Classics · Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl age range: what age for each book?
5 min read3 sources
Roald Dahl's books are read aloud to five-year-olds and read alone by teenagers. That's why the ages BookTrust gives are unusually wide: nine or ten years for a single book.
Here's what BookTrust says for three of the best-known titles, why the ranges are so wide, and when to start.
In brief
- The BFG: 5 to 14. Matilda: 5 to 14. James and the Giant Peach: 9 to 14, according to BookTrust's Roald Dahl list.1
- A wide band. Where BookTrust often gives an interest age and a reading age,2 its Dahl list gives one wide band per book. The lower end is for listening, the upper end for readers who come back to them later.
- Read aloud first. The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages shared reading at least until kindergarten age;3 with Dahl, many families carry on well beyond.
Three Dahl books and their ages
The BFG, 5 to 14. Sophie is carried off by a giant who turns out to be friendly, catches dreams and speaks in words he invents. At five, it's a book to read aloud a chapter at a time; the invented words are half the fun.
Matilda, 5 to 14. A girl who reads everything, parents who don't care, a terrifying headmistress and a kind teacher. Young listeners love the moments when the grown-ups get what they deserve.
James and the Giant Peach, 9 to 14. An orphan escapes his cruel aunts inside a giant peach, with a crew of oversized insects. BookTrust starts it four years later than the other two: the opening, with the death of James's parents and the cruelty of the aunts, is harder.
When to start with Roald Dahl
From five, read aloud. The BFG and Matilda both start at five on BookTrust's list. Read together, you can stop at the frightening bits and explain the jokes.
Later, read alone. Many children read Dahl alone for the first time once they manage longer chapter books. The stories they heard at five are often the first they pick up.
Dahl is often dark. Cruel adults, children in danger, punishments that are funny because they're extreme. Most children love it; a sensitive child may need you close by.
Frequently asked questions
What age are Roald Dahl books for?
It depends on the book. BookTrust gives The BFG and Matilda 5 to 14, and James and the Giant Peach 9 to 14. The lower age is for reading aloud; children often read them alone a few years later.
Which Roald Dahl book should we start with?
The BFG and Matilda both start at five on BookTrust's list, so either works as a first book to read aloud.
Is James and the Giant Peach suitable for a 6 year old?
BookTrust gives 9 to 14. The book opens with the death of James's parents and two cruel aunts. Read aloud, some younger children manage it; if you try it earlier, stay close.
Why is the Roald Dahl age range so wide?
Because the books work at two levels: as stories to listen to from five, and as books older children and teenagers read alone. BookTrust's ranges cover both.
Sources
- 1.BookTrust: Roald Dahl books.What it confirms: The BFG 5 to 14, Matilda 5 to 14, James and the Giant Peach 9 to 14.
- 2.BookTrust Bookfinder.What it confirms: Books listed with two ages, an interest age and a reading age.
- 3.American Academy of Pediatrics: Early Literacy.What it confirms: Shared reading encouraged from birth and at least until kindergarten age.
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