Boy: Tales of a childhood flipbook

Discussion Questions

 How is Boy related to World War II? When Roald
Dahl was 20 years old, he had a job at Shell Company
and was touring East Africa for only 3 years. But,
because of World War II he stayed there for awhile.

 How are public schools and private schools related?
Public schools are the basic learning schools open to
the public. Private schools are schools that are a bit
more advanced in teaching education and requires
uniforms and of course money.

 What would happen if Roald Dahl had come up
with a sickness that couldn’t be cured during his
childhood years?
Roald Dahl would probably have passed away, never
to inspire readers all over the world. You can also
relate since all his other siblings weren’t strong to
fight the cure, Roald Dahl probably couldn’t fight the
sickness either.

 What do you notice about Roald Dahl’s military
years?
Roald Dahl served in the RAF as a fighter pilot flying
Hurricanes in the Medditeranean.

 Which school was Roald Dahl in when he was 9-13
years old?
Roald Dahl went to St Peter’s when he was 9 to 13
years old.

 Why did the Dahl’s family dislike the ancient half-
sister’s soon to be husband?
They didn’t like the soon to be husband because he
disrupted the calm of their family life, going out by
themselves, breaking the “families do everything
together” motto.

 What can you conclude Roald Dahl will do after the
end of the book Boy?
He probably talks about his times in the RAF (Royal
Air Force) because at the ending he mentions a little
bit about when he served in the military. To end the
book Boy, he says that is another story. I see this as
sort of a cliffhanger that another book will come out.

 How would you summarize the second part (St
Peter’s) of the story?
I would summarize that when Roald Dahl was 9 to 13
years old, he is in his maturity years, writing letters
to his mother in English, knowing strict, proper
behavior in an English school.

 Can you formulate a theory for how the police took
spanking kids in school?
I think the polices back then thought it was
necessary, because if they didn’t agree with the idea
of spanking disobedient children, then they would
have showed a bit more protest against the idea of
physical punishment.

 Explain why you think spanking kids is appropriate
or not.
I say that spanking kids is unnecessary retaliation for
disrupt behavior in students (especially young
students) because spanking will scar them for life,
maybe physically but more of emotionally. In my
opinion, spanking kids make them come to school in
fear. Discipline can be achieved in students in many
other ways like it is now in the 21st century.

 Why do you think Boy’s father preferred English
schools?
Boy’s father preferred English schools because he
thought that English schools were more proper and
better developed.

 What do you think about the treatments in Boy’s
father’s days?

I KNOW that treatments were more painful back in
those days because people weren’t advanced in
medical treatments like we have now.
 Do you think Thwaite’s father was true about
saying licorice bootlaces are made of rat mash? Use
evidence to support your response.
I think that Thwaite’s father was trying to stop
children from eating bad candy, licorice bootlaces
for instance so he made up real like explanations
that will make kids stop wanting to eat candies that
are bad for their health.
 Explain why Boy and his friends take part in the
Great Mouse Plot?
Boy and his friends took part in the Great Mouse
Plot because they wanted to retaliate to Mrs.
Pratchett’s evil, rude attitude toward Boy and his
friends whenever they go to her candy store.
 What is the Great Mouse Plot and how did it affect
Boy’s life?
The Great Mouse Plot was Boy’s idea to put a dead
rat in one of Mrs. Pratchett’s candy jar so that when
she puts her hand in, she will pick up a dead rat
instead of sweet treats. This affected Boy’s life to a

point where he will never forget his physical
punishment. That was when Boy received his first
ever spanking by anyone. This will of course, scar
Boy for life.
 Why do you think Mr. Coombes thought it was ok
to spank the children?
He thought that spanking children was a good way
to discipline them when they make a mistake or
misbehave.
 What would happen if World War II didn’t end?
Roald Dahl probably would have been stuck in East
Africa forever unless he took the risk of moving back
to England at a time of war.
 What facts would you select to support your idea
that Roald Dahl liked to travel in his work at Shell
Co?
Roald Dahl always said that he always wanted to
travel in his job as a young child. Also, he showed
pure joy when he was sent to East Africa.
 Where were the trainees sent to after they had 12
months of Head Office?

They were sent to different branches in the Shell
Company and make them prosperous.

 What do you think spanking taught students during
Roald Dahl’s childhood years?

Spanking taught them to behave properly and work
hard or there is a consequence but it also made
them come to school in fear.

 What is appendicitis and how did it affect boy’s
childhood?
Appendicitis is when your appendix fills up and
blows. Boy had to live without his sister, Astri.

 How did boy’s ancient half-sister affect his way of
life?

Boy’s ancient half-sister broke their tradition of
doing everything together and keeping the family
communicated together.

 What did the family put in the male lover’s pipe?
They put goat poop in his pipe to get revenge.

 To what rank was the Headmaster at Repton
promoted to and where?

He was promoted to Archbishop and he traveled to
London.

 What book did Boy write after experiencing at Mr.
Cadbury’s chocolate factory?

Boy wrote the book “Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory” after experiencing Mr. Cadbury’s Chocolate
Factory.

 Who is the Matron and what was her job?
The Matron is like the Headmaster of the
dormitories at St. Peter’s. Her job is to make sure
that there is discipline and order in the dormitories.

 When the Dahl family rode the motor car for the
first time, what happened?
When the Dahl family rode a motor car for the first
time, they crashed because they went too fast. No
one was hurt except for Roald. His nose was almost
cut clean off.

 What is shell-shock and has it ever happened to
you?

It is the constant twitching and jerking and snorting.

 When Boy went to Repton Public School, did he like
the uniform that was necessary to wear?

When Boy went to Repton, he didn’t like the uniform
because he thought that it made him look weird.

 Name some of the famous books Roald Dahl was
wrote.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
James and the Giant Peach
Danny and the Champion of the World
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
The Magic Finger