15 Best Roald Dahl Books In Order To Read

Roald Dahl was a popular British author of fantasy, horror, mystery novels, and short stories for children and adults. His writing career started in 1943 with his first book The Gremlins and after that he was unstoppable. The first book was for children and it was based on the RAF folklore where he introduced mysterious and fictional creatures in RAF.
He wrote several children’s bedtime stories as well which made him one of the best authors of children’s stories. Although he has also written for adults and teenagers as well. He has won many awards in his writing career including some of the most prestigious awards such as the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 1983 and the British Book Award in 1990. He was also placed among The 50 greatest British Writers Since 1945.
His books have been translated into 63 languages and sold more than 200 million copies worldwide so far. In this article, we are listing the Roald Dahl books here which would give you an idea of his work, the way he writes, and the expectations you can have from his books. So let’s go ahead and find the best of his work and the best Roald Dahl book that you need to pick up next.

Roald Dahl books

1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is known to be the best book by Roald Dahl as it got massive popularity at the time of its release and it continues to be one of the best children’s books to date. The plot of the book was inspired by Roald’s love for chocolates.
The story of the book follows the character of Charlie Bucket who found the golden ticket to a chocolate factory which is the dream of any kid (or adult). But as he enters the chocolate factory he realizes that’s it’s not so sweet after all and there are many unpleasant and savory characters as well.
In his signature style, Roald has presented the best story with the mischievous characters as well as the good storyline.

2. Matilda

Matilda is also known as one of the best works of Roald Dahl that you might find fascinating. The book was released in 1988 which makes it the last full-length novel by Roald Dahl as he passed away after two years of the release of the book.
The book introduces Matilda, who is a five-year-old but with special powers. Maltida, unlike other kids, loves to read books and knows the importance of being a smart kid. Unfortunately, she has a horrible family and an evil headmistress.
The story soon highlights the iconic good vs evil plot in the Roald Dahl style which makes it more interesting. Here Maltida uses her intelligence to provide justice for the grown-ups. Her character is soon featured as one of the strongest characters or perhaps the superhero character because of her ability to move things with her eyes. The story is interesting and there is a lot we can learn from Matilda!

3. The Witches

The next one on our list of top books by Roald Dahl is The Witches, it was published in 1983. The Witches is said to be one of the most entertaining and funniest books and it lives up to our expectation of a Roald Dahl book!
The Witches are surrounded by a young boy named Luke who is an orphan. He lives with his Norwegian grandmother. His grandmother always tells him to be aware of the witches and how scary they are. Luke thinks of these warnings as a bedtime story until he finally comes to face with one of them. The story takes a scary turn all of the sudden and left the fate of Luke at a witch’s hand. The story might be scary but it also features some fun elements as well.

4. The BFG

The BFG is yet again a popular Roald Dahl book that you must read at least once in a lifetime. Here the BFG stands for Big Friendly Giant! The story features the Big Giant with large ears who blows the dreams into children’s windows.
The book further introduces us to Sophie, who is an orphan child. She somehow ends up meeting Big Friendly Giant and they both go on an adventure and explore new places. Their fun trip ends when they meet another giant who wants to eat the kids. They must stop him but how?

5. The Twits

Some people call The Twits one of the strangest children’s books while others appreciate it for not being a cliché. The book is being called the strangest book because of its gross elements that might be uncomfortable for the children.
The book is based on a husband and wife, who live a gross life and they both hate each other as well. Both of them find reasons to irritate each other and comes with a prank. It’s funny and kinda gross which makes it a unique but fun book for children.

6. Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fantastic Mr. Fox is the book that deserved more appreciation and recognition than it got at the time of its release. The book is surely one of the best read that you can find for children. This one gives your children to increase their reading habits and develop more understanding about the wrongs and the right.
Here you would find a fox family. But one of them is trying its best to steal food from the nearby farmers who are horrible and mean to them. The fox’s adventure and its attempt to steal food is a fun plot to read.

7. James and the Giant Peach

James and Giant Peach make another best Roald Dahl book that you must read. Just like the other books, this one too features an orphan kid named James who’s parents had been eaten by escaped Rhinoceros. And he is left with his aunts who are not very nice to him.
He somehow manages to escape his aunt’s residence and finds himself a giant peach with talking insects. Roald in his signature style manages to take a funny turn in a very cruel scenario and this makes it a must-read Roald Dahl book.

8. Esio Trot

Esio Trot is more like a rom-com where you would fin a man trying hard to get a woman but with all the mischief and wicked ways that you can expect from Roald Dahl writing.
The story features Mr. Hoppy who is in love with Mrs. Silver. Although Mrs. Silver is so obsessed with her pet, a tortoise, that she can hardly see anything or anyone past him. To make her notice him and fall in love with him, Mr. Hoppy casts a spell that makes the tortoise grow faster, and soon he grows so much that he can’t fit in her house. It’s a sweet romantic story which you will enjoy.

9. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator make sure you enjoy every line and every page of the story. Here the story features the most iconic characters of Charlie and Willie. Both of them are always on an adventure but this time they have chosen space! They stay at the hotel built by the US in space and meets aliens (who like to eat humans!).
This one is a sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!

10. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More

The book is more of a collection of short stories with all the wicked creatures and an amazing storyline. But the best one would be the tale of Henry Sugar. He is a gambler and mostly cheats to win. It would be interesting to see where his fate takes him this time.

11. The Gremlins

The Gremlins is the first book written by Roald Dahl in 1943. The book was supposed to be a storyline for Disney’s new animated film but it never made it to the screen instead it ends up being the first book by Roald Dahl and it does a good job of putting Roald Dahl on the map.
The story of the book features the mischievous character Gremlins which is more or less of a mythical creature and the title Gremlins used by the RAF whenever there were any mechanical troubles and mishaps. In the book, Gremlins is seeking revenge from the British Airforce because they have sabotaged his forest home. There is another character named Gus who plays an important role in making things right between the RAF and the Gremlins and they all fight against the Nazis.
Will he able to forgive RAF and destroy the Nazi Army? The oy way to find out is to read the book!

12. Over to You: Ten Stories of Flyers and Flying

As its name suggests the book is a collection of ten stories that Roald Dahl published in 1946.
These stories are not that full of unpredictable twists or suspense, instead, they are slow-paced and reflective. The endings are more or less satisfying and children and adults like these stories equally. This should be your first pick if you are looking for something less wicked but interesting at the same time.
The ten stories featured in the book are:-
  • An African Story
  • Only This
  • Katrina
  • Beware of the Dog
  • They Shall Not Grow Old
  • Someone Like You
  • Death of an Old Man
  • Madame Rosette
  • A Piece of Cake
  • Yesterday was Beautiful
It’s an interesting collection of stories and it definitely makes one of the best Roald Dahl books.

13. The Mildenhall Treasure

The Mildenhall Treasure is one of the first non-fiction work by Roald Dahl. In this book, he described the story of the discovery of the Mildenhall Treasure in 1942 near Mildenhall, in Suffolk.
Roald Dahl once read an article in the newspaper about the discovery and then he decided to make a book on this. He interviewed several people that were involved in the discovery and beautifully described the journey of discovery in his book.

14. Some Time Never: A Fable for Supermen

Some Time Never is the first adult book published by Roald Dahl and he did a pretty impressive work too. The story of the book is based on nuclear weapons and it was the first book on this topic in the US after the attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The story features a darker theme and this might be the reason why it wasn’t a successful book at the time of its release. Nevertheless, the book left its mark for featuring the subject of Nuclear War at that time. Overall it might be worthy of your time so give it a read.

15. The Minpins

The Minpins is another best Roald Dahl book that you might like to give a read. The Minpins is the least recognized book by Roald Dahl but this one does count as one of the best Roald Dahl books which is a must-read. The book was released in 1991 and it is counted as the last contribution of Roald Dahl to children’s literature.
The book features the story of a young boy named Billy and the forbidden forest which lies right behind his house. And the kid’s curiosity takes him inside the forest where he comes to know the real reason why it’s called the forbidden forest. The book should be an interesting read as a bedtime story for your kid.

Conclusion

So these are the Roald Dahl books that you needed to know about. People just assume Roald Dahl as a children’s author but that’s far from the truth, as with the above-mentioned book you must have realized that he had also written many books for adults as well. What’s common in all these books is the mischievous characters and wicked storyline which we all enjoy regardless of our age.
The bottom line is no matter which Roald Dahl book you pick up, you will enjoy the reading time. Thank you for being with us and we hope that you have loved the article and found it helpful.

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