A child reading a book at a wooden table – Roald Dahl Books in Order

Roald Dahl Books in Order: The Complete Reading Guide

Shop Roald Dahl books in stock

Updated September 2026

Roald Dahl Books in Order: The Short Answer

Roald Dahl wrote about 20 children's books between 1943 and his death in 1990, plus two childhood memoirs and a long shelf of short stories for adults. Only one book is a sequel, so reading Roald Dahl books in order isn't required, but publication order makes a handy checklist and shows how his style changed once Quentin Blake became his illustrator in 1978.

Here are his children's books with the year each first appeared:

Year Title Good starting age
1943 The Gremlins Collectors
1961 James and the Giant Peach 7+
1964 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 7+
1966 The Magic Finger 6+
1970 Fantastic Mr Fox 6+
1972 Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator 8+
1975 Danny, the Champion of the World 8+
1977 The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More 11+
1978 The Enormous Crocodile 5+
1980 The Twits 6+
1981 George's Marvellous Medicine 7+
1982 The BFG 7+
1982 Revolting Rhymes 7+
1983 The Witches 8+
1983 Dirty Beasts 6+
1985 The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me 5+
1988 Matilda 8+
1989 Rhyme Stew 10+
1990 Esio Trot 6+
1991 The Vicar of Nibbleswicke 8+
1991 The Minpins 5+

His two memoirs, Boy: Tales of Childhood (1984) and Going Solo (1986), are often shelved with the children's books too. The ages above are our own bookseller's guide, not publisher ratings.

In this guide:

The One Roald Dahl Reading-Order Rule

There is exactly one sequel in Dahl's children's books: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator picks up the moment Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ends. Read the factory first.

Everything else stands alone. A more useful approach than strict publication order is to go by age, starting with the short picture-book stories and working up to the longer novels. That's how most families and schools read him, and it's what we'd suggest below.

A Roald Dahl Reading Path by Age

Ages 5 to 7: the short ones

The Enormous Crocodile, The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, Esio Trot and The Minpins are short, heavily illustrated and perfect for reading aloud. The Magic Finger and Fantastic Mr Fox are the natural next step: short chapters, a clear villain, and a satisfying ending. For more first chapter books at this level, see our chapter books for second graders.

Ages 7 to 9: the classic middle

The Twits is revolting in the way seven-year-olds love. George's Marvellous Medicine, James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are the heart of the Dahl shelf and among the best family read-alouds ever written. The BFG, with its invented giant-speak, is a joy to read aloud once a child can follow a longer book. When you run out of Dahl, our read-aloud chapter books for families list has plenty more.

Ages 8 to 11: the longer novels

Matilda is the one most children name as their favorite. Danny, the Champion of the World is his gentlest novel, a warm father-and-son story about pheasant poaching. The Witches is the scariest; more on that below. Kids who love Dahl's humor at this age will find more in our funny books for 8-year-olds guide.

Ages 10 and up: the memoirs

Boy covers his childhood in Wales and England, including his school years, which are where many of his cruel adults came from. Going Solo follows him to Africa and into the Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot in World War II, and fits well with the titles in our World War II books for students. Both are excellent for homeschool biography studies, and Boy makes a good read alongside whichever novel a child loves most.

Roald Dahl Content Notes Parents Ask About

Dahl's appeal is that he takes children's side against unpleasant grown-ups, and he doesn't soften the unpleasantness. Some specifics:

  • The Witches is genuinely frightening for some children. The witches hide as ordinary women, and the ending, in which the boy stays a mouse, upsets some readers and delights others.
  • The Twits and George's Marvellous Medicine are full of nasty tricks. George involves a boy dosing his grandmother with a homemade medicine; some parents point out it's not a good one for a child who might copy it.
  • Neglectful and cruel parents run through the books, from James's aunts to Matilda's parents. Children generally find this cathartic rather than distressing.
  • Revolting Rhymes and Rhyme Stew are cheeky verse parodies. Rhyme Stew is aimed at older children and has some bawdier moments, so preview it.
  • The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More is for older readers, and some stories are closer to his adult work in tone.

The 2023 Revisions and the Classic Collection Editions

In February 2023, the Telegraph reported that hundreds of passages had been changed in new UK Puffin editions of Dahl's children's books. Puffin had reviewed the texts with the Roald Dahl Story Company, which Netflix had bought in 2021, working with Inclusive Minds, a group that advises on inclusive language.

Examples reported at the time included replacing "fat" with words like "enormous," removing some references to appearance and color, and changing gendered phrasing. The changes drew criticism from authors including Salman Rushdie, from free-expression group PEN America and from British politicians, while others argued that publishers routinely update children's books.

On February 23, 2023, Puffin announced that it would also publish the original texts as The Roald Dahl Classic Collection, so both versions are available. Publishers in the United States, France and the Netherlands were reported not to be adopting the changes.

What this means if you're shopping: older printings on the used market carry Dahl's original wording. If you're buying a newer UK Puffin edition and want the original text, look for "The Roald Dahl Classic Collection" on the cover. Whichever version you choose, the stories, plots and Quentin Blake illustrations are the same.

Separately, parents researching Dahl may come across his antisemitic remarks from the 1980s. In 2020, his family and the Roald Dahl Story Company issued a public apology for them. Some families discuss this with older children when studying his life.

Roald Dahl's Short Stories and Books for Adults

Before he wrote for children, Dahl was a successful writer of dark, twist-ending short stories. These are not children's books, though a few turn up in high school anthologies.

  • Over to You (1946): stories drawn from his time as a pilot.
  • Sometime Never (1948): his first novel.
  • Someone Like You (1953) and Kiss Kiss (1960): his best-known collections, including "Lamb to the Slaughter."
  • Switch Bitch (1974) and My Uncle Oswald (1979): explicitly sexual; definitely adult.
  • Tales of the Unexpected (1979) and More Tales of the Unexpected (1980): collected stories that inspired the long-running British TV series.

He also wrote the screenplay for the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and co-wrote the one for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Roald Dahl Movies in Order

Film Year Rating
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory 1971 G
The Witches 1990 PG
James and the Giant Peach 1996 PG
Matilda 1996 PG
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 2005 PG
Fantastic Mr. Fox 2009 PG
The BFG 2016 PG
The Witches 2020 PG
Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical 2022 PG
Wonka 2023 PG

Since buying the rights, Netflix has also released Wes Anderson's short film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023) and an animated The Twits (October 17, 2025). Many of the older films are easy to find on DVD, which makes a book-then-film evening an easy win. Our PG movies for family movie night guide has more to pair with it.

Stocking a Roald Dahl Shelf Secondhand

Dahl paperbacks are everywhere on the used market, so building a full set is affordable. See every Roald Dahl book we have right now, or browse kids' books and family and animation DVDs. Free shipping kicks in at $15.

Frequently Asked Questions

What order should I read Roald Dahl books in?

Any order works, because the books are standalones. The one rule is to read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory before its sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. For children, going by age, from The Enormous Crocodile up to Matilda and The Witches, works better than publication order.

How many children's books did Roald Dahl write?

About 20, from The Gremlins (1943) to The Vicar of Nibbleswicke and The Minpins, both published in 1991 after his death, plus the memoirs Boy and Going Solo.

What was Roald Dahl's first children's book?

The Gremlins (1943), written for a planned Disney film. His first major children's novel was James and the Giant Peach (1961).

Were Roald Dahl's books changed?

Yes, in the UK. In 2023 Puffin revised wording in new editions, then announced it would also publish the original texts as The Roald Dahl Classic Collection. Older used copies have the original wording.

What is the best Roald Dahl book to start with?

Fantastic Mr Fox or The Enormous Crocodile for younger children, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Matilda for ages 7 and up.

Is The Witches too scary for kids?

It is his most frightening book and can upset sensitive children under 8. Many families save it for ages 8 to 10 and read it aloud together.

Keep reading

Back to blog

Shop Roald Dahl Books and Movies at The Happy Book Stack

Used and in stock now. Free shipping on orders over $15.

Browse all Roald Dahl Books and Movies