Do you stand on your head all day? Is your master’s dream to open up an upside down monkey circus? Do your masters pull pranks on each other? Do you try to stop birds from turning into bird pie? Well Muggle-Wump does. Muggle-wump is an upside down trained monkey. Muggle-wump and his family live with the Twits. Every Wednesday Mr. Twit puts hug tight glue on a dead tree. Birds fly over and sit on the tree not knowing about hug tight glue. The next day Mrs. Twit will turn it all into bird pie. Muggle-wump warns the birds about the hung tight glue but their English and he’s African. One day an African roly-poly bird comes by. Can this bird help save the poor birds from turning into bird pie? Then read; The Twits. By Roald Dahl. ( )

This is a book I read out to Mr Bear. I'd previously had a copy foisted on me by the lovely bookcrossing (and occasionally LibraryThinging) jubby, who was shocked and appalled that I'd never read it as a child. So I read it a few years ago to myself, and wasn't so impressed.

What a difference reading it to a six-year old makes! Mr Bear made appropriate disgusted noises at all the tricks the Twits play on each other (and guessed a few tricks as well, so he felt awfully chuffed), and was entertained, amused, and fascinated. I can see we're going to be reading more Roald Dahl in the future. ( )

When reading this book, I though of some of my fifth graders (now entering middle school) who had low confidence when it came to reading. This book is a funny read, and a good way to encourage students and help build their confidence. ( )

One of Dahl's gleefully naughty children's books, complete with the most disgusting description of a person's beard ever. I believe that Mr. and Mrs. Twit are two of the most nastiest and horrid characters in children's literature, from their repulsive looks to the mean and horrible tricks they play on one another (Mrs. Twit enjoys hiding her glass eyeball in unexpected places and lacing the spaghetti with worms; Mr. Twit works for weeks to convince his wife that she has "The Shrinks") to being unpleasant to their four pet Mugglewump monkeys, and catching birds with Hugtight Sticky Glue to make bird pie.

The misanthropic Mr. and Mrs. Twit become the target of revenge by the monkeys (with the help of the Roly-Poly Bird and other English birds)--who have finally had enough. Of course, nasty people cannot be expected to come to a good end, and the monkeys craftily strategize to turn the tables on the horrible couple.

The underlying moral here is that no matter what you look like physically, if you have good thoughts, they will shine right through and make you a beautiful person, and of course the opposite also unfortunately applies.

Book Details:

Title The Twits
Author Roald Dahl
Reviewed By Purplycookie ( )

I best book I read as a kid. I love it. ( )