Intro

Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree" where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.

Today's episode is on a man that was a spy, a fighter pilot, a scriptwriter, and a novelist. Roald Dahl wrote for both adults and children, though it was his children’s novels that brought him to fame which was ironic, considering they were often dark and at times gruesome in detail. As a result, I’ve spent all day reading; I suppose it was just bound to happen! Reading; it’s a novel idea!

Today’s mnemonic is on Roald Dahl’s top 6 books.

With that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roald_Dahl_(1982).jpg

Wikipedia Summary

Roald Dahl[a] (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British popular author of children's literature and short stories, a poet, and wartime fighter ace.[1][2] His books have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide.[3][4] Dahl has been called "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century".[5]

Dahl was born in Wales to affluent Norwegian immigrant parents, and spent most of his life in England. He served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He became a fighter pilot and, subsequently, an intelligence officer, rising to the rank of acting wing commander. He rose to prominence as a writer in the 1940s with works for children and for adults, and he became one of the world's best-selling authors.[6][7] His awards for contribution to literature include the 1983 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and the British Book Awards' Children's Author of the Year in 1990. In 2008, The Times placed Dahl 16th on its list of "The 50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945".[8] In 2021, Forbes ranked him the top-earning dead celebrity.[9]

Dahl's short stories are known for their unexpected endings, and his children's books for their unsentimental, macabre, often darkly comic mood, featuring villainous adult enemies of the child characters.[10][11] His children's books champion the kindhearted and feature an underlying warm sentiment.[12][13] His works for children include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The Witches, Fantastic Mr Fox, The BFG, The Twits, George's Marvellous Medicine and Danny, the Champion of the World. His works for older audiences include the short story collections Tales of the Unexpected and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More.

Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Dahl]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roald_Dahl_(l)_en_Nannie_Kuiper,_Bestanddeelnr_932-3624.jpg

Mnemonic

Roald Dahl – Top 6 Books Mnemonic – Michael J. Fox Was Born in Canada

(Picture Michael J. Fox flying the giant peach in the movie James and the Giant Peach)

1. Matilda

2. James and the Giant Peach

3. Fantastic Mr Fox

4. The Witches

5. Boy: Tales of Childhood

6. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Five Fun Facts

1. Roald Dahl wrote most of his books in the garden shed.

2. Dahl invented more than 500 new words and character names.

3. James and the Giant Peach was almost called James and the Giant Cherry.

4. Roald Dahl was also a spy for MI6 after being recruited by William Stephenson.

5. Roald Dahl also wrote the film storyline for the fifth James Bond Movie “You Only Live Twice”.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roald_Dahl_signeert_boeken_in_de_Kinderboekenwinkel_in_Amsterdam,_Bestanddeelnr_934-3367_(cropped).jpg

Three Question Quiz

Q.1. Before Roald Dahl became an author, he was a what?

Q.2. What was Roald Dahl’s first-ever children’s book? Options are The Gremlins or Matilda

Q.3. When Roald Dahl died in 1990, he was buried with a power drill, chocolate, snooker cues, and HB pencils. Is that True / False?

Bonus Q. How many hours per day did Dahl write? Options are 1 hour, 2 hours, or 4 hours.

Mnemonic Recap

Roald Dahl – Top 6 Books Mnemonic – Michael J. Fox Was Born in Canada

(Picture Michael J. Fox flying the giant peach in the movie James and the Giant Peach)

1. Matilda

2. James and the Giant Peach

3. Fantastic Mr Fox

4. The Witches

5. Boy: Tales of Childhood

6. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Three Question Quiz Answers

Q.1. Before Roald Dahl became an author, he was a what?

A. Pilot for the Royal Airforce

Q.2. What was Roald Dahl’s first-ever children’s book? Options are The Gremlins or Matilda

A. The Gremlins was written in 1943. Matilda was 1988.

Q.3. When Roald Dahl died in 1990, he was buried with a power drill, chocolate, snooker cues and HB pencils. Is that True / False?

A. True

Bonus Q. How many hours per day did Dahl write? Options are 1 hour, 2 hours, or 4 hours

A. Dahl wrote 4 hours per day generally between 10.00 am to 12.00 pm then 4.00 pm to 6.00 pm. He wrote everything with a pencil and never learned how to type.

Word of the Week

plenipotent

[ pluh-nip-uh-tuhnt ]

adjective

invested with or possessing full power.

Example

Roald Dahl seemed to be plenipotent when writing in his garage for four hours each day.

Extracted from: [https://www.dictionary.com/]

Website: https://www.themnemonictreepodcast.com/

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-mnemonic-tree-podcast/id1591795132

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3T0LdIJ9PBQMXM3cdKd42Q?si=WQ1SnHo5QgOawX-mxS6yUA

References