Roald Dahl Book Breakdown
In LWL’s Novel Study and Creative Writing Program, students expressively read aloud, engage in class discussions, and complete various writing exercises related to their novels. Guided reading helps students slow down, gain vocabulary, and improve attention to detail.
Roald Dahl’s collection of novels are always a student favorite and we’ve provided a breakdown of each story as well as a writing assignment we explore in class! Each class, the writing assignment is unique. Students complete book summaries, character studies, quote analyses and more! We develop fundamental skills necessary for proficient reading and writing.
Esio Trot (56 pages)
Recommended for students grade 1+
🐢 Esio Trot is both heartwarming and hilarious as it tells the tale of the lengths one would go to for love. Mr. Hoppy loves Mrs. Silver but Mrs. Silver loves Alfie (her pet tortoise). Is there anything Mr. Hoppy can do to take her attention off of Alfie? This book is a great entry-level read for students transitioning into chapter books!
In this story, students see a secret tortoise language invented through poetry. In our classes, students complete various worksheets including one where they write their own tortoise language poem.
The Magic Finger (57 pages)
Recommended for students grade 1+
🪄 Ever been so mad at someone that you wanted to cast a spell on them? That’s what happens in our story! Our narrator can no longer stand her neighbours for hunting animals, and tries to quite literally give them a taste of their own medicine.
The Magic Finger is an endearing story that teaches empathy and what it really means to stand in someone else’s shoes. This book is a great entry-level read for students transitioning into chapter books!
For a creative writing exercise, students in our classes use their imagination to create their own magic fingers!
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me (73 pages)
Recommended for students grade 1+
🦒 This story centers on a giraffe, pelican and monkey who work as window cleaners, along with Billy, a little boy who has a dream of owning a sweet shop! When they’re hired by the kind Duke, the richest man in all the land, something huge happens that changes the course of their lives forever! This is a whimsical story where everyone gets what they deserve in the end. This book is a great entry-level read for students transitioning into chapter books!
In this story, students study poetry and practice identifying rhymes. In our classes, students craft their own rhyming poem!
Fantastic Mr. Fox (81 pages)
Recommended for students grade 1/2+
🦊 When three greedy farmers are determined to hunt down Mr. Fox for stealing their food, it’s up to him to protect his family and the rest of the underground animals! Can he outsmart his enemies before his loved one starve to death?
In this story Mr. Fox belts out a powerful speech to inspire his underground family. In our class, we analyze this speech and pen our own motivating messages.
The Twits (87 pages)
Recommended for students grade 1/2+
🐒 Mr. and Mrs. Twit are as nasty as can be, especially to each other! They’re revolted by kids and animals alike. In their garden, they trap poor birds with “HugTight” glue to make into bird pie! The animals band together to exact their revenge, but can they outsmart the evil duo?
Roald Dahl books are always rich in vocabulary. In our classes, students are encouraged to work on descriptive writing and expand their vocabulary!
Billy and the Minpins (98 pages)
Recommended for students grade 1/2+
🦢 When Billy is tempted into The Forest of Sin, he meets the Minpins, tiny people who live in trees! But that’s not all, they’re all in danger of being eaten by the evil beast, the Gruncher! Can Billy save the Minpins and ever escape the forest? Come find out in this adventurous read and watch all of your childhood fantasies of magical forests come true.
In our classes, students are introduced to our “cause and effect” worksheet. We discuss the relationship between something that happens and the result it creates.
George’s Marvelous Medicine (104 pages)
Recommended for students grade 1/2+
🥣 Grandparents are supposed to be sweet, caring and kind. George’s grandma is the exact opposite, sour, demanding and atrocious. When he can no longer stand her, George makes a few changes to grandma’s medication hoping it’ll make her nicer, and the results are through the roof!
In our classes, students are invited to create their own magic medicine. We curate ingredients lists, recipe steps, and what affects their concoction will have!
James and the Giant Peach (150 pages)
Recommended for students grade 2+
🍑 This is a heartwarming book about an orphan named James who is forced to live with his despicable aunts, until a magical giant peach grows in their garden. After crawling inside, he’s propelled on a life changing adventure, accompanied by his new found insect friends!
At the end of our classes, students complete a timeline assignment where they are asked to put the sequence of events in chronological order!
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (180 pages)
Recommended for students grade 2+
🍫 Charlie Bucket and his family are poor beyond belief, but when Willy Wonka, the owner of a fantastic chocolate company, decides to open his doors to 5 lucky golden ticket winners, Charlie’s life is changed forever. One of the best works by Dahl, this book touches on the consequences of our own actions and the payoffs of respectful behaviour.
This book, great for students 7-10 years old, includes worksheets where students can create their own candies and much more! Chocolates, magic, and lickable wallpaper, even the parents are guaranteed to drool!
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (182 pages)
Recommended for students grade 2+
🚀 A sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, now that Charlie Bucket has won the entirety of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, things can only get better from here right? That is, if they can get back in one piece from space! Did we mention having to battle Vermicious Knids? Suitable for our advanced students, the worksheets curated for this novel will have students turning the wheels in their heads, from persuasive writing to synonym practice to setting description, our students will be well-equipped for academic style writing!
The BFG (199 pages)
Recommended for students grade 3+
🚀 🥒 When 10 year old orphan Sophie is whisked away from her bed by a 24 foot giant, she’s naturally scared. However, she soon discovers that this giant is as gentle as could be, but not all giants are. Can Sophie and the BFG stop the nasty, people-eating giants before all humans get eaten? This popular book has been a fan favorite in our novel study classes, from character traits to presenting a book talk, students are able to practice and refine their literary reflection skills! Great for ages 8+, this novel is filled with extensive vocabulary sure to help with pronunciation as well as reading fluency!
The Witches (200 pages)
Recommended for students grade 3+
🧙♀️ One child a week, that’s 52 a year, hopefully soon they can all disappear! Can one little boy and his elderly grandmama outsmart a group of evil, kid-hating witches before they make all children vanish? They get the perfect opportunity to exterminate these “ladies” when they all find themselves vacationing in the same seaside hotel. This longer book is one of Dahl’s scariest and is great for students aged 7-8. Students are asked to pay extra special attention to details in the book, including how to recognize a witch (comes in handy if they ever find themselves in a mousey situation). This is the perfect time to practice descriptive writing! Warning: this book may cause goosebumps.
Danny, Champion of the World (214 pages)
Recommended for students grade 3+
🍗 This sentimental book centers around young Danny and his loving father, who live together in a caravan!
Danny’s father is an amazing mechanic, storyteller and surprise surprise, pheasant poacher! We see this amazing father and son duo take on the evil Mr. Hazell, the nasty owner of the land!
Students 7-10 are encouraged to read this book, as they will be challenged with worksheets about the different definitions of home and happiness everyone has.
This book puts in perspective how lucky they are and to appreciate the small things, especially the people in your life.
Matilda (232 pages)
Recommended for students grade 3+
🍗 📚 Matilda is a gifted little girl and intelligent beyond her years. While her parents pay her no mind, her school teacher Ms Honey does, and soon they discover the real extent of Matilda’s powers. Can Matilda harness her abilities to help rid the school of their horrible headmistress, the Trunchbull? This book is perhaps one of Dahl’s most famous works, the female heroine in this book helps to instill the importance of education while the story itself sends a strong message of why it’s necessary to stand up to injustice. Students ages 6-8 will be guaranteed to fall in love with this book. We introduce some fantastic worksheets including the classic Venn Diagram, a useful tool when making literary comparisons!
Boy, Tales of Childhood (autobiography, 219 pages)
Recommended for students grade 3+
📖 Have you ever wondered exactly what happened in Roald Dahl’s life that shaped him into the wonderfully brilliant author we all know and love? This book takes on an autobiographical style as it documents all of Dahl’s most interesting and memorable moments. From his family history to his school days, this is a great read for our older novel study students (ages 7-9) Students are given a glance into what school was like 100 years ago as compared to now, they’re given the chance to evaluate the similarities and differences between the different time periods. We also introduce similes, an important literary device used when making comparisons! Students are sure to feel engagingly challenged with this one!
Going Solo (autobiography, 210 pages)
Recommended for students grade 3+
👨✈️ A continuation of Boy, Tales of Childhood, Dahl delves into his life in Africa as well as in World War 2. Students will get excellent insight into the real events of the early to mid 1900’s and the turbulence endured by Dahl during hard times. Perfect for our older students, aged 7-9, this great coming of age book……
The Enormous Crocodile
Recommended for students grade 1+
🐊 A one-class-wonder! This book is perhaps one of our shortest, but also one of the most tantalizing! The Enormous Crocodile is hungry for ch-ch-children! Will he succeed when he ventures into town on the hunt for some lunch? Not if the other jungle animals can help it! This lively, reading-heavy book is great for all ages, especially those who want a challenge with the worksheets! We test the memory of our students when they’re asked to recall different moments of deceit in the plot! The book touches on the important message of standing up to injustice and speaking up if you notice violence!
