan kemudian bertugas sebagai pilot pesawat tempur.

Dan Dahl tidak menikmati keberuntungannya sendirian. Dia menuliskan kisah-kisahnya, dan terus menghibur jutaan pembaca, sampai sekarang.(less)

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Oct 10, 2012 Sabrina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I adore British schoolboy/schoolgirl stories. I grew up reading books like Mallory Towers, Naughtiest Girl in School, St. Claires, and all the other Enid Blyton favourites (ugh, North American schools PUT SOME BLYTON IN THE KIDS’ LIVES!). Give me a British / European boarding school setting and you have got me hooked. Luckily for me, Boy focuses on Dahl’s formative years in various private schools.

The anecdotes he has about tricks he played as a young boy, headmasters he dealt with, the boarding...more I adore British schoolboy/schoolgirl stories. I grew up reading books like Mallory Towers, Naughtiest Girl in School, St. Claires, and all the other Enid Blyton favourites (ugh, North American schools PUT SOME BLYTON IN THE KIDS’ LIVES!). Give me a British / European boarding school setting and you have got me hooked. Luckily for me, Boy focuses on Dahl’s formative years in various private schools.

The anecdotes he has about tricks he played as a young boy, headmasters he dealt with, the boarding school camaraderie and way of life had me comfortably sucked in–like an old friend. What touched me was his immense love for his family. He shares that whenever he went away to school, he would always determine in what direction his family lay and then he would never sleep with his back to them. My heart melted. His affection for his step-mother (the only mother he has ever known) is more than apparent. He admired her strength probably even more than he could describe in his stories, and his love for her just warmed the pages.

Throughout the book there are childhood photographs, excerpts from old school letters, and scattered memories of sweet summers in Norway. For the first time, I got to see Roald the boy instead of Roald Dahl, the old man sitting at a cluttered table writing about sweets. Incidentally, you do find out just how he got the idea for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I thought it was amazing to get a glimpse into the life of Roald Dahl before he became The Roald Dahl. Sometimes, looking too deep into the past and personality of a celebrity or writer makes you realize that they’re not as wonderful as you thought them to be. It’s the exact opposite for Roald Dahl. Roald was–in a word–freaking awesome. Okay, that’s two words but he deserves them! His zest for adventure, his unswerving love for his family, his one-too-many injuries, and his utterly fascinating stint in Africa tumble all together to give you a side of Roald Dahl that is as unforgettable as his books.(less)

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Oct 07, 2012 Leila rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Leila Habayeb
Independent Reading
October 7, 2012

“Boy- Roald Dahl - 160 pages"

Boy, by Roald Dahl is a fun, loving autobiography that I really enjoyed. The book is set from the early 1920's to the 1940's in old Europe, Britain mostly. Roald Dahl describes his stories as he grows up, from his experiences in primary school that lead to him being shipped off to boarding school and where he goes from there. The novel ends with Roald Dahl getting his first job with Royal Dutch Shell, and his continues i...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Kyran rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Personally speaking, Boy, by Roald Dahl, is one of my favourite books, having been a boarding school student myself. Re-reading the book brought back memories of my school days away from home and this was something Dahl often struggled to deal with. As an adult writing the book, he is looking back on childhood memories, both wonderful and tragic. He recalls some of the pranks that he was involved in and how physical punishment by schoolmasters was considered acceptable in English schools during...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I recently recommended this book for my friend Sander, and thought I should re-read it to remind myself why I liked it. I remembered it as my favorite Roald Dahl book, and I also remembered laughing so hard I couldn't keep reading. I laughed again this time.

This is my favorite Roald Dahl, because I love autobiographies more than fantasy. It is just as good as his other books, which I also like, but this genre is more appealing to me. Those who like fantasy will probably like his other stories b...more

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May 23, 2012 Mike Steven rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this to my boy Leo as we've enjoyed reading all of Dahl's fiction together (apart from 'The Witches' which he wants to leave until he is older because it's scary at the start). I was not sure how my boy (he's 6) would respond to an autobiography - especially because Dahl's childhood was so long ago and there have been so many cultural changes. In fact, I did try to discourage Leo from choosing this as a bedtime book but as we've read most of the rest from the boxset I bought, he was deter...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Timothy Bazzett rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Delightful, dark - and thoroughly enjoyable. I have never read any of Roald Dahl's children's stories, but have always wanted to. His first memoir, BOY, is a very slight volume, less than 200 pages, but it is full of perhaps the most delightful and whimsical vignettes of childhood ever penned. While it is true there are some very shocking references to beatings and "canings" which were apparently quite common in English public schools, administered by both the masters and the older boys, the ove...more Delightful, dark - and thoroughly enjoyable. I have never read any of Roald Dahl's children's stories, but have always wanted to. His first memoir, BOY, is a very slight volume, less than 200 pages, but it is full of perhaps the most delightful and whimsical vignettes of childhood ever penned. While it is true there are some very shocking references to beatings and "canings" which were apparently quite common in English public schools, administered by both the masters and the older boys, the overall tone of the book is one of wonder and fond reminiscing. This is particularly true when Dahl talks of his home life, which was obviously a very loving albeit often unsupervised time, when boys could just be boys. Dahl's father, a very successful businessman, died when Roald was very young, but his mother, a Norwegian immigrant, kept her large blended family (6 children in all) very well, and stayed in Wales (then England) to raise them all, as her husband would have wanted her to. What I found most interesting in the book (although it was ALL absolutely wonderful) were the stories of young Roald's experiences at various boarding schools. These things happened back in the 20s, and yet many of these tales were so much like my own stories from one year in a Catholic seminary (a boarding school) that I was astounded. For example, when he explains "Prep," which was the same as what we called evening "study hall" at St Joe's in the late 50s.

"Every weekday evening the whole school would sit for one hour in the Main Hall, between six and seven o'clock, to do Prep. The Master on duty for the week would be in charge of Prep, which meant that he sat high up on a dais at the top end of the hall and kept order ... The rules of Prep were simple but strict. You were forbidden to look up from your work, and you were forbidden to talk ..."

This simple descriptive passage took me immediatley back to St Joe's Seminary in Grand Rapids when I was just 13 or so, and sat at my study hall desk right next to my friend Tom Cassleman. We often skirted these strict rules by raising the tops of our desks, ostensibly to get a book or pen, so we could whisper to each other or pass notes, smirking and huffing silently to each other, immensely pleased with ourselves at fooling the priest "master" up on the dais in the center of the hall. Ah, yes, Mr Dahl got it right, even though he himself was a fearful little boy of only nine in his tale, which took place in an English school over thirty years before. I could relate, as could any St Joe's student from those years in the 1950s. As for the canings, they were gone by the 50s in American schools, but we could be sent to see the dreaded Dean of Discipline, Fr Leo, if we were caught for any infractions of the rules. And I did hear rumors of a certain perhaps predatory short Monsignor who invited the smaller boys into his rooms to "counsel" them. Thankfully, since I was already over six feet tall, I never got the call. Another passage in Dahl's story which I immediately felt a kinship with was the one where he talked of the propensity of doctors and dentists in his day who never bothered with anesthetic when operating on children.

"Pain was something we were expected to endure. Anaesthetics and pain-killing injections were not much used in those days. Dentists, in particular, never bothered with them ..."

Yup, I had an old-school dentist, even in the 50s, who didn't believe in "wasting" novocaine on kids. The prevailing theory was that kids didn't really feel pain. I remember crying every time I got a filling, and I got a lot of them back in those pre-fluoride days. Dr Brown would frown and tell me to "stop being such a baby." Bastard! Once again, Dahl understood and got it right. If it isn't obvious yet, I loved this book.(less)

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Feb 23, 2012 Linda Lipko rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A sheer delight of a book! This poignant, funny and at times very sad book chronicles Dahl's early childhood and the reader gains tremendous insights into how his experiences shaped him and became fodder for his wildly imaginative books.

Dahl's parents were Norwegian. Dahl's father became wealthy when, as a young man, he started a very lucrative business in Wales. Before marrying Dahl's mother, his father was a widow with two young children. His loving marriage to Dahl's mother produced five addi...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Allycks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've grown to appreciate and enjoy the literary talents of Roald Dahl over the last six months or so, having read through about half of his seemingly infinite literary output with the kids in that time. (What is half of infinity? And umm, while we're at it... What was it like before the universe started? These are the kind of questions we're grappling with in the Jones household these days. Good stuff!) Not that having children is even really neccessary for reading Dahl, any more than it is for...more I've grown to appreciate and enjoy the literary talents of Roald Dahl over the last six months or so, having read through about half of his seemingly infinite literary output with the kids in that time. (What is half of infinity? And umm, while we're at it... What was it like before the universe started? These are the kind of questions we're grappling with in the Jones household these days. Good stuff!) Not that having children is even really neccessary for reading Dahl, any more than it is for reading Twain or Tolkien or, I don't know, e.e. cummings. Now having read "Boy," the first of his two autobiographies, I have to admit feeling some kind of deep but difficult-to-define love and respect for the affable, self-deprecating, hard-working and utterly brilliant man who wrote The Witches, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The BFG.

The style is deceptively simple and pleasant to read, much like his novels. A Norwegian who grew up fatherless in Wales around the turn of the 20th century. It was another world. No judgement is passed on whether it was a better world or worse. Roald simply depicts the wonders and the horrors of his boyhood, indulging, if anything, in the power that a clear, well-described memory of the past has in creating an emotion in the present.

Finally, a quote that I had to read out loud to a writer friend, from a section describing his first job working for Shell in the City of London, called "The Businessman":

"I began to realize how simple life could be if one had a regular routine to follow with fixed hours and a fixed salary and very little original thinking to do. The life of a writer is absolute hell compared with the life of a businessman. The writer has to force himself to work. He has to make his own hours and if he doesn't go to his desk at all there is nobody to scold him. If he is a writer of fiction he lives in a world of fear. Each new day demands new ideas and he can never be sure whether he is going to come up with them or not. Two hours of writing fiction leaves this particular writer absolutely drained. For those two hours he has been miles away, he has been somewhere else, in a different place with totally different people, and the effort of swimming back into normal surroundings is very great. It is almost a shock. The writer walks out of his workroom in a daze... A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom. He has no master except his own soul, and that, I am sure, is why he does it."

"

(less)

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Oct 20, 2011 Ali rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't generally read children's or young adult books, but had to make an exception with this. I must have read many books in my childhood - as I read voraciously - some things don't change much. However the three books that have stayed with me longest and most vividly are: Beverly Nichols 'The Tree that Sat down' Nina Bawden's 'Carrie's War' and Roald Dahl's 'Danny the Champion of the world' The later I remember with such affection that although I was never necessarily a huge Dahl fan, I alway...more I don't generally read children's or young adult books, but had to make an exception with this. I must have read many books in my childhood - as I read voraciously - some things don't change much. However the three books that have stayed with me longest and most vividly are: Beverly Nichols 'The Tree that Sat down' Nina Bawden's 'Carrie's War' and Roald Dahl's 'Danny the Champion of the world' The later I remember with such affection that although I was never necessarily a huge Dahl fan, I always regarded him and his work as something precious, something from a time when life was simpler. Many years later during a literacy lesson at the school I am a teaching assistant at - the children were played an extract from a dvd, with a voice over of Roald Dahl, reading from "Boy" I decided I must read this book at some point - as I would have considered myself a little past the natural age for Roald Dahl when this was first published. Well recently a copy of this book and his other autobiographical volume going Solo came my way - and so I had the chance.

Non of that is in way much of a review - merely an explanation.

At first - just for a few pages - I was irritated my the heavy - "elderly adult talking to child" voice that pervades the first few pages -as Dahl explains his parents Norwegian background. An unreasonable irritation on my part as the author was only writing for his usual audience, and I am not it. However I quickly settled into the charming and often shocking anecdotes of Dahl's early years. Of course the treatment of children during the 1920's is rather different from today - but the harsh treatment of children by adults, including violence I found horrifying. I can easily see where Dahl got his inspiration for much of his fiction from. So many of Dahl's children's stories seem to pit children against terrible adults. Dahl's home life was blissfully happy, but as so many other boys of his age did, he frequently fell foul of the school masters and the older boys (Boazers at Repton) who held positions of some power over him. Roald Dahl's well known humor comes out in these stories of his childood, which would I am sure delight all fans of Roald Dahl - whatever their age. Overall I found this a thoroughly charming read.(less)

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Oct 01, 2011 Patrice rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

I don't think Roald Dahl could write a bad book if tried.

This is such a nice memoir filled with stories that made me laugh out loud when I read them. Dahl wrote an autobiography every bit as entertaining as some of his fiction. Dahl's childhood is peppered with loss, adventure, injury, and his early experience in English boarding schools.

He describes how one of his favorite teachers refused to actually teach the subject of math. Instead, the teacher would have the students help him with crossw...more

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Jul 02, 2011 R.A. Sengele rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to R.A. by: My Children's Lit Professor

Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl, is a charming autobiography based on his life from Kindergarten to graduation from High School, along with a introductory chapter on his parents. Though we now know that we cannot take Roald Dahl's autobiographies as 100% truth, they are still fun to read and make his life seem like a magical world not unlike Charlie or Matilda.
One of the most prominent parts of Boy for me was his representation of his teachers. It really gives some insight into why most, i...more

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Dec 13, 2010 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Everybody knows Roald Dahl, the author of Matilda, and of course Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But how well do you really know Roald Dahl? Did you know that he speaks Norwegian? And that he was an award winning photographer? Or that one time when he was nine his family was driving their brand new model-T ford and they got into an accident:
The front passengers all shot through the front windscreen and the back passengers all shot through the back windscreen. Glass flew in all directions and...more

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Jul 13, 2010 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teen

Reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the first time was almost a mystical experience. I was around Charlie's age and even though I knew the book was way out there in terms of reality I understood the disconnect Charlie felt towards adults and authority. I didn't read lots of Dahl's other works until I was in library school. As an older reader I was struck by how hideous and cruel the adult characters were and how hapless the lives of the kid characters were written. I don't think JK Row...more

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Jul 02, 2010 Rob rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Youth is wasted on the young" -- that aphorism, cynical and close-minded but with a rueful grain of truth -- comes to mind often when I read Roald Dahl. I remember enjoying the general sense of mischief in Dahl's books when I was a kid, but reading them as an adult, I relish them in a way that only a grown-up can relish memories of childhood. He amplifies the mysteries, the injustices, and the discoveries. In doing so he elevates the human enterprise and enhances your appreciation for our silly...more

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May 08, 2010 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, biography-memoirs

As a fan of Roald Dahl's children's books from when I myself was a young one, I was interested when my wife recommended me "Boy." Its a short and light read, as far as autobiographies go.

It is full of cute little stories about Dahl's childhood, mostly revolving around major pranks he managed to pull off as a kid. One lovely scene tells the story of Dahl and friends putting a dead mouse in a jar of sweets at a store run by an unfriendly old lady.

The part I found most intriguing about the story, h...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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“We all have our moments of brilliance and glory, and this was mine.” — 161 people liked it

“An autobiography is a book a person writes about his own life and it is usually full of all sorts of boring details.” — 43 people liked it

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