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27th out of 100 books
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The Magic Finger
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
January 22nd 2009
by Puffin
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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 ...more
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 ...more
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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...
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
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 hu...more
The Magic Finger touches on the sensitive issue of hunting in a hu...more
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
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 al...more
As in most of Dahl's books there are a wonderful array of characters that al...more
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...more
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...more
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 revi...more
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 revi...more
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 so...more
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 so...more
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
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
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 "...more
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 "...more
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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
This was a quick fun book to ease me into my Roald Dahl challenge. Not surprisingly, I have not heard of this book because I’ve only read Dahl’s more popular books.
The story has all of Dahl’s usual elements: mean adults (bonus: mean children!), a fantastical idea, his quirky voice, and a bit of a lesson. I’m not terribly thrilled with the message because not all hunters are bad but I appreciate the gesture he’s trying to make.
The story is super short (57 pages). I feel it wou...more
The story has all of Dahl’s usual elements: mean adults (bonus: mean children!), a fantastical idea, his quirky voice, and a bit of a lesson. I’m not terribly thrilled with the message because not all hunters are bad but I appreciate the gesture he’s trying to make.
The story is super short (57 pages). I feel it wou...more
I have enjoyed many of Roald Dahl's book, but this wasn't one of my favorites. The little girl in the story has a magic finger that she can use to punish people with. She usually does this when she is quite angry. Her neighbors love to hunt and although she tries to talk them out of it, they continue to hunt. She turns the magic finger on them. I think that most children are taught to think before they act, but this little girl acts before she thinks. Acting in anger is usually not a good idea...more
The Gregg's are hunters. Much to the absolute horror of their eight year old neighbor, Mr. Gregg and his young sons shoot and kill deer and birds.
When her pleading and chastisements fail, in a rant and rage, her magic finger is used as a means to teach the Gregg family a lesson.
And now, they find that they are the hunted. As they are transformed into birds, the adult ducks whose babies were killed now reside inside the house leaving the Griggs to build nests, to weather r...more
When her pleading and chastisements fail, in a rant and rage, her magic finger is used as a means to teach the Gregg family a lesson.
And now, they find that they are the hunted. As they are transformed into birds, the adult ducks whose babies were killed now reside inside the house leaving the Griggs to build nests, to weather r...more
To celebrate Roald Dahl Day (September 13) this year I decided to read The Magic Finger. Not a well known title for me. The Magic Finger is actually one of his earlier titles for children, published in 1966. An unnamed 8 year old girl lives next door to the Gregg family. The Greggs are all keen hunters, shooting deer and ducks. The girl doesn't like hunting at all, and when she doesn't like things her Magic Finger gets going. The girl is almost like a sketch for Matilda in a way. The book is qui...more
I was intending to get an early night but ended up picking this up mainly as the other book I'm reading right now is scary (it appears to be turning into a ghost story) and I didn't want it on my mind right while going to sleep alone in the house.
Don't think I've ever read this very short Dahl story about a 'Girl' of no name who rather maliciously inflicts terrible punishments on people who anger her. Still, she's only young so I'm sure she'll learn with time. Reading like an earlier...more
Don't think I've ever read this very short Dahl story about a 'Girl' of no name who rather maliciously inflicts terrible punishments on people who anger her. Still, she's only young so I'm sure she'll learn with time. Reading like an earlier...more
Definitely pro - no hunting.
Basically this is a cute quick book about a girl that when angered points her finger and something bad happens to the person or people to whom she pointed.
She was angered that her friends kept hunting animals such as deer and duck. She pointed her finger and while they slowly turned to half ducks, the ducks turned half human. The family had to make a nest and try to find food, while the ducks had a nice time in their home.
It was i...more
Basically this is a cute quick book about a girl that when angered points her finger and something bad happens to the person or people to whom she pointed.
She was angered that her friends kept hunting animals such as deer and duck. She pointed her finger and while they slowly turned to half ducks, the ducks turned half human. The family had to make a nest and try to find food, while the ducks had a nice time in their home.
It was i...more
Picked this up at the library on a whim. Really short read, took all of about 10 minutes.
Great cautionary tale for kids about a young girl that has a magic finger that curses people when she gets angry with them. Her neighbors are unapologetic sport hunters, so when she tries to reason with them and they don't listen...shit goes down, yo.
Such a short book, I don't want to say anything else about the plot. However, I will say that Mr. Dahl displays his uncanny ability to...more
Great cautionary tale for kids about a young girl that has a magic finger that curses people when she gets angry with them. Her neighbors are unapologetic sport hunters, so when she tries to reason with them and they don't listen...shit goes down, yo.
Such a short book, I don't want to say anything else about the plot. However, I will say that Mr. Dahl displays his uncanny ability to...more
The little girl ( who is not named in this book)loved animals and didn't want to see them hurt. It made the little girl angry every time she would see them leave to go hunting. She tried to talk to the Greggs Family and convince them to stop killing animals. But they only laughed at her and continued to hunt. This made the little girl even more angry and so with that. Just the point of the finger a curse was cast upon the Gregg family.
I wish I had a magical finger so I can do whateve...more
I wish I had a magical finger so I can do whateve...more
This is a chapter book. It is short ad has large words. The pages have very simple black and white pictures on them. It is about a young girl who has an uncontrollable magic finger. When someone else does something she doesnt like, her finger takes action. Her neighbors were bird hunters and she didnt like it, so her fingers began messing with their lives. I liked this book because of the message being potrayed. I hate seeing animals being hurt or hearing about it and I think it would be a...more
We were waiting at a bookstore today and I had a chance to re-visit some of Roald Dahl's short stories. I thought this was one I loved as a child but apparently not because the story I remember is utterly different. Anyway, this one is cute, less elegant shades of Matilda. But the story ended up pointing out that somehow birds manage to make their nests with only their mouths which is pretty amazing and something I had never stopped to think about before. Perhaps the most notable feature of ...more
I generally like Roald Dahl books and am glad to be reliving them with my daughter. However, I'm not sure I like the message of this one: girl loses temper and in vigilante style punishes a family for hunting. As a consequence, family learns hunting is evil and stops. Then family eats vegan dinner and throws out all leather clothing. Okay, that very last part didn't actually happen. I've never been a fan of the anti-hunting children's stories, which tend to lack nuance. Or maybe I just shouldn't...more
I'm a big fan of all Dahl's work but there's something really special about this book. In a very small number of pages Dahl manages to entertain the reader whilst also challenging them to think about morality. Considering the rather young target audience, the way in which he has made the theme of hunting relevant, funny and thought provoking is pretty impressive.
The story is about a girl, without a name, who has the ability to punish those that anger her with her magic finger. In an am...more
The story is about a girl, without a name, who has the ability to punish those that anger her with her magic finger. In an am...more
nicole j. wroblewski
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Danielle, vegetarians, animal rights activists with children
Short 'n sweet, but would be more striking if he hadn't also, you know, written a book about pheasant hunting in all it's glory (see: Danny the Champion of the World). I mean, don't get me wrong, I very much like Danny. I like it better, in fact. And the pheasants aren't actually killed, so maybe these aren't exactly polar opposites, but still. It's a great story if you're a) looking to spread the word of PETA or b) reading at it as more of a "do unto others" lesson and not necessarily...more
How do you feel about hunting? That may determine your feelings about this story. We know that our narrator disapproves of the pasttime and when she gets mad, her magic finger starts to tingle, with karmic repercussions. When the Gregg family bring home a brace of wild ducks, they wake up the next morning and they've shrunk and grown wings. Then human-sized ducks move into their house! Have the Greggs learned the error of their ways? Quentin Blake's illustrations provide wonderfully zany accomp...more
This was cute and funny, the way all books by Roald Dahl are, but it wasn't quite as good or well-written as some of his other books. The beginning is quite choppy, although its story of a girl who uses her "magic finger" to change her hunter neighbors into birds being hunted, is great. I loved the ending to this book, and there were a number of cute lines in it. However, as entertaining as it was, I think that if the narrator's voice had changed a little, it would have been infinit...more
When Alice get angry, her finger would turn red. It would point to the person who caused her anger and magic will happen.
One day, Alice was very crossed with the Gregg family because they don't only hunt deers for food, they also shoot ducks for fun. After she pointed her magic finger at them, unusual things happened. The Gregg family woke up the next morning not only to find themselves shrunk and hands turned into wings, they also lost their home to the ducks with human hands.....
One day, Alice was very crossed with the Gregg family because they don't only hunt deers for food, they also shoot ducks for fun. After she pointed her magic finger at them, unusual things happened. The Gregg family woke up the next morning not only to find themselves shrunk and hands turned into wings, they also lost their home to the ducks with human hands.....
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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...more
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Dahl's first published work, inspired by a meeting with C. S. Forester, was Shot Down Over Libya. Today the story is published as...more
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