Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Toxic humans, clever animals in regrettable Dahl tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
THE TWITS are dirty, disgusting, and evil inside and out, as seen in their constant diabolically vicious "pranks" against each other. Also in their fondness for trapping birds with glue and eating them in pies each week. And also in their imprisonment of monkey Muggle-Wump and his family, forced to do ridiculous, painful training for hours each day or get beaten. Everything's pretty dire, but the surprising arrival of a bird normally found in Africa (the monkeys' homeland) opens up possibilities and gives Muggle-Wump an idea.
Is It Any Good?
Roald Dahl's darkly funny 1980 tale strikes, and sometimes loses, an uneasy balance of toxic relationships, grossout humor, and clever tricks as oppressed critters turn the tables on their tormentors. The Twits, grotesque-looking, smelly, and evil through and through, lack any positive qualities whatsoever, and there's some satisfaction when their victims start foiling their plans, but it's a slog. Some readers will love gross-out scenes of worm-eating, glass eyeballs, and assorted creatures dwelling in an unwashed beard, but on the whole, this short narrative is not one of the author's best.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about fables involving clever animals who outwit those who would harm them, as happens in The Twits. What other stories like that do you know? Why is this a popular theme in stories for kids?
Do you believe (as the author says) that thinking ugly thoughts and doing ugly things makes you look ugly? Why or why not?
Do you know people who just seem to argue and fight all the time? What's it all about, and is there any point to it?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Quentin Blake
- Genre : Humor
- Topics : Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Viking Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : August 16, 2007
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 112
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 17, 2025
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