The Twits – Roald Dahl, Illustrated by Quentin Blake (Session 2027-28)

The Twits is Roald Dahl's story of the two most disgusting people you could ever meet: Mr Twit and Mrs Twit, who live in a house with no cleaning, no kindness and a great deal of trickery. The Puffin paperback is illustrated by Quentin Blake, the chapters are extremely short, and the book is a hit with Classes 2 to 5. It makes a lively, funny pick for the 2027-28 session.

Exams Book House, Shop Number 4, Al Fazal Market, Urdu Bazar, Lahore, supplies it with cash on delivery across Pakistan and delivery to the Gulf countries.

Quick facts about this copy

• Title on the cover: The Twits
• Author: Roald Dahl · Illustrator: Quentin Blake
• Imprint: Puffin
• Chapters: many very short chapters, the first 17 are listed below with their page numbers
• First published: 1980
• Reading level: easy and fast; great for confident Class 2 to Class 5 readers
• Session: a funny reading pick for 2027-28

What is The Twits about?

Mr Twit and Mrs Twit are a husband and wife who deserve each other. He has a beard that has been collecting food and dirt for years. She is mean and ugly because she thinks nasty thoughts. They spend their days playing cruel tricks on one another, and also on their neighbours, the birds, and a family of monkeys called the Muggle-Wumps whom they keep in a cage.

The fun starts with their jokes: a glass eye dropped into a drink, a frog in bed, spaghetti that has worms in it, a stick that makes Mrs Twit think she is shrinking. But the Muggle-Wumps and a friendly bird called the Roly-Poly Bird eventually decide that enough is enough. They plan a very big trick of their own, using a very sticky glue.

It is a tale of revenge and comeuppance, and the central idea is easy for young readers to grasp: if you are cruel, you will be cruel to yourself too. The book plays this out with outrageous comedy, rhyme and a very well-timed ending.

Contents of The Twits (first 17 chapters, with page numbers)

The contents list goes on beyond these chapters; our photo shows the first seventeen, which already tell you how fast and short the chapters are (two or three pages each).

The story in four parts

1. Meet the Twits (chapters 1 to 4, pages 3 to 9). Hairy faces, dirty beards, a long list of unpleasant habits. Even the chapter titles are funny.
2. The tricks (chapters 5 to 8, pages 10 to 20). The glass eye, the frog, the wormy spaghetti and the funny walking stick are the cruel jokes the Twits play on each other.
3. Shrinks and stretching (chapters 9 to 13, pages 21 to 31). Mrs Twit's day goes from bad to worse with the shrinks, a stretching and a balloon trip. Mr Twit gets a horrid shock.
4. The monkeys and the glue (chapters 14 to 17, pages 32 to 40 and on). The house, the tree and the monkey cage set the stage for the cleverest part of the story, where hugtight sticky glue changes everything.

Who should read it?

• Children aged six to ten. The chapters are so short that even a slow reader can finish one at a sitting.
• Parents who want a book to read aloud in short, giggly sessions.
• Teachers who need a text for studying character description or for comedy writing in class.
• Reluctant readers, who will like seeing how many chapters they can finish in one week.

Why do children love it?

Disgusting is funny. The Twits are so awful that readers laugh at them instead of fearing them, and the book does not mind being rude. It also has one of the best "good wins over bad" endings in children's books, with the animals, not the grown-ups, saving the day. The chapters are tiny, so every child feels they are making quick progress.

There is also a teaching point. Early on, Dahl argues that ugly thoughts end up showing on a person's face, while someone with good thoughts can never be truly ugly. It is a clean, memorable idea that children can discuss, and it connects well with themes of kindness and character in class.

When and how to use it

Read two or three chapters a night. After chapter 8, ask your child to predict who will win, the Twits or the Muggle-Wumps. After the book, write a "wanted" poster for Mr Twit, or invent a new trick for Mrs Twit. Teachers can have pupils write a short play based on The Great Upside-Down Monkey Circus.

Is it right for session 2027-28?

Yes. In 2027-28 it is an excellent short novel for Classes 2 to 5, either as home reading or in a classroom reading corner. Check your school's list for any required edition and send it to us on WhatsApp.

More books by Roald Dahl

• Fantastic Mr Fox and The Magic Finger: other short stories where animals defeat cruel humans.
• The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me: lighter and friendlier.
• The Witches and Matilda: longer books with more cruelty to outwit.

Buy it in Urdu Bazar, Lahore

• Shop: Exams Book House, Shop Number 4, Al Fazal Market, Urdu Bazar, Lahore 54000
• Urdu Bazar Lahore book shop number: 0317 4846676 (call or WhatsApp)
• Open: Monday to Saturday, 9 AM – 9 PM; closed on Sunday
• Delivery: all over Pakistan with cash on delivery, and to the Gulf countries

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Frequently asked questions

Is The Twits right for children in 2027-28?

Yes. It is a short, funny story for Classes 2 to 5 for the 2027-28 session.

Is it too rude for children?

It is full of disgusting jokes, but they are the kind children enjoy. The tone stays playful throughout.

Who draws the pictures?

Quentin Blake, as printed on the cover.

How long are the chapters?

Very short, usually two or three pages each, as the contents page shows.

Do you deliver outside Lahore?

Yes, all over Pakistan with cash on delivery, and to the Gulf countries. WhatsApp 0317 4846676.

Inside the book — contents and sample pages