Roald Dahl definitely didn't have the happily-ever-after life depicted in most of his stories. His childhood was pretty terrible, as he spent most of his time in boarding schools in England where headmasters caned the kids. During World War II, he was a pilot with the British Royal Air Force, fighting and shooting down Germans in North Africa. His plane crashed in the Libyan desert during the war, but he survived, and went on to write a whole suite of pretty incredible children's books.

Maybe because of his experiences, Dahl's children's books often feature dark and oppressive themes and lots of violence—you might find yourself getting a little spooked by 'em, even.

James and the Giant Peach (1961)

James and the Giant Peach is the story of little James, who is mistreated by his horrible aunts after his parents are eaten by a rhinoceros in London. What's a rhinoceros doing in London? It had escaped from the zoo—duh.

Anyway, James's aunts make him work all day (sounds like pre-Children's Rights to us). He meets an old man who gives him some magical crocodile tongues, and an accident with the tongues leads to the blossoming of a giant peach. And that's where all the adventure begins.

That's right: that's only the beginning. No one said children's literature wasn't exciting.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964)

Even if you haven't read the book, you've probably come across one of the film versions of this famous story: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was made in 1971 and a second version, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was made in 2005, staring Mr. Dreamy himself, Johnny Depp.

The book tells the story of Charlie, a poor boy who wins a Golden Ticket to visit Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory. When Charlie gets there, he discovers that it's not just a factory—it's a whole new world full of Oompa-Loompas, a chocolate river, and worker squirrels…among other things.

Chew on This

Like many children's books, Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has an optimistic outlook. And that optimism is reflected in the book's happy ending.

After he's transformed into a mouse, the narrator of Dahl's The Witches reflects on childhood—a big theme in the novel. And he thinks maybe it's better to be a little mouse than a little boy. Check out this quotation (Quote #7) for more.