Skin and Other Stories [Hardcover]

Roald Dahl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 24, 2000

Who could imagine that a woman might use a frozen leg of lamb to kill her husband--and then feed it to the investigating police? Or that a greedy group of art dealers would stop at nothing to separate a poor man from a valuable picture--that's tattooed on his back?

These thirteen tales will keep readers spellbound from the opening lines until the surprise-twist endings that are always immensely satisfying. Roald Dahl is one of the few authors ever to be so hugely successful as an author for both children and adults. He was a master of the adult short story and his popular anthologies showcase his skill as a sleight of hand artist. The stories in this new collection have been specially selected as an introduction for teenagers to the adult writings of one of the greatest storytellers ever.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"'This is going to be a bit of a shock to you, I'm afraid,' he said." With those words, Patrick Maloney seals his fate. He has no idea that his mousy wife, Mary, isn't about to take his abandonment of their marriage lightly. He never sees the frozen leg of lamb that hits him squarely in the noggin. And he'll never know how tidily Mary cleans up the evidence--by having the local police dine on the murder weapon! The late Roald Dahl, best known for children's novels such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, also wrote many wonderfully wicked short stories, like the aforementioned "Lamb to the Slaughter," collected in Skin, a succinct, darkly humorous anthology for teen readers. Besides the murderous Mary Maloney, a host of other odd characters will leave teens gasping with surprise or chuckling with guilty laughter. In "The Surgeon," Dr. Robert Sandy is given a priceless diamond in exchange for saving a life, promptly loses it, then recovers it again from the strangest of places. "An African Story" chronicles a lonely mountain hermit's bid for revenge that involves a deadly black mamba snake, and "The Sound Machine" describes how a wacky inventor nearly drives himself mad when he creates a contraption that allows him to pick up noises outside the human range of hearing. There is something for the naughty side of everyone in this Twilight Zone-ish compilation, a recommended read for fans of Dahl's other teen short-story collection, The Umbrella Man. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

From Publishers Weekly

This volume collects 11 of the master storyteller's short stories, many of which first appeared in Someone Like You, and also includes "The Surgeon," originally published in Playboy in 1986. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile; First Published edition (July 24, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670891843
• ISBN-13: 978-0670891849
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,866,629 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was born in Llandaff, South Wales, and went to Repton School in England. His parents were Norwegian, so holidays were spent in Norway. As he explains in Boy, he turned down the idea of university in favor of a job that would take him to"a wonderful faraway place. In 1933 he joined the Shell Company, which sent him to Mombasa in East Africa. When World War II began in 1939 he became a fighter pilot and in 1942 was made assistant air attaché in Washington, where he started to write short stories. His first major success as a writer for children was in 1964. Thereafter his children's books brought him increasing popularity, and when he died children mourned the world over, particularly in Britain where he had lived for many years.The BFG is dedicated to the memory of Roald Dahls eldest daughter, Olivia, who died from measles when she was seven - the same age at which his sister had died (fron appendicitis) over forty years before. Quentin Blake, the first Children's Laureate of the United Kingdom, has illustrated most of Roald Dahl's children's books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book - but is it really young adult?, October 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Skin and Other Stories (Hardcover)

I absolutely love this book. Roald Dahl is a gripping and suspenseful writer who manages to captivate the reader with a limited amount of gore. The only thing is that this book is listed as young adult, which is probably decided by the publisher, but the subject matter is pretty strong, so parents might want to read it themselves first before giving to their children! I would say 15 or older would enjoy the book, but 11-14 depends on the child.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Entertaining!, August 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Skin and Other Stories (Hardcover)

Roald Dahl is a wonderful short story writer. He introduces all the characters in a very descriptive manner and ends his storys with twists that will make you want to read them over and over agian. I thoroughly enjoyed every one of the stories but when reccommend them to teenagers 13 and above as some of them have a vast range of vocbulary that is sometimes confusing. I would suggest this book to all my friends. It is definitely worth buying! :)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You will be jumping out of your "skin"!, October 27, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Skin and Other Stories (Mass Market Paperback)

"...Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause swung the big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head..."
Patrick Maloney was dead.
In "Skin" come eleven chilling tales that are sure to keep you hooked from the beginning words right up until the horrifying surprise ending. Roald Dahl (Celebrated children's writer; author of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.") will shock you with his audacious writing in "Skin." Who would guess that Mrs. Maloney, after successfully killing her husband with a frozen leg of lamb, would later feed the only evidence to the police? Or that an avaricious art dealer would stop at nothing, not even an innocent old man's life, to get a painting...that was tattooed on the poor man's back?
These wicked tales are sure to keep you open-mouthed with shock through each story, only to leave you rapacious for more once it's finished. Each story begins with a sweet and innocent storyline with what you think an obvious and predictable ending. Only until the last few pages does Roald Dahl drop the bombshell that will blow you away and keep you petrified for days afterward.
For example in "the Sound Machine," an ingenious yet nutty inventor creates a machine that reveal terrifying and astonishing sounds unknown to the human ear. And in "The Surgeon," a man's extremely valuable diamond is stolen, only to turn up again in the most unusual of places!!
If you enjoy "Skin", I recommend for you "The Umbrella Man" by the same author.
This is a rare read; don't pass it up! I can guarantee you'll love and treasure this book forever. Enjoy!