1967
WISE Score
Amazon
A gross-out classic about two people so mean they eventually shrink into nothingness.
4.6
4.6View →Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased, but as an Amazon Associate, Screenwise earns an affiliate fee if you buy a book or game by clicking one of our links. We don't get any credit if you just Google it instead :)
The Twits are disgusting. They're mean to monkeys, mean to birds, and especially mean to each other. But Roald Dahl is the master of the 'short and nasty' story, and this one hits. It’s the perfect antidote to those overly-sweet, 'everyone is a hero' books that bore kids to tears.
Stick to the book. The 2025 Netflix movie adaptation has been panned for being a bloated, creepy mess that loses the charm of the original text. The book is where the real magic—and the worm spaghetti—lives.
Perfect for the 6-10 crowd. It's short enough for a first chapter book but gross enough to keep a 4th grader laughing.
The characters are intentionally repulsive and cruel, but the book functions as a moral cautionary tale where 'ugly thoughts' lead to 'ugly faces.' It's not 'nice,' but it's morally decisive.
Dahl's descriptions of the 'Shrinks,' the glass eye prank, and the grotesque details of Mr. Twit's beard are legendary examples of creative gross-out humor.
As a book, there are no digital risks. Content-wise, it features cartoonish pranks and animal mistreatment that might bother very sensitive kids, but it's clearly fictional and hyperbolic.
Excellent vocabulary and a punchy narrative style that engages reluctant readers. The core message about inner beauty vs. outer appearance is a classic for a reason.
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