“THE MAGIC FINGER,” by Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake, Puffin Books, Jan. 22, 2009, softcover, $7.69 (ages 8-12)
In 1962, a group of famous adult writers were asked to create children’s stories with a limited vocabulary. Among the authors was Roald Dahl. His creation, first called “The Almost Ducks,” was a parable directed against “all the brave deer hunters and duck hunters in the country.”
Now known as “The Magic Finger,” Dahl’s story is narrated by an 8-year-old girl who hates hunting. The girl’s neighbors, the Gregg family, love to hunt, and when the girl tries to talk them out of it, they just laugh. Little do the Greggs know their young neighbor has a hidden talent. Their laughter makes her see red. And when she sees red, before she can even stop herself, she puts the Magic Finger on them all.
The girl is never quite sure what the Magic Finger will do, but she knows it’s going to be a doozy. In the case of the Greggs, the Magic Finger turns the family into ducks and ducks into hunters. Only when the Greggs promise to never hunt again, the spell is broken.
Though Dahl wrote “The Almost Ducks” in 1962, it wasn’t published until 1966. Dahl’s publishers, Crowell Collier, initially feared repercussions from the powerful U.S. gun lobby and deliberately waited until their option to publish expired. After the rights reverted back to Dahl, Harper & Row picked it up and published it as “The Magic Finger.”
My Thoughts:
If you pick up “The Magic Finger” expecting a “Matilda” or a “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” you’ll be disappointed. The same Roald Dahl wit and dry humor is there, but the book is very short at 63 pages. In fact, it’s so short that the reissued novel includes excerpts from the two novels previously listed.
Dahl had a clear agenda when writing “The Magic Finger.” There is no doubt he was against hunting. I’m no fan of it myself, however, even I felt like I was getting hit over the head with his message.
Quentin Blake’s illustrations bring much-needed humor and enhance the overall story. If you’re a fan of Dahl’s writing, and you already own his popular titles, you’ll want to add this to your collection. And at $7.99, the price is hard to beat.
On Tuesday, Sept. 13, Roald Dahl would have turned 100 years old. This spring, Penguin Young Readers/Puffin released 15 newly redesigned paperback covers in honor of Dahl’s birthday. The above post is part of the Roald Dahl 100th Birthday Celebratory Blog Tour.
