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The BFG

by Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 108,380 ratings · 3,212 reviews

Sofia non sta sognando quando vede oltre la finestra la sagoma di un gigante avvolto in un lungo mantello nero. È l'Ora delle Ombre e una mano enorme la strappa dal letto e la trasporta nel Paese dei Giganti. Come la mangeranno, cruda, bollita o fritta? Per fortuna il Grande Gigante Gentile, il GGG, è vegetariano e mangia solo cetrionzoli; non come i suoi terribili collegh...more

Paperback, 212 pages

Published 2001 by Puffin Books (first published 1982)

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Jun 05, 2013 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-young-adult

Like many others, I remember the Roald Dahl books that I read, or had read to me, during my childhood fondly, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and especially, Matilda. Perhaps because I expected to have the same childhood reading adventure as I had with those books, I liked, but did not love, The BFG. I think that Dahl's idea for the story is a creative one, but little things, such as the puns on the names of countries when the BFG describes the taste of "h...more Like many others, I remember the Roald Dahl books that I read, or had read to me, during my childhood fondly, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and especially, Matilda. Perhaps because I expected to have the same childhood reading adventure as I had with those books, I liked, but did not love, The BFG. I think that Dahl's idea for the story is a creative one, but little things, such as the puns on the names of countries when the BFG describes the taste of "human beans" in those countries, or what I think were stereotypical remarks at the end of the novel. For instance, when Dahl describes thankful world leaders bestowing gifts upon Sophie and the BFG for saving their people from man-eating giants, he writes that "The Rule of India sent the BFG a magnificent elephant...The King of Arabia sent them a camel each. The Lama of Tibet sent them a llama each" (pp. 204-5). However, to me, the worst line was when the Queen of England called the Sultan, "next best thing" to a Lord Mayor to ask him whether any of his subjects had mysteriously disappeared recently, and he responds, "Every night unpleasant things are happening in Baghdad...We are chopping off people's heads like you are chopping parsley" (p. 174).

To be fair, the novel was copyrighted in 1982, and probably written before such things were widely considered inappropriate, and the book is widely engaging and creative. Some would also say that these things are "just jokes," that they were silliness written for the amusement of children. In spite of the fact that the novel was written over two decades ago, I do not think that children should just absorb these lines, because they are most likely reading this book at the suggestion of an adult who is, in their mind, only supposed to give them "good" books. The children would most likely read these lines and the stereotypes exoticizing non-Western countries would persist.

Another niggling doubt about the book was the resolution with the giants being imprisoned in a giant pit, doomed to eat disgusting snozzcumbers for the rest of their lives. I think that Dahl was well-intentioned in including the conversation between the BFG and Sophie about how humans make their own rules, and giants make their own rules and that the rules don't coincide. When I got to this conversation, which included the the BFG basically telling Sophie that it was somewhat judgmental or short-sighted of her to immediately think of the other giants as bad, because humans, unlike giants, kill their own kind all the time, I thought that the story was incredibly promising. However, the story ended as they typically do, especially in "children's" literature, with the "bad" guys getting captured and the "good" guys living happily ever after without the moral ambiguity that Dahl touched upon in that one particular conversation between Sophie and the BFG. I think that it might have been more interesting if it was ever brought up that perhaps giants just eat humans just as humans eat bacon, sausage, and eggs, just as Sophie, the BFG, and the Queen did at the end of the story, and that perhaps the solution would be to respect all life, just as the BFG always had (before uncharacteristically eating all that bacon and sausage at the end of the novel) because he could hear the world's suffering. Instead, as I mentioned, the story has a more typical ending, and it is emotionally acceptable that the human-eating giants are imprisoned with disgusting food for the rest of their lives (and the Queen is humane for imprisoning them rather than killing them, to boot) only because Dahl portrays the giants as disgusting throughout the entire novel. Although the giants are portrayed as mean in the scene during which they toss around the BFG, emphasis is continuously on how the giants are "half-naked and disgusting" in their appearance and smell. Thus, emphasis is placed on their physical, rather than moral disgustingness, and to me, this is too reminiscent of the way that we vilify those who are different than us to justify our inhuman treatment of them.

In closing, although I enjoyed this book because of Dahl's creativity in coming up with a BFG and a dreamblower, etc, I don't think that it should hold such a coveted place in children's literature because it is somewhat outdated in its attitude, and there are many, many wonderful children's adventure novels out there with which to replace it. I think that it would be a good novel to discuss with kids, but I don't think that parents/teachers should just give it to kids an example of a "good book" because remember loving it during their childhood.

P.S. It's a little frustrating that people just think I'm being "oversensitive" or that I'm just another crazy person who wants everything to be PC. I don't think that my reaction to this book was knee-jerk (for instance those people who refuse to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and/or think it has no merit because of the use of the n-word). I've said many good things about this book. Heck, I even liked it. I just pointed out that I don't think that it's perfect, my reasons for not thinking that it's perfect, and that there are plenty of great books out there for kids to read, so people should at least think a millisecond about what they recommend to kids (about the content, child's maturity, and child's personal preferences) instead of just pushing their own childhood favorites on them.(less)

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Feb 15, 2008 Alex rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

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Feb 01, 2012 Kate Weber rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Check out my full review of this novel and others by Roald Dahl here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHR6-U...

So cute! It has never been my favorite of Roald Dahl's books, but it is still very enjoyable. It was adorable to listen to on audiobook!

I've been having myself a Roald Dahl marathon! I've read The BFG, The Witches, and the Twits. And I will be reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda soon!

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Aug 17, 2008 Elizabeth McDonald rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those in touch with their inner child

Recommended to Elizabeth by: Mrs. Hirschberg, ca. 1991

Shelves: childrens, reread, british

I loved this book when I re-read it about a month ago just as much as I loved it when my third-grade teacher read it aloud to my class seventeen years ago. The Big Friendly Giant himself is charming, and I have always loved the cameo appearance of a certain very famous Brit. (I would love to know this person's opinion of the story, too - I personally would be delighted in their shoes.)

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Sep 07, 2011 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

The BGF
Roald Dahl
Jennifer Pierpoint

The BFG, famously written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake is a fictional fantasy story about a young girl who finds friendship in an unexpected place. It is a prime example of the way in which a simple story can engage the imagination of the younger reader. Visual and linguistic stimuli can be used to great effect, in this case to give the characters personalities that children can easily relate to. The use of language also effectively and inve...more The BGF
Roald Dahl
Jennifer Pierpoint

The BFG, famously written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake is a fictional fantasy story about a young girl who finds friendship in an unexpected place. It is a prime example of the way in which a simple story can engage the imagination of the younger reader. Visual and linguistic stimuli can be used to great effect, in this case to give the characters personalities that children can easily relate to. The use of language also effectively and inventively describes the setting or the story in a fast-moving and fantastical landscape. The feeling of isolation and loneliness experienced by both Sophie and the BFG and this draws them both together. The idea of innocence and compassion portrayed by Sophie and the BFG wining out against ignorance and cruelty (portrayed by the other giants and on occasion some of the human adults) is an important part of the development of a child’s understanding of morality.
The BFG’s character develops throughout the story with a different characteristic evinced each time we encounter him. For example, compassion and sympathy on the BFG’s part are shown when Sophie tells him about the orphanage she lives in. Humility is shown when Sophie keeps correcting his grammar. Humour is also provided to give the giant a sense of warmth. All these characteristics have the effect of making the character of the BFG as likeable as possible so that children also befriend him. Roald Dahl effectively turns the idea of a traditional monster on its head. The rest of the giant race reflects the base and animalistic side of human nature. They are presented as antagonistic and totally opposed to the BFG’s altruistic nature. The names of the large giants in the book are aptronym’s. For example names such as ‘Bonecruncher’ and ‘Blood bottler’ allow the child to easily imagine and understand their role within the story and to provide a stark contrast to the character of the BFG. These names add an element of fear and excitement to the child’s experience. The two extremes allow for the idea of ‘good’ and ‘bad’, ‘right’ and wrong’ to become polarised. These themes are often explored in day-to-day lesson planning and behavioural management in a current multi-cultural curriculum.
The description of the giants’ appearance deepens the dichotomy between themselves and the BFG. There is powerful use of exaggeration throughout the story. For example when describing the ‘Bloodbottler’, his finger is described as large as a ‘tree trunk’. The use of similes, alliteration and onomatopoeia throughout the novel gives the child a way of understanding the text so they can really immerse themselves in the book. Adults are depicted in the book as typical for their social status. The military general for example is portrayed as a stereotypical, overbearing and a ruthless military commander. The language that the commander uses such as ‘shoot ‘em on the spot, that’s what I say” is an example of this stereotypical portrayal found in the book.
The first sentences in each chapter are often simple statements which provide immediate access into the scene/story. For example the first sentence ‘Sophie couldn’t sleep’ not only introduces the character but also provokes a series of questions about the scene presented. This plays to the inquisitive nature of children. Chapters are short which allows the book to be read in manageable portions and the illustrations break up the text on alternate pages. These structures accommodate a child’s attention span.
Throughout the book there is continual use of descriptive and original language. ‘Giant land’ is described as a desolate wasteland with large blue rocks and dead trees. The description gives the child a real sense of ‘Giant world’ being a true fantasy world and promotes and encourages the child to use their own imagination. The description and portrayal of a fantasy world is intensified by the presence of characters such as the Queen that create a sense of surrealism and wonder in the human world. She also provides the maternal comfort that Sophie has not fully experienced. Adjectives and adverbs also help the action within the scenes to develop in an exciting and energetic way. When the BFG goes from the human world to the ‘giant world’ attention is paid to the speed in which he runs. His speed is emphasised by the repeated image created of the ground becoming blurred and Sophie’s reaction to it. (Sophie is our eyes and ears-what we expect to experience is shown by her response).
A young reader would enjoy this novel as it engages with and stimulates all the senses in an exciting way and endures in a child’s memory as an eccentric, fun and yet morally instructive journey. On my part, it was a delight to return to this well-loved story.
.

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Apr 04, 2013 Frieda Vizel rated it 4 of 5 stars

A story about a giant and an author with a giant imagination. Wow! Dahl's imaginativeness never fails to surprise.

I read this with my 7 year old. He laughed and crouched in terror but mostly he was swept up in this wonderful tale about a girl and a big friendly giant. The story can make an adult cringe at times -- at times lying is permitted for the sake of the plot and the super happy twists can be tiring, but to little minds they are wonderful delights. My son fell in love with the story from...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Hanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childhood-favs, shelf-a-ton-13

Every kids' nightmare: you're lying at night in bed, awake, you hear something, you get out of bed, see a huge monstrous thing. You sneak back in bed, trembling, hoping it didn't see you, and then a huge hand snatches you right out of bed. No matter how much i like the BFG, I still don't want him to do that to me. I must admit that i'm not that adventurous.

As with all Roald Dahl books, this book is full with little touches. Like the confession that all Giants are afraid of Jack. 'Jack is the onl...more

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Sep 02, 2011 Eloise baker rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of an orphaned girl called Sophie, who when hearing a noise outside her window creeps to have a peek out and is surprised to see a giant across the street. Realising that sophie has seen him, the giant plucks sophie from her room and takes her to giant country. Sophie fears the giant will eat her but...she is not a snozzcumber so she is quite safe, this giant is strictly a vegetarian!!

The big friendly giant is a dream-blower and travels the night blowing dreams through "chidler...more

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Apr 25, 2008 Lisa (lisaisbusynerding) added it Recommends it for: anyone

Shelves: own-it

in a sentence: sophie, a little girl on the top floor of an icky orphanage, is awake during the witching hour and knows something is up...and then she meets a big, friendly, giant! let the adventure begin!

oh man, i absolutely love this book. it just makes me feel like snuggling up under a blanket and cozying with a teddy bear. sophie is scooped up by the BFG (big friendly giant) while he is doing some very suspicious things - blowing some liquid into people ears? after being gently carried to th...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Michele rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-of-2010, books-read-with-the-ten-year-old

This is a near perfect book. My fourth grader and I are reading it together. He has resisted chapter books big time....until now.
The reason I love this one is because it has all the elements that get boys to read. Super short, easy to read chapters. Great pictures and art work that keep readers reading. Funny, charming, dialogue that kids can understand. I've read it many times, but find myself enjoying it more each time. Another thing I like, is that there are some tricky words in there. I've b...more

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Jun 19, 2007 Joy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: the child at heart

I first found this book in about 2nd grade at my school Library. I borrowed it since I'd read most of Roald Dahl's other children's books and had my dad read it to me. Let me point out that my father is the best story-teller/reader. He does voices for everyone and he has this great English accent that is perfect for Roald Dahl books. I fell in love with the simple giant who has deep insights, the wonderful adventures, the dream collecting, the possibility of little girls doing great things, and...more

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May 31, 2011 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Scarier than I remembered (damn those monsters really ate little kids!)

But of course this is another Dahl classic. I guess I was charmed the most by The Queen's appearance in the story (Does The Queen know about this? Has she read "The BFG", did Wills and Harry read it as kids- like we all did- and think, "Hey, that's Gran!"? -All good questions.)

I also liked the part at the Castle when they had to make a really big table, chair, plate, ect... so the BFG could have breakfast with them, this was...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Cleo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-books, classics

The BFG is definitely one of Roald Dahl's most famous novels, after Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda. It is the story of the BFG or the Big Friendly Giant, and a girl named Sophie, who becomes his friend when he takes her away to Giant Land. Sound silly? Perhaps, but like much of Roald Dahl's fiction, it is a really entertaining book, full of whimsy and fun. The BFG is the only nice giant; all the others eat human "beans". When Sophie hears about this, sh...more

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Dec 17, 2008 83zulu rated it 4 of 5 stars

Roald Dahl is a wonderful arthur and writes great stories. The BFG is one of his stories he wrote. This story is very funny and you will not want to put it down. It is about a Big Friendly Giant(BFG) that goes to Earth at night to capture children's dream. That might not sound friendly but it isn't bad. One night he was peeping through one girl's window and she happened to see him. Her name was Sophie, The BFG snatched Sophie and took her back to Giant Land to his hideout. He isnt as giant as y...more

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Dec 06, 2008 Justine rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm not going to lie, I'm rather disappointed with BFG (which I've never read before)-- but is the favorite Dahl book of many of my friends. I found it to be pretty grating and not that pleasant a read for the following reasons:

1) Jar Jar Binks factor. The BFG speaks in his weird, uneducated pigdin that I frankly find kind of insulting. I'm sure children around the English speaking world are all thrilled by what Dahl has created-- but honestly, even for a word-monger like me, this is pretty ridi...more I'm not going to lie, I'm rather disappointed with BFG (which I've never read before)-- but is the favorite Dahl book of many of my friends. I found it to be pretty grating and not that pleasant a read for the following reasons:

1) Jar Jar Binks factor. The BFG speaks in his weird, uneducated pigdin that I frankly find kind of insulting. I'm sure children around the English speaking world are all thrilled by what Dahl has created-- but honestly, even for a word-monger like me, this is pretty ridiculous. Also, the fact that he is uneducated and constantly judged for his speech pathology by everyone else is just douchey.

2) Sophie is the most annoying Dahl protagonist ever. She's a snotty, bratty, and imperious little brat who exemplifies the worst of stereotypical English children-- lacking imagination and bossy. Compared to wonderful Matilda, Charlie, James, or even the kid in the witches, Sophie is a jerk.

3) Racial insensitivity (though this is also kind of a redeeming factor). Dahl's bit about human beans and how they taste is hilarious, but also kind of meh. Also, the annoying treatment of the entire Middle East by the Queen of England? She should know better.

Redeeming factors:
1) Farting. I'm glad that Dahl supports farting as music. Take that mother England.

2) Hidden Humanitarian Message: BFG is quick to explain that humans are the only species that kill each other. While this is not factually true (watch the Planet Earth chimp wars), Dahl makes a nifty point. Hey kids-- even if the giants are horrible, at least they have the decency not to kill each other. Take that mankind! World Peace!

3) Anti-establishment tinge. Dahl doesn't like army or air force generals, and it shows.

4) Obvious admiration for butlers. "A man does not rise to become the Queen's butler unless he is gifted with extraordinary ingenuity, adaptability, versatility, dexterity, cunning, sophistication, sagacity, discretion and a host of other talents that neither you nor I possess." Dahl definitely has a weird butler fetish.

5) Charles Dickens = Dahl's Chickens. Freaking genius. (less)

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Jun 16, 2013 Medeia Sharif rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2013

One night Sophie sees a strange sight. A huge man is opening the windows of sleeping children. Uh-oh. Sophie isn’t supposed to be looking at him since people don’t know about giants. The giant snatches her and takes her to his world.

Sophie has nothing to fear. The giant who took her is the BFG, Big Friendly Giant. He’s a kind vegetarian who would never eat “chiddlers” or any other type of “human bean.” Sophie doesn’t have to worry about being eaten, although all is not well. The BFG lives among...more

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Jun 11, 2013 Erin Boyington rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, children-s-lit, fantasy, humor, story

When Sophie is carried away from her orphanage one night by a giant, she fears the worst - but the dream-catching, snozzcumber-eating, whizzpopper-producing BFG is quite unlike his child-devouring relatives.

Dahl's books are full of humor that adults find horrifying and children find hilarious. The other giants - with vivid monikers like Fleshlumpeater, Childchewer, and Bloodbottler - are ferocious but onlyalmostas disgusting as the Twits(definitely crueler than the three farmers, though). There...more When Sophie is carried away from her orphanage one night by a giant, she fears the worst - but the dream-catching, snozzcumber-eating, whizzpopper-producing BFG is quite unlike his child-devouring relatives.

Dahl's books are full of humor that adults find horrifying and children find hilarious. The other giants - with vivid monikers like Fleshlumpeater, Childchewer, and Bloodbottler - are ferocious but only almost as disgusting as the Twits (definitely crueler than the three farmers, though). There are quite a few slyly told fart jokes here, plus jabs at yucky vegetables and foolish adults.

Sophie is an admirable heroine, taking her outlandish adventures in stride. She is a tiny David, bravely plotting to save the people of the world from gluttonous Goliaths. (She's also another British orphan who wears glasses and befriends giants - I sense a theme.)

The BFG is a particularly Dahl-esque character. He's lovable, but odd: "Sophie watched with astonishment. What a strange and moody creature this is, she thought. One moment he is telling me my head is full of squashed flies and the next moment his heart is melting for me because Mrs. Clonkers locks us in the cellar." He also has a unique way of talking - the giant on his usual food: " 'It's disgusterous!' the BFG gurgled. 'It's sickable! It's rotsome! It's maggotwise! Try it yourself, this foulsome snozzcumber!' "

If you're looking for another funny children's classic that makes adults uneasy, check out Which Witch by Eva Ibbotson. For a classic David verses Goliath tale (where Goliath is actually a truck), try The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill.

In closing:

Dahl's British sense of humor: "If you can think of anything more terrifying than that happening to you in the middle of the night, then let's hear about it."
A butler named Mr. Tibbs who is the equal of Jeeves and whose description is a great vocabulary builder: "A man does not rise to become the Queen's butler unless he is gifted with extraordinary ingenuity, adaptability, versatility, dexterity, cunning, sophistication, sagacity, discretion, and a host of other talents that neither you nor I possess."
Cameo by an unflappable Queen Elizabeth! Her nose is distinctly recognizable, thanks to Quentin Blake's always-charming illustrations.

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Jun 05, 2013 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've always liked this book very much. I appreciated that there was a female protagonist. Now that I am older, I've noticed a few interesting things I didn't notice when I was child.

- The characters hold a sort of reverence to England, and are stereotypical and disrespectful to other cultures. This is presented as typical, acceptable. I don't mind having racist characters, but I prefer opposing point of views to be juxtaposed when possible. And there is nothing.

- BFG says (view spoiler)...more I've always liked this book very much. I appreciated that there was a female protagonist. Now that I am older, I've noticed a few interesting things I didn't notice when I was child.

- The characters hold a sort of reverence to England, and are stereotypical and disrespectful to other cultures. This is presented as typical, acceptable. I don't mind having racist characters, but I prefer opposing point of views to be juxtaposed when possible. And there is nothing.

- BFG says (view spoiler) He also says (view spoiler)which reminds me of something I learned about the ancient greeks.

- In the mid part of the book, Sophie protests against (view spoiler), and the BFG reminds her that (view spoiler)

I think it's good when a book makes you think about things harder, but I don't think that most children would pick up on much of what I've said here on their own, which is why I wish Dahl could have outlined it a little better. I know he wanted to keep the book fairly light (for a book about giants that eat children) but I don't think at least a few more references to the hypocrisy of humans would go amiss. (less)

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Jun 03, 2013 Nadia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-with-pictures, children, different-world, fantasy

I died laughing at the Dream Labels part and came back to life to write a review about this book.

I'm beginning to grow out of these children books, much to my disappointment, for I have really enjoyed them for the past 14 years. Also, I honestly don't think that I will be ready to read YA like Divergent series, and stuff related to it.

Sophie is an orphan who can't sleep one night because of the moonbeam that shines on her face. When she is trying to close the curtains, she looks out of the windo...more

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May 09, 2013 Jonny99 rated it 3 of 5 stars

"Wait what?"As if Roald Dahl's name didn't pose enough of a pronounciation challenge, his story of a chummy 24 foot giant positively overwhelmes with awkward character names ("TheFleshLumpEater") and nonsense words ("snozzcumbers"). As with all European stories the main character's parents are dead (as opposed to Disney stories where only the mother is dead). The orphan Sophie takes up with the descriptively named "BFG" which stands for something other than what you were thinking. The BFG's pinb...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Penny McGill rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-from-when-i-was-a-kid, for-kids

I try and get every kid to read this book. Roald Dahl's use of language in this book is out of this world and I want every kid to know how you can be so creative and push against what is expected of you in poetry or prose and come up with a book as wonderful as this - imagine coming up with the word 'snozzcumber'!? I occasionally experience an almost physical ache when I read a book and I remember feeling this when I read about the BFG. I really wanted to be Sophie. I just couldn't stop thinking...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Cruth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-read-aloud-personal-challenge, childrens-chapter-book, read-aloud

Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
First published: 1982

A gentler Dahl focussing on the comedy rather than the tragedy. Filled with much of Dahl's created language (chiddlers, snozcumbers, crodscollup) the book again lends itself to being read aloud and enjoyed by many ages.

(As the reader, the tongue twisting spoonerisms and created words, when coupled with "voices", proved quite a challenge. The lyricism of the prose encourages you to throw yourself enthusiastically into the task, but...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Huma Khan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sophie was an orphan with a pretty boring life. That is until she was kidnapped by the B.F.G. (the Big Friendly Giant). First of all the other giants are much bigger than the BFG and secondly the BFG does not eat people like the other giants. Sophie ends up living with the BFG and she convinces the BFG they have to stop the other giants from eating people and this starts an exciting adventure!
I recommend the book to everyone. It is good for advanced young readers because it is not too scary and...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Jessica Porte rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: chapter-book, science-fiction

Summary:
This book is about a giant and a little girl named Sophie. She sees him one night and he takes her to his cave. She thinks that he is just like the other giants and is going to eat her. She soon finds out that he is friendly and he eats vegetables not people. And that he blows good dreams into children’s ears at night. She wants to come up with a plan the stop the 9 mean giants from eating the kids. They come up with an idea to tell the Queen of England. They end up capturing the 9 mean...more

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Mar 16, 2013 John Beck rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, fiction

http://www.andalittlewine.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-bfg-and-hunger-games-locke-an...

In the last few weeks I've read several books, all of which I intend to review.

But I keep circling around these two children's books: The BFG (by Roald Dahl) and The Hunger Games (by Suzanne Collins).

A strange combination, I suppose. I didn't intend to read them in succession, and I'd never read them before. I didn't know a thing about BFG until my wife brought it along as an audio book for one of our road trips....more http://www.andalittlewine.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-bfg-and-hunger-games-locke-an...

In the last few weeks I've read several books, all of which I intend to review.

But I keep circling around these two children's books: The BFG (by Roald Dahl) and The Hunger Games (by Suzanne Collins).

A strange combination, I suppose. I didn't intend to read them in succession, and I'd never read them before. I didn't know a thing about BFG until my wife brought it along as an audio book for one of our road trips. On the other hand, I'd heard all about The Hunger Games. Expectations are funny things. Friends of mine, people who know me but must not really know what I read (and why), kept recommending Hunger Games. And I kept resisting. I know myself.

I enjoyed Harry Potter, but I didn't read it until all the books had been published, and I came very close to not finishing the series. I blew through the first 3 books and promised myself that if the fourth book didn't pick up considerably, I was finished. Thankfully, the fourth book improved in the complexity of its plot, the depth of its characters, and its tenor. But Harry Potter was an exception to this simple rule: Young Adult books are too simple.

And Hunger Games was. Of course, I see (or think I see) all the injustices the author wants us to see: the brutality of wealth, the disenfranchisement of the oppressed, the divisions within the oppressed that prevent an overthrow of the system.

BFG traffics in many of the same themes: we meet monsters who force us to admit that our "civilization" is barbaric in its own ways, we see how hard it really is for someone who perceives him or herself as weak to stand up to thuggery.

Both protagonists are young girls snatched from their homes and put in a hostile environment. Food is central to both books (the hunger games tournament revolves around the threat of starvation, while the giants of BFG show their evilness by guzzling humans).

But where the prose of Hunger Games felt static and lifeless (in fairness, largely because the bulk of the book was exposition by a character who is profoundly isolated from the people around her; it would be interesting to see how similar internal books fared in movie adaptations), BFG was brimming with dialogue. The voice of the giant who is the focus of BFG is unique, in the same fractured syntactical way that so many of Lewis Carrol's characters are.

In the denouement of both Hunger Games and BFG, our protagonists realize how their previous view of the world was too simple, that the real world is more complex than they had considered. But where Katniss raises her guard and begins to see enemies everywhere, Sophie finds friends. Maybe its wishfulness, the mix of nostalgia and childishness, that makes me prefer Sophie's ending.

The people of Sophie's world are, ultimately, good people. They are competent and capable. Though they need help to see past differences, with a little guidance from a young girl, they can. Katniss' world is darker, more filled with people willing to sacrifice each other. Thinking about the political science distinction between Locke and Hobbes, whether we are social creatures who come into conflict only when we delude ourselves into thinking that force is justified by the scarcity of resources, or whether we are individualists only bound together by the strictures of society.

I've always come down in favor of Locke- just as I prefer Dahl to Collins.(less)

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Mar 12, 2013 Kevin White rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Book Review: The BFG
By: Ronald Dahl

Sophie’s curious nature had gotten the best of her that night in the orphanage. Sophie began to curiously wander towards the large window that overlooked the main street. As she did so, she spotted the BFG! The BFG was bigger and more intimidating than any human she had seen before. She was frozen with fear, but before she could move, the BFG whisked her away to far away place of Giant Country. While the BFG may look intimidating, he is in fact a Big Friendly...more Book Review: The BFG
By: Ronald Dahl

Sophie’s curious nature had gotten the best of her that night in the orphanage. Sophie began to curiously wander towards the large window that overlooked the main street. As she did so, she spotted the BFG! The BFG was bigger and more intimidating than any human she had seen before. She was frozen with fear, but before she could move, the BFG whisked her away to far away place of Giant Country. While the BFG may look intimidating, he is in fact a Big Friendly Giant. As Sophie stays with the BFG, they are both able to teach each other life lessons and learn a new way to look at things. Even if one of those things is, that bubbles in a carbonated drink should go down and not up.
This cleverly written book and be enjoyed by children, adolescents and adults of all ages. I had never read the BFG until now, and I truly enjoyed it. Dahl cleverly writes creating new words and even a new language for the BFG to speak. He takes common expressions and flips them upside down. While he creates new words, expressions, insults and food, he intertwines many “bigger” ideas. One main idea that is present, is the idea of war. He makes a valid point that only human beings or human beans (as written in the book) are the only species to kill one another. Within the book, most giants except the BFG eat humans. Giants out of respect for one another don’t eat each other. Sophie is extremely upset that giants eat humans, however this troubles her more than humans getting into wars with no another.
This book could be great tool within a classroom. The different lessons, activities and uses seem to multiply as I sit here and think. Many children are tired of the traditional “classics” in literature classes. To me, the BFG is a classic novel. This book could be used for teaching descriptive language, concepts of treating others or simply reading for pleasure. Children will be drawn in by the use of the created words and could even create a dictionary if they wanted. In my opinion, Ronald Dahl did a great job with this book. While the book is light hearted, there are some acts of violence such as eating children whole. The book is written in such a way, that it almost doesn’t seem as violent as one would imagine. That is the only con I have to this book, however it’s truly not a con because I don’t foresee this book being a problem in school.
(less)

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Feb 28, 2013 Heidi Kennedy rated it 3 of 5 stars

The sad thing about reading The BFG for me is that I think I've missed its magic because I've read it in my forties, not as a child.

I'm trying to catch up on some well loved children's books that I've missed and The BFG is one that kept cropping up. Unfortunately the word play, all those 'Whiffswiddles' and 'Quogwinkles' just left me cold, but I wonder if I would have found them hilarious when I was nine. On top of that I couldn't help but find the BFG stealing Sophie from her bed a little cree...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Nina G. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chapter, modern-fantasy, friendship

Sophie is a little girl who lives in an orphanage. One night she sees something big, tall, and creepy approaching her window. The BFG or Big Friendly Giant snatches her from the orphanage in the middle of the night and takes her to Giant Country where all the giants live. He is one of the friendlier of the giants who has to hide little Sophie from all the other giants or else they will eat her. Sophie has had some close calls from being eaten. He can hear dreams of children and blow those dreams...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Somerandom rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yet another Dahl book I can gush about.
I swear this guy owns my childhood. This is another book we read in class, in year 4 and it's still a great book.

My friend and I were babysitting the other day and we thought we should read this book to the child of about 8 (complete with funny voices) and figured that with two people reading aloud, our throats would not suffer for it. That was partially true. LOL!
Of course the child has since demanded more Roald Dahl books and the poor parents have had to...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Shaun rated it 5 of 5 stars

UEL Primary PGCE 2012/13 – Book Review

Book – The BFG
Author – Roald Dahl
Publication date – 2001
Publisher – Puffin
Place of publication – London
Price – N/A
ISBN – N/A

The BFG

Often as a child I would make up alternative meanings to BFG, for example Because Football's Great. It was my way of playing on the title of a favourite book in which we all recognise BFG to mean Big Friendly Giant.

The timeless story by Roald Dahl, and magnificantly illustrated by Quentin Blake features the main characters The...more

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About Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer and screenwriter of Norwegian descent, who rose to prominence in the 1940's 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 Cake". The story, about his wartime a...more

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

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