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The MinpinsRoald Dahl
The Minpins
by Roald Dahl
Little Billy disobeys and enters the Forest of Sin, where a smoke-breathing monster chases him up a tree full of tiny people.
A story about children and magical creatures, adventurous and epic in tone. We would put it with children of 6–9, and at a reading age of about 7 for reading alone.
Worth knowing before you buy
- Frightening scenes
None of this makes it a bad book — often the opposite. It is here so you can decide whether it is right for your child now or in a year or two.
Our take on this book
Little Billy, warned never to enter the Forest of Sin, goes in anyway and discovers it is home to the Minpins — tiny people who live inside the trees to escape the terrible Gruncher that stalks the woods — and Billy hatches a brave plan to defeat the monster and save them. This was the last book Roald Dahl published in his lifetime, and it is gentler and more lyrical than much of his work, closer to a fairy tale, with a famous closing line about those who don't believe in magic never finding it. There is mild peril from the Gruncher but the tone is more wonder than fright. Originally illustrated by Patrick Benson in a softer style than the usual Dahl, it is a lovely, slightly different Dahl. For a six- to nine-year-old it is a warm, magical, adventurous read — a fitting, tender note to end a great career on, and a charming story of a small boy's courage.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
The Boy Who Grew DragonsAndy Shepherd
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.