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More About Boy

Roald Dahl's Tales from Childhood
by Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl More About Boy: Roald Dahl's Tales from Childhood 229 pp. Farrar 9/09 ISBN 978-0-374-35055-0 $24.99 (Middle School, High School)
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Dahl's 1984 memoir Boy consisted of a scrapbook of childhood anecdotes decorated with photos and sketches. Eight new vignettes and some additional apparatus constitute the "more" in this expanded edition. In autobiography Dahl reveals the identical sensibility that he celebrates in his fiction, and readers who resonate to his practical jokes, grotesque adults, themes of bullying, punishment, and revenge, and vivid descriptions of food will be delighted to have a bit more of Dahl. One of the best new bits is a genuinely loving portrait of the family gardener, a fellow fan of the Cardiff City Football Team. New sidenotes can be heavy-handed—the story of stuffing goat turds into somebody's pipe is accompanied by an anti-smoking warning. However, Quentin Blake, who can imbue an old toothbrush with 3-D personality, keeps the silliness quotient high with his energetic drawings. S.E.
Gr 6-9 This scrapbook-style book is a wonderful addition to Dahl's original biography, "Boy" (Farrar, 1984), the full text of which is included here. The stories of the author's life are interspersed with photographs, drawings, letters, school report cards, postcards, and memorabilia, which help to illustrate his fascinating life experiences. Readers can see how eccentric family members have made their way into his novels. Dahl's many fans will eat up this glimpse into his world, and history lovers will appreciate the detail of his record keeping. This is a great recommendation for middle school libraries in which engaging biographies are few and far between."Mairead McInnes, Oakdale-Bohemia Middle School, NY" Copyright 2010 Media Source Inc.
New ed., 1984. Eight new vignettes and some additional apparatus constitute the "more" in this expanded edition of Dahl's memoir. In autobiography the author reveals the identical sensibility celebrated in his fiction; readers for whom this resonates will be delighted to have a bit more Dahl (although new sidenotes can be heavy-handed). Blake keeps the silliness quotient high with his energetic drawings.

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