The Twits, published in 1980, is another wonderful Roald Dahl story. Fairly short and with relatively simple vocabulary, this book is suitable for an eight-year-old reader. Having said that, it’s also a book to make parents smile. Dahl’s inventiveness and his incredible insight into what children like make this a delightful read.The Twits of the title are Mr and Mrs Twit, one of the most repulsive couples imaginable. The first part of the story details the tricks Mr and Mrs Twit play on each other, be it placing a frog in Mrs Twit’s bed or tricking Mr Twit into eating a plateful of worms.The couple are monkey-trainers and keep a family of four ill-treated monkeys in their garden. Each Wednesday, they watch helplessly whilst Mr Twit brushes glue on the nearby tree to catch birds for his favourite dish – bird pie.One day, however, the monkeys encounter an African bird which can understand their language and they are able to explain the situation to him and so save the birds from this awful trap. The bird, in turn, helps the monkeys escape from the cage and what follows is a typical, hilarious yet dreadful, finale as the animals exact their revenge on their persecutors. The great strength of Roald Dahl is that he is able to write stories where nothing is included unless it entertains his readers. His stories are always fast and funny and, usually, full of naughtiness. The Twits is no exception and is the type of story which will encourage any child to fall in love with books.