- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 7–10
- Comedy
The Twits
Part of the Roald Dahl universeOpen the collection
A brilliantly nasty short Dahl about two vile adults getting exactly what they deserve. It is one of his sharpest comic comeuppance books, but it is also full of cruelty, nastiness and animal mistreatment.
- Best for7–10
- FormatIllustrated
- Length144 pp
- Read aloud~58 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
- Literary
Tone
- Funny
- Irreverent
- Absurdist
- Dark
- Silly
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Mr and Mrs Twit are horrible to look at, horrible to live with and horrible to everyone around them. They play disgusting tricks on each other, trap birds for Bird Pie and keep the Muggle-Wump monkeys imprisoned in their garden. But the animals have had enough. With help from the Roly-Poly Bird, they begin to turn the Twits' own nastiness against them. The Twits is short, fast and very funny, with Quentin Blake's illustrations making the couple's ugliness feel grotesque and comic. It is also one of Dahl's meaner books: the pleasure comes from watching truly unpleasant characters receive an outrageous punishment. Many children find that deliciously satisfying. Sensitive readers may find the animal cruelty, food disgust and general nastiness stronger than expected.
“What a lot of hairy-faced men one sees nowadays.”
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 7–10
- Read aloud · 6–10
- Independent · 7–10
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Moderate
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: animal harm, violence, scary imagery.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
2 / 5 · Mild
Best for
- Short dahl
- Gross out comedy
- Comic comeuppance
- Animal rebellion
- Dark humour
Avoid if
- Sensitive to animal cruelty
- Wants kind characters
- Prefers gentle humour
- Sensitive to disgust humour
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Anger management
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Roald Dahl's gloriously revolting tale of two horrible people — a riotous class read-aloud and a reluctant-reader favourite.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific kick is being grossed out and laughing at it — Mr Twit's beard full of old food, Mrs Twit's glass eye in his beer, the escalating pranks each one plays on the other. A seven-year-old gets a whole short novel of disgusting jokes and a karmic revenge ending. The Dahl that takes ninety minutes.
- Revenge on adults
- Trickery and cleverness
- The underdog winning
- Breaking the rules safely
- Animal companions
Why parents love it
The Dahl to put in front of an early independent reader who wants to feel they're getting away with something — ninety minutes of escalating pranks, gross-out comedy, and a karmic revenge ending. Quentin Blake's Twits are unforgettable. Short enough to finish in one sitting, sharp enough to remember for years.
- Beloved classic
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Conversation starter
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
When you buy through the links above, we may earn a small commission — it never costs you more, and it never changes the books we choose. How we’re funded →