1981
WISE Score
Amazon
A DIY chemistry experiment gone hilariously wrong, featuring a giant grandma and a kid who definitely shouldn't be left alone in the kitchen.
4.6
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This book is a classic for a reason. While some 80s media feels like a slow-motion car crash for modern kids, Roald Dahl’s anarchy is timeless. It’s fast, it’s rude, and it’s genuinely funny.
Just be aware that George is a bit of a menace. If your kid is the type to take things literally, you might want to lock the cabinet under the kitchen sink before they finish Chapter 3. It’s a 'safe' book in terms of content, but a 'caution' book in terms of real-world chemistry experiments.
Great for 6 to 10-year-olds. It’s a perfect read-aloud for first graders, while 8-year-olds can crush it solo in one or two sittings.
Dahl is famously unsentimental. George is essentially poisoning his mean grandmother with a concoction of household chemicals. It's funny and cathartic for kids, but it's definitely not 'modeling kindness.'
The list of ingredients George finds—from engine oil to flea powder—is peak childhood curiosity. It turns a boring afternoon into a high-stakes, fantastical experiment.
The 'don't try this at home' warning is there for a reason. Modern parents might wince at a kid handled antifreeze and paint, even in fiction. No 'mature' themes, just high mimicry risk for younger kids.
Dahl's vocabulary is top-tier and his pacing keeps even the most 'iPad-brained' kids engaged. It’s a gateway drug to longer chapter books.
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