Roald Dahl
By: Kaitlyn Taylor
Early Life
Roald Dahl was born on September 13, 1916 in Llandoff, Wales to Harold Dahl and Sofie Magdlene Hesselberg. He had 2 older brother and 2 older sisters, along with a younger sister. When he was only 4 years old, his father and his older sister died. He went to school and when he was out of school, worked at Shell Oil. He ended up joining Royal Air Force and helped fight in World War 2. He was involved in a plane crash and returned to Britain. Roald was sent to Washington DC, where he met an author and was inspired to write. He wrote A Piece of Cake which was published in 1942. He wrote more and more books as he got older.
Later Life
In 1951, he met his future wife, Patricia Neal who he married in New York in 1953. They had 3 children, Olivia in 1955, Tessa in 1957, and Ophelia in 1964. From his first book in 1942, he published more than 40 books and short stories!! Some of his most known books are James & the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Witches and so many more! His life was very happy but some things in his life, like his wife's seizures and his daughter Olivia dying in 1962. He died when he was 74 on November 23, 1990. There is now a Roald Dahl Day to celebrate the wonderful books he has written, on September 13.
Pictures of Roald Dahl!
Rare Roald Dahl interview from 1990 - How he became a writer
James & The Giant Peach
One of my favorite books growing up was James & The Giant Peach. We had to read it as a class and I LOVED it. It is one of the most famous books of Dahl and was made into 1 of the 2 movies made of Roald Dahls books. It is about a boy named James who's parents died from a rhinoceros and is sent to live with his two terrible, boring aunts Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker. One day an old man gives his some magic beans but he trips and the beans go near a peach tree they had and a peach starts growing bigger and bigger until it is larger than the Aunt's house. The Aunts think of this as a money making opportunity and want James to stay out; Until he finds a tunnel in the Peach and meets many friends, Miss Spider, Centipede, Earthworm, and Old-Green-Grasshopper. They face many obstacles and problems that you will just have to read! A great book for all ages!