Author SPLOTlight: Roald Dahl

If you've read a book by Roald Dahl — and with titles like The Witches, James and the Giant Peach, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to choose from, you probably have — then you understand just how wacky, twisted, and unique Roald's imagination really was.

An early indication of things to come: the young Roald Dahl concocted a plan with his friends involving a dead mouse, a jar of candy, and a mean candy shop owner (you do the math) that resulted in a caning (ouch!) from the head of his school. Roald dubbed it the "Great Mouse Plot of 1924."

Here a few more Dahl Facts:

• He was very tall, reaching a full height of 6'6".
• He flew a fighter plane — and crashed — during World War II.
• He was buried with his snooker cues (like pool cues), some good red wine, chocolates, pencils, and his power saw.

Are you a master wordsmith like Roald Dahl? Try out our Story Starter machine (totally ignore the grades on there) and aim to create a particularly Dahl-like starter. Post it here when you concoct a good one. Let's see what you get!

—Amy, Scholastic.com Editor

(P.S. There's an Easter egg animation when you print your completed Story Starters story. Try that, too.)

Comments

[Comment #1]

I think you are a good author

[Comment #2]

HE IS THE BEST AUTHOR IN THE WORLD! UNIVERSE ACTUALLY! Too bad he died. :>( I was his "biggest fan."