O Brainy Book

During spring 2018, the second and third graders of Room 7 read and discussed over ten books written by Roald Dahl. They used his children's stories to inform their understanding of the elements of fiction as well as to get a sense of his unique style and Quentin Blake's illustrations. Throughout the process, students discovered several recurring characteristics, including Dahl's use of children as protagonists and adults as antagonists, imaginative vocabulary, and inspiration taken from his own life. Students then sought to draw upon those features in their own stories, which have been published together as this anthology. Its name is an allusion to a scene in The Witches. Students now plan to share their work with prospective families, residents of Fairfax, libraries and schools throughout the Bay Area, and readers worldwide. They will donate half of their proceeds from copies sold to benefit the Marin County Free Library and 826 Valencia.