At a glance
Pages208
First published1982
SettingLondon and Giant Country, 1980s
Reading time~3h 30m
AudienceMiddle grade (8-12)
ISBN0142410381
The BFG
by Roald Dahl
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for: Children aged roughly seven to ten — and the adults reading aloud to them — who delight in invented language, absurdist logic, and a central friendship between a brave small girl and a gentle giant outcast.
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The BFG is Roald Dahl's inventive 1982 classic about an unlikely friendship between Sophie, a small orphaned girl, and the Big Friendly Giant — a gentle outcast surrounded by nine far more violent neighbours who roam the earth eating humans each night. With over 37 million copies sold and a Gobblefunk dialect that young readers consistently embrace, it stands as one of children's literature's most enduring novels, equally suited as a read-aloud or an independent read for ages seven to ten. The main caveat for buyers: ongoing editorial revisions by Puffin Books mean those who want Dahl's original, unaltered text should verify the edition before purchasing.
- Is it worth reading?
- For its target readership of roughly seven-to-ten-year-olds, The BFG is a genuinely strong choice — its central friendship between Sophie and the BFG is specific and emotionally grounded, the Gobblefunk dialect is a creative achievement young readers consistently respond to, and it works both as a read-aloud and an independent read. Its cultural staying power — more than 37 million copies sold, a BBC Big Read listing, Royal Mail commemorative stamps, and a Steven Spielberg film — speaks to its resonance across generations. The one caveat is the ending: some critics find the military helicopter resolution anticlimactic compared to the menacing energy of the opening chapters, and buyers should verify which edition they purchase given ongoing editorial revisions by Puffin Books.
- Similar books
- Readers who love The BFG tend to gravitate toward other books that blend genuine threat with absurd invention and a child protagonist who outsmarts the adult world. Dahl's own Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory operate in the same imaginative register and make natural next reads. For a similarly wonder-filled adventure with mythological creatures, Katherine Rundell's Impossible Creatures is a strong contemporary match, while David Almond's Skellig shares the unlikely cross-species friendship at The BFG's emotional core. Philippa Pearce's Tom's Midnight Garden and E. B. White's Charlotte's Web round out the list for readers drawn to the theme of an unexpected, life-changing bond between a child and an extraordinary being.
- Who should read this?
- The BFG is designed for readers roughly between the ages of seven and ten, and its mix of genuine threat, absurd comedy, invented language, and a child protagonist who is consistently smarter and braver than the adults around her makes it especially well suited to that range. It's a particularly strong pick for children who enjoy wordplay and language invention, given the Gobblefunk dialect, and for those who respond to friendship stories with real emotional stakes. Readers who have already loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or James and the Giant Peach will find The BFG operating in the same imaginative register; those encountering Dahl for the first time will find it a strong entry point.
- What age is it for?
- Best for ages 7 to 10. The BFG is designed specifically for this range, with a reading level and emotional register — genuine threat balanced with absurd comedy and invented language — that suits confident early readers and strong middle-primary readers alike. The novel's opening, in which Sophie is abducted from her orphanage bedroom at the witching hour by a giant, may feel mildly scary to children at the younger end of the range, but this is calibrated to the audience and is central to the story's appeal.
- About Roald Dahl
- Roald Dahl was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter, and a wartime fighter ace.
- Tell me about the adaptation
- The BFG has been adapted multiple times across different media. A 1989 animated film brought the story to a new generation, and a stage version has also extended its reach. Most prominently, Steven Spielberg directed a Disney live-action adaptation released in 2016, with the film widening the novel's audience to successive generations. There was also a 1989 animated television special that preceded the Spielberg version. The novel's combination of a visually distinctive giant and a grounded child protagonist has made it a natural candidate for screen adaptation.
- Why is this book trending?
- The BFG is experiencing a resurgence of interest this June, with young readers and parents rediscovering why Roald Dahl's giant-sized adventure has remained such a reliable hit across generations. Fresh attention from reader communities — including a recent review from an eight-year-old describing it as funny, fast-moving, and hard to put down — has helped push the title back into the spotlight. Its combination of fast pacing, comic invention, and an immediately engaging central friendship gives it the kind of word-of-mouth momentum that sustains perennial children's classics.
Summarize this book
Is it worth reading?
Who should read this?
What age is it for?
About Roald Dahl
Tell me about the adaptation
Why is this book trending?
Summarize this book
The BFG opens at the witching hour when Sophie, a small, imaginative, nearsighted orphan, peers out her window and spots a towering giant carrying a suitcase and a trumpet. The giant — the Big Friendly Giant — whisks her away to Giant Country to prevent her from revealing his existence, but unlike his nine neighbours, the BFG refuses to eat humans. Sophie and the BFG form an unlikely alliance, eventually enlisting the Queen of England herself to stop the nine man-eating giants, and the BFG ultimately earns the title of Royal Dream-Blower. Originally published in 1982, the novel grew out of a short story Dahl had embedded in Danny, the Champion of the World and is illustrated throughout by Quentin Blake.
Follow up
What is Gobblefunk?
How does the Queen of England fit in?
Who illustrated The BFG?
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Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Ages 8–12
Reading level
Middle grade
2 content notes · who it suits
Content to know about
mild kidnapping peril
descriptions of giants eating humans (played for dark comedy)
Best for: Ages 7+ — text length, invented language, and reading complexity suit confident early readers; the kidnapping premise and man-eating giants are calibrated for this age range rather than younger children.
Skip if you want a neatly plotted story with a tightly resolved ending — the novel's final act is broadly considered its weakest.
Editorial Review
Originally published in 1982, Roald Dahl's The BFG remains one of children's literature's most enduring novels, built on an unlikely friendship between a small orphaned girl and a gentle giant, and backed by sales of more than 37 million copies worldwide as of 2009.
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Why It’s Trending
Netflix Animated Adaptation of The BFG in the Works
Netflix is developing an animated adaptation of The BFG as part of its broader Roald Dahl deal, and that news has readers revisiting the beloved 1982 classic. If you haven't picked it up in a while — or ever — now's a great time.
Netflix is working on an animated adaptation of The BFG as part of its ongoing Roald Dahl content partnership, and that's got people talking about the book again. The story of Sophie and her Big Friendly Giant has already made the jump to screen twice — once as a 1989 animated TV film and again in 2016 as a Steven Spielberg-directed live-action feature with Mark Rylance in the title role — so a Netflix version would be its third adaptation.
That kind of renewed screen attention tends to bring a classic back into the conversation, and The BFG is no exception. With over 37 million copies sold worldwide, it's not like the book ever went away, but a new adaptation gives families a fresh reason to read it together before the release — or to introduce it to kids who missed the earlier films.
If you're new to the book, the setup is simple and charming: a young orphan named Sophie is whisked away by a giant who, unlike his terrifying counterparts, prefers catching and delivering dreams over eating children. It's warm, funny, and genuinely imaginative — exactly the kind of story that holds up across multiple generations.