Boy: Tales of Childhood

Rating:
Summary: "Boy" is Wonderful!
Review: Roald Dahl was always one of my favorite childhood authors, so when I came across his autobiography in the library, I just had to check it out. This is an extremely interesting book about the author's sometimes funny and sometimes harsh English upbringing in the early part of the 20th century

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Summary: The childhood of an author, told without self-importance
Review: Roald Dahl, son of Norwegian entrepeneurs, was born in Wales and educated in English schools during the early 1900's. Every summer his entire family spent a month among the resort islands of Norway.
His descriptions and criticisms of schoolmasters are accurate and often sharp, but the author is also quick to share what he gained from his ''public school'' education. Instead of college, Roald chose a career of adventure in British East Africa. The stories of his past end before he began his career as a writer and he barely mentions his success as author of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. The reader is left to infer that following the beaten path of life only leads to boredom.

Rating:
Summary: "A reader's must,a jewel of literature"
Review: Every person must read this book. I was astonished by Dahl's fluent events. There was not a subtle moment. I couldn't put the book down!

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Summary: Dead mice and gobstoppers galore
Review: Just read this book to my two sons, who are 5 and 7. I enjoyed it just as much as they -- this is not exactly an autobiography, but brief and colorful memories. He finds the uncommon in the common -- dead mice and trips to the sweetshoppe. Vacations in Norway and just going away to school become seat gripping (or bed gripping) drama. We loved this book. We love ALL of Roald Dahl's work. This book gives insight into his oddest characters -- they aren't invented, they're from Dahl's childhood.

Rating:
Summary: I would rate this book the highest score possible!
Review: I really enjoyed this book and was very intrigued by it. It really made me feel as though I was really in the book as Mr. Dahl's best friend. Many chapters were uproarusly funny and others a little grusome, however, I feel that this is one of the best books Mr. Dahl has ever written. I am throuroghly convinced that all people, young and old, will take pleasure in reading this book

Rating:
Summary: Boy by Roald Dahl is the best!!!
Review: Boy by Roald Dahl will grip you by the seat of your pants, and three hours after your wife or mother says "Time for bed!!", you're still reading it. It's funny, scary at times, and also greusome at times. But it's a GREAT book. If you're looking for a thrilling, funny, great book, buy this!!

Rating:
Summary: If you think Bibliographies are boring you got to read this.
Review: Read all about Roald Dahl's life like the Great Mouse Plot. Would you ever think of Roald Dahl's nose being cut clear off in a car accident? Read all about it in his fabulous book called BOY.

Rating:
Summary: Boy by Roald Dahl
Review: Boy, by Roald Dahl, takes place in Norway, England, and Wales. His family lives in Wales and vacations in, his parents' former home, Norway. When Dahl was a kid, he was schooled in England. An important person is his beloved mother who raised him, and his sibling, single-handedly. Dahl's siblings were also important to him. Important childhood events are: when he dropped a dead mouse into a sweet shop jar owned by an evil woman; getting bullied by Boazers, which are like school prefect if you didn't know what a Boazer is; getting his adenoids removed; getting a job in Africa as a young man; and almost having his nose cut off in a car accident.
Our opoinion is Boy by Roald Dahl is boring, if you're like us, who like fiction books; it's an autobiography. It was also very boring because, he gave small details, and not all of our questions were answered. But, if you like non-fiction books, you'll probably like Boy.

Rating:
Summary: Boy Tales of Childhood Review
Review: This is a terrific early non-fiction book for readers who are ready to move on to more adult reading, but who aren't willing to give up the delicious fun that Roald Dahl provides us.

Boy is a selection of stories from Dahl's childhood. As he does with anything he writes, he has taken out all of the boring bits, and left the most shocking and intriguing parts behind to tell his story.

Children and adults alike will be alternately delighted and horrified (or, even more often, delightedly horrified) by the true stories from Dahl's childhood, which range from the Great Mouse Plot to a graphic look at the beatings he and other students endured at the hands of their boarding-school administrators and peers.

We also get to see the most barbaric side of early medical practice, as every doctor who makes a brief appearance in the book seems hell-bent on causing the patient as much pain and suffering as can be imagined.

We can see Dahl's childhood memories as he sees them, and there are many obvious starting points for some of his most famous (and less famous) stories. The beating that Danny, Champion of the World, endures is alluded to, as is the strong Norwegian grandmother character from The Witches, among others.

This is not a definitive biography by any means; rather, this is a pleasant jaunt through a series of interesting stories that have the added benefit of teaching us a little more about the man behind some of the most beloved books of his time.

I enjoyed this tremendously as a tween, and I still enjoy it today. Highly recommended.


Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Author biography for young readers
Review: It's an accepted fact that most young readers prefer fantasy to biography. If given the choice between the `Diary of Anne Frank' or the latest J K Rowling or Lemony Snicket, few children would choose the biography, despite it being an essential addition to their library. However, Roald Dahl's true-life stories of his childhood are the ideal cross-over, helping the young reader discover that truth can be as fascinating as fiction.

As always, Roald Dahl's style of writing is highly accessible and great fun to read. Millions of children are familiar with his hilarious fantasy stories (Matilda, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, The Witches), so are more likely to read this slightly more serious book than they would other biographical material. Those who are interested in writing and have ambitions to become an author themselves one day, will be fascinated to discover the original inspirations behind many of Dahl's fantasy books.

`Going Solo', Dahl's sequel to `Boy' is one of the most gripping little books I have ever read - far more so than 'Boy.' I strongly recommend both books to children of all ages ... adults too.