The Twits

The Twits

By Roald Dahl

Illustrations by Quentin Blake

Scholastic

1980

As the manager of a branch library, I get the pleasure of also being in charge of acquisitions and collection development. While keeping the library supplied with new titles, I must also make certain the classic titles are maintained. The thing about classics is they wear out, get lost, and fall apart from being loved and read to death. I recently took a sweep through one of my favorite youth authors, Roald Dahl, and took an inventory of his titles, ordering new copies of just about every title.

The Twits caught my eye on the shelf so I took it home this weekend for a quick re-read…and I am so glad I did. While this was not one of his best selling titles, it is a prime example of the genius of Dahl. His books are so humorous, shocking, absurd, inappropriate (at times) and engaging that this quick read reminded me not to forget to suggest Dahl’s books to young readers who are looking for a fun read.

Dahl figured out exactly what tickled the funny bone of boys and girls and he immerses the reader in these silly funny and gross details throughout all of his stories. In The Twits, Dahl describes the horrors of what one would find when making a close inspection of Mr. Twit’s unruly beard. There is “spinach and tomato and ketchup and fish sticks and minced chicken livers and all the other disgusting things Mr. Twit liked to eat.” Then he goes on, with the help of Blake’s classic illustrations, to detail even more grossness such as a piece of “maggoty green cheese” and “moldy old cornflakes.” Perfectly delightful reading for those in the early grades!

This was a wakeup call for me to always keep the Roald Dahl section well stocked and to guide young readers to that shelf regularly. Long live Roald Dahl books!