Boy by Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl's story telling abilities shined through as much through his autobiography as through his fiction works.  Dahl's narrative of his boyhood intrigued me.  I appreciated Dahl's commitment to his writing style.  While reading Boy, I couldn't help but make endless connections to his other authored works.  Dahl's ruthless headmasters reminded me of none other that the dreadful Ms. Trunchbull of Matilda.  And the candy shop of Dahl's walks to primary school pointed to no other book than Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (in fact, Dahl explicitly makes this connection for the reader).

Throughout the pages, Dahl includes pictures and letters from his boyhood that make his stories come to life.  I often found myself staring at one of Dahl's pictures, looking for every detail, just wondering if Dahl knew at six-years-old that he would be a famous author one day.  I often forget that the iconic figures in our lives once had a childhood, too.  How wonderful it is that Dahl wrote this book because young readers can see that Dahl had similar trials, tribulations, and triumphs as they do.  Children can read how Dahl transformed from a "normal" boy into a beloved children's book author.  I hope the opportunity will arise in my future elementary school classroom to read Boy as a class.

Nothing touched me more than Dahl's letters signed "love from Boy."  The inclusion of these letters, seeing Dahl's own handwriting signing "Boy," made the title of the book increasingly significant.

When I checked this out at the library, I saw that a sequel accompanies this book.  Titled Going Solo, the book includes more narratives of Dahl's life.  I am relieved there is a sequel, as Dahl ended Boy writing that his adventures post-high school are "a different tale altogether" that "if all goes well, I may have a shot at telling it one of these days."  And he did! In Going Solo, Dahl, in similar story telling fashion, tells the tales of his days in Africa and as a RAF pilot in World War II.  Due to the subject matter, this book would be more appropriate for middle and high school-aged students.  I can't wait to crack it open!