Common Sense Media Review
Girl befriends goodhearted giant in funny fantasy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
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Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 11 parent reviews
Based on 26 kid reviews
Kids say the book offers a mix of humor, whimsy, and some frightening elements, making it suitable for older children who can distinguish fantasy from reality. While many found it funny and enjoyed its creative language, others noted that certain themes and scenes might not be appropriate for younger readers.
- humor and whimsy
- some frightening scenes
- suitable for older kids
- creative language
- humorous plot
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Roald Dahl's THE BFG begins late at night when a little orphan girl named Sophie is the only one awake. She goes to the window and sees a giant walking down the street, carrying a suitcase and peering into people's windows. When the giant sees her, he grabs her and takes her back to his cave in Giant Country. Sophie is afraid that she'll be eaten, but her new friend, the Big Friendly Giant, explains in his own sideways version of English that though the other giants in this land are twice his size and eat children all over the world, he eats nothing but disgusting snozzcumbers -- a mythical vegetable.
Sophie also learns all about the ways the BFG captures dreams in Dream Country and secretly blows dreams into people's sleeping heads. One day, Sophie finds out that the other giants are planning to gallop to England, where they'll eat up lots of children. That's when Sophie and the BFG hatch a plan to mobilize Her Majesty the Queen's soldiers to stop the kid-eating giants once and for all.
Is It Any Good?
This funny fantasy about a girl and a friendly giant has loads of appeal for young readers, from action to wordplay to gross-out humor. Each of the late Roald Dahl's books has a special quality that sets it apart, and in this case, it's silly, smart, hilarious playing with language. The BFG has never been to school, and "sometimes is saying things a little squiggly." Kids who got a laugh out of Willy Wonka's reference to "snozzberries" in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will find even more to giggle about here. All of the babblement makes The BFG a delightful book to read out loud. The story also has plenty of suspense (for youngsters) even as it just keeps getting funnier, all the way to the rewarding finish.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the funny things the giant says in The BFG. Do any of them seem familiar? Do you like the way he talks?
What do Sophie and the BFG have in common that helps them become good friends?
Have you read other books by Roald Dahl? What does The BFG have in common with the other Dahl books that you like?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Quentin Blake
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Publication date : May 21, 2006
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 7 - 11
- Number of pages : 208
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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