The BFG (original 1982; edition 1982)

by Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

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nicolas.mesa's review

One night Sophie was trying to sleep but she can’t the moon was shining a lot in her eyes. She lives in an orphanage and one of the principals rules of it, was that kids can´t wake up after the mandated turn off lights. But Sophie can’t sleep so she wake up and she started to see true the window and she saw a non-human, giant an ugly ogre so she became scared, so she tried to hide but was late because the BFG was taking she to his cave so she was so scared but when time passed she start to familiarize with the giant. She started to think that the giant was not bad like all the normal ogres, and also the ogre started to think that he had choose up the best kid, he started to care for Sophie and Sophie started to care for him.

He lives with other nine ogres that treat so bad him, also the rest of ogres at night go to other countries to eat people and take them out from their houses when they are sleeping. But the one that belongs to Sophie was good because he don’t eat people, so if he doesn’t eat people he had to eat. The other nine ogres were so aggressive with the inoffensive one, so Sophie was so angry and she feels like a piece of garbage because the BFG was littler than others. But an idea came to the head of Sophie that was if they could not do anything with strength use the intelligence, because BFG all the nights go to the dreams of people, so and Sophie enter to the dreams of queen of England, to tell what was happening with bad ogres, so the queen devised a plan with their army to take them when they were sleeping and put them in a hole eating putrefied vegetables, and at the end the queen make a big big house to BFG next to the palace and next to his home a little house to Sophie.

Unfamiliar words:

Gap N: An opening in a solid structure or surface; a cleft or breach. pg 9
A brilliant moonbeam was slanting through a gap in the curtains.

Suitcase N: a portable rectangular travelling case, usually stiffened, for carrying clothing, etc. pg 13
She saw the giant back a pace andput the suitcase down on the pavement.

Grinned V:To smile broadly, often baring the teeth, as in amusement, glee, embarrassment, or other strong emotion.pg 25
He grinned.

Deaf adj: Partially or completely lacking in the sense of hearing. pg 43
you is deaf as a dumpling compared with me.

Forgive V: To excuse for a fault or an offense; pardon. pg 45
so do please forgive me and go on....

nicolas.mesa | Feb 28, 2014 |

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The BFG is amazing. In this story, Sophie, with her kind heart, helps out the little giant who has been picked on by the other giants. The book will amaze you as you see the characters grow in their own way.

usagibunny1 | Apr 14, 2024 |

AnkaraLibrary | Feb 29, 2024 |

AR 4.8

EckSchLib | Jan 25, 2024 |

Cute. Funny. Not my kind of thing but for those who like whimsey, fabulous. (

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monicaberger | Jan 22, 2024 |

This is an adventurous story of a girl named Sophie and the Big Friendly Giant. A story about an unlikely friendship that teaches a lesson of how to stand up for what is right. The BFG is thankfully not your typical giant, he is kind and gives out good dreams to children, unlike the other giants who eat children. Sophie is an orphan and one night she looks out and sees the BFG giving good dreams to children. The BFG ends up bringing Sophie to his cave where she learns about his world. Sophie and the BFG come up with a plan to inform the Queen of England of the unfriendly giants and their actions. This is a sweet story with a happy ending that can be used for a read aloud in the classroom. (

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sarahkrupich | Jan 20, 2024 |

It took me a while to get around to reading this book and found it delightful. (

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BookListener | Jan 18, 2024 |

The BFG is no ordinary bone-crunching giant. He is far too nice and jumbly. It's lucky for Sophie that he is. Had she been carried off in the middle of the night by the Bloodbottler, or any of the other giants--rather than the BFG--she would have soon become breakfast. When Sophie hears that the giants are flush-bunking off to England to swollomp a few nice little chiddlers, she decides she must stop them once and for all. And the BFG is going to help her!

PlumfieldCH | Dec 30, 2023 |

I really loved this story. It was so cute and really fun to read. I loved the world building but also how much adult stuff was thrown in. Such a fast pace read. (

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lmauro123 | Dec 28, 2023 |

I really loved this story. It was so cute and really fun to read. I loved the world building but also how much adult stuff was thrown in. Such a fast pace read. (

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lmauro123 | Dec 28, 2023 |

PlumfieldCH | Sep 22, 2023 |

I hate books that purposely use improper grammar. It is impossible to get into the story, and I focus more on the stupidity of the grammar than on the storyline. (

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blueskygreentrees | Jul 30, 2023 |

was so pleased to find this listed [on McCrum's Top 100 Novels]! I think I read every book Dahl ever wrote. What would our generation be without Willy Wonka? How would we know how to poach without Danny, the Champion of the World? I can’t comment on his ‘classic’ nature, but sure he was a big part of my childhood!
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Kiramke | Jun 27, 2023 |

IRL: 3-5th grade
1985 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis as the year's best children's book, in its German translation Sophiechen und der Riese and the 1991 Read Alone and Read Aloud BILBY Awards from the Children's Book Council of Australia.

Erin.Phillips | May 3, 2023 |

Independent Reading Level: 5th Grade
Awards: Federation of Children's Book Groups Award

PaigeDavison | Apr 29, 2023 |

It is quite a long time since I read this novel but I remember that it had great humour and some excellent inventive words. (

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Susan-Pearson | Feb 23, 2023 |

Fun book. Just saw the movie and had to read this. Movie is mostly faithful. (

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kslade | Dec 8, 2022 |

O GGG é um gigante simpático e foforucho. Na verdade, é o único grande gigante gentil no País dos Gigantes.

Todos os outros gigantes são brutamontes bestialmente brutos, e agora o GGG e a sua amiga Sofia têm de os impedir de devorar pequenos cereais humanos - com a ajuda de Sua Majestade, a Rainha de Inglaterra.

Luis_Contente | Oct 18, 2022 |

This book is amazing! My favorite Roald Dahl book and one of my favorite books as a kid. Not sure what it was that I liked about it, but I loved it. I remember the evil giants scared me though as a kid, but the BFG is just one extremely likeable character you forget that evil giants exist in the book. I remember something about Queen Elisabeth in this book too and some other king. Since there making a movie of this (FINALLY!) I might have to reread this book again. (

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Ghost_Boy | Aug 25, 2022 |

I read this book every year to the third grade classes in my library story time. They start out thinking its stupid, but Dahl sucks them all in. Probably one of my favorite Dahl books of all time. The snozzcumbers and whizzpoppers and all the other crazy language makes it the best book to read aloud. (

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Jen-Lynn | Aug 1, 2022 |

Roald was a master of Imagination, and anyone should be able to understand why his works have been adapted by other iconic creatives including, but not limited to: Zemeckis, Spielberg, and Burton.

Outside of most of the silver screen adaptations, I have never been a die-hard fan of his oeuvre, generally, or him as a person, specifically— but I do appreciate the creativity and imagination he put into his work.

As for The BFG, I liked it well-enough. The plot may be overly-silly and whimsical, but where this one truly shines is being read aloud to your children at bedtime. The voices and language used are just so much fun out loud.

If you ever get the chance to read this to someone— take it. (

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Chuck_ep | Jul 18, 2022 |

4.5 stars. Classic, sweet, endearing tale. (

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BarbF410 | May 22, 2022 |

Mooi geschreven boek met goede verhaallijn over de reus die kinderen juist helpt in plaats van op te eten. Het is een mooi fantasie boek want aansluit op dromen en fantasie beelden van kinderen. Gedetailleerd en beeldend geschreven, ook de taal van de GVR zorgt voor sterkere verhaallijn.

Voorlezen is door de taal van de GVR wel lastig. (

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noribouwens | Nov 7, 2021 |

This was one of my favorite books when I was little, and it was a delight to read it again. There's just something about the combination of words like scrumdidlyuptious, swashboggling, and thingalingaling with Quentin Blake's illustration that lets me know I'm in for fun.

Sophie is a bright little girl doing her best after being kidnapped by a friendly giant. She's not quite as enterprising as the titular character of [b:Matilda|39988|Matilda|Roald Dahl|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388793265s/39988.jpg|1015554], doing more reacting than instigating and getting a bit lost in the fourth act when the adults take over, but she still manages to save the day at the last minute. And it's lovely to have a girl main character with thick glasses--not something I appreciated while I was eight and un-bespectacled, but something that I do like now.

I'd completely forgotten the crazy way the BFG speaks, and I have a feeling that with trying to sound my way through the words (or, let's be honest, skipping them after the first syllable) would have either been very fun or very frustrating--maybe more fun if a parent was reading these nonsense words out loud.

I found it amusing that Dahl seems to have had quite a beef with math teachers--two of them are the victims of children's good dreams, being taught a lesson of their own. One of the most devastating moments of second grade was when my teacher refused to keep reading Matilda because the first chapter was told from the perspective of a teacher imagining the delightfully horrid ways they would describe their real feelings about their beastlier students. It gave me a smile to see that attitude showing up again.

All in all, a charming little book, imaginative and fairy-tale-like as always, and with Dahl's characteristic darkness interwoven with the fun, proving that he understands how children can handle stories that aren't all sunshine and roses. BFG's as grumpy as Gandalf while Sophie is a model child, and they play off each other perfectly.

Quote Roundup

49) "What I say and what I mean is two different things," the BFG announced rather grandly.
Dahl might very well say this about a lot of his work! One of the best parts of his writing is having his adults speak more pompously and circumlocutiously (hee hee!) than the children in a way that young readers can still tell isn't quite getting across the meaning.

53) "Words," he said, "is oh such a twitch-tickling problem to me all my life. So you must simply be patient and stop squibbling. As I am telling you before, I know exactly what words I am wanting to say, but somehow or other they is always getting squiff-squiddled around."
A problem that any language learner, but especially the children reading this book, can relate to. (

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books-n-pickles | Oct 29, 2021 |

Sophie is an orphan who gets taken away one night by the Big Friendly Giant, aka BFG, to Giant Country after seeing him through her window. There, BFG tells Sophie all about the other giants who go off at night and eat humans (the BFG doesn't eat humans). After finding out they're planning on going back to her home country to eat a bunch of school children, Sophie finally convinces the BFG that enough is enough!

I wish I would have read this book as a kid! I was giggling to myself at the names and words BFG would use. I know if I read this when I was younger I would have cracked up and rolled around in a fit! This is a funny, fast read. I can see everyone at least smiling at some of the words being said. It's just a bit silly to be honest. (

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oldandnewbooksmell | Sep 24, 2021 |

like all of dahl's œuvre, this book is a delightful entertaining fable with clever wordplay and a lot of really unfortunate imperialist undertones. the inspiring tale of a vegan who stands up to society (

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jooniper | Sep 10, 2021 |

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