Roald Dahl

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-This book covers the popular writer's life from his birth in 1916 to his death in 1990. The dull narrative is interrupted needlessly by repetitive lines. For example, "Dahl was thirteen when he first went to Repton," is repeated in large bold print in a green highlighted box on the same page as it appears in the text. Mentioning the 2005 release of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory does, however, make this effort current. There are a couple of photographs from that movie, including Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. A lot of the information, well noted in an appended list of sources, is taken from Dahl's autobiographies. Black-and-white and color photographs are sprinkled throughout. While pedestrian, the writing may be more accessible to some students than the author's Boy: Tales of Childhood (Farrar, 1984). Since this title is part of a series aimed at teens, it's curious to note that there is little mention of Dahl's collections of short stories for young adults. Consider this an additional purchase for libraries needing another title on this widely read author.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.