Children
📝 First Impressions
The BFG is one of those Roald Dahl books that immediately feels larger than life. From the beginning, there is a sense of wonder mixed with just enough darkness to make the story exciting rather than simply sweet. Sophie being taken from the orphanage by a giant should be terrifying, and in some ways it is, but the story quickly becomes something much stranger and more charming than that.
What I liked from the start was the contrast between the BFG and the other giants. He is huge, awkward and completely unlike the monsters around him, and that makes him easy to love. His way of speaking, his gentleness and his strange habits give the book a personality that is unmistakably Dahl.
The dream-catching idea also gives the story a magical quality I really enjoyed. There is something wonderfully imaginative about a giant collecting dreams and blowing them into children’s bedrooms, and it balances the darker parts of the story perfectly.
I also liked Sophie as a heroine. She is brave without feeling unrealistically fearless, and she adapts quickly to a world that should make no sense at all. The friendship between her and the BFG is the heart of the book, and that was probably what made the story work so well for me.
Even after reading several Roald Dahl books, The BFG still feels special because it combines humour, danger, tenderness and pure imagination in such an effortless way.
💜 What I Loved
What I loved most about The BFG was the friendship between Sophie and the BFG. Their relationship gives the story its warmth, because underneath all the giants, danger and ridiculous language, it is really about two lonely characters finding someone who understands them.
I also loved the imagination behind the dream world. The idea of collecting dreams, storing them and then blowing them into children’s bedrooms is exactly the kind of strange, whimsical concept that makes Roald Dahl’s stories feel so memorable. It is magical without becoming overly sentimental, and it gives the book a softness that balances the darker side of the giant world.
The BFG himself is obviously a huge part of the appeal. His language is funny, his personality is gentle and awkward, and he is completely different from the other giants. He could easily have been just a comic character, but there is enough kindness and vulnerability there to make him genuinely lovable.
And then there is Dahl’s humour. Even when the story becomes dangerous, it never loses that mischievous tone. The grotesque giants, the strange food, the invented words and the absurd situations all make the book feel playful rather than frightening.
For me, the best thing about The BFG is how effortlessly it mixes tenderness, humour and adventure. It is silly, imaginative and a little dark, but always full of heart.
🤔 What Didn’t Quite Work for Me
There honestly was not much that did not work for me in The BFG. This is one of those books where the overall experience is so charming and imaginative that the smaller weaknesses never really became a problem.
If I had to pick something, the invented language can occasionally be a little overwhelming. It is absolutely part of the BFG’s personality and a big part of the humour, but there are moments when the wordplay becomes so dense that it slows the reading down slightly. I still enjoyed it, but I can imagine some readers finding it a bit much.
The other thing is that the story is very deliberately larger than life. The giants are grotesque, the situations are absurd, and the villains are not exactly subtle. But that is also very much Roald Dahl’s style, so I cannot really count it as a serious flaw.
For me, these are very minor points. The friendship, the humour and the imagination completely outweighed them, and I never felt that they took away from the magic of the book.
👥 Who Would Enjoy This Book
The BFG is a great choice for younger readers who enjoy stories full of imagination, strange creatures and a little bit of danger. It has enough adventure to keep things moving, but the heart of the book is really the friendship between Sophie and the BFG, which makes it feel warm and reassuring even when the story gets darker.
It should also work really well for readers who love Roald Dahl’s particular sense of humour. The invented words, grotesque giants and ridiculous situations are a huge part of the fun, so anyone who enjoys playful language and larger-than-life characters will probably get a lot out of it.
I would also recommend it to adults who grew up with Dahl and want to revisit one of his most imaginative stories. There is plenty of nostalgia here, but the book still works because the central relationship is so simple and strong.
Readers who prefer very realistic children’s fiction might find the silliness a bit much, but if you like fantasy, humour and stories where kindness matters just as much as bravery, The BFG is an easy recommendation.
💭 Final Thoughts
The BFG is one of those stories that feels completely unmistakable. It has Roald Dahl’s usual mix of darkness, silliness and warmth, but what makes it special for me is the friendship at the centre of it. Sophie and the BFG are such an unlikely pair, yet their relationship gives the whole book its heart.
I loved the contrast between the frightening world of the other giants and the gentleness of the BFG himself. The dream-catching, the strange food, the ridiculous language and the enormous personalities all make the book feel wonderfully imaginative without losing the emotional side of the story.
The invented words can be a lot at times, and the villains are deliberately exaggerated, but none of that really bothered me. It is part of the charm and part of what makes the book feel so playful.
For me, The BFG is a warm, funny and deeply imaginative children’s classic. It is adventurous without losing its tenderness, and years later it still feels like one of Roald Dahl’s most magical stories.
✨ The BookFairy Verdict
The BFG
📖 Book Details
Title: The BFG
Romanian Title: Marele Uriaș Prietenos (Editura Arthur)
Author: Roald Dahl
Series: Standalone
Genre: Children’s Fiction, Fantasy, Humour
Publisher (English): Jonathan Cape / Puffin Books
Publisher (Romanian): Editura Arthur
Published (English): 1982
Published (Romanian): Romanian edition available through Editura Arthur
Pages (English edition): varies by edition; the 2016 Puffin paperback has 240 pages
Pages (Romanian edition): 216
Translator (Romanian): Alexandra Columban
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
ISBN (Romanian): 978-606-862-075-6
Format Experienced: Hardcover
Edition Reviewed: Romanian edition
🛒 Buy the Book
If The BFG sounds like your kind of read, you can support BookFairy by purchasing the book through the links below. It won’t cost you anything extra, and using these links helps support the site while allowing me to continue creating honest, independent book reviews.
📚 Waterstones
📦 Amazon UK
📱 Kobo
📘 eBook
