Skin and other Stories. - Softcover

"'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

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was born in Wales of Norwegian parents. He spent his childhood in England and, at age eighteen, went to work for the Shell Oil Company in Africa. When World War II broke out, he joined the Royal Air Force and became a fighter pilot. At the age of twenty-six he moved to Washington, D.C., and it was there he began to write. His first short story, which recounted his adventures in the war, was bought by The Saturday Evening Post, and so began a long and illustrious career.

After establishing himself as a writer for adults, Roald Dahl began writing children’s stories in 1960 while living in England with his family. His first stories were written as entertainment for his own children, to whom many of his books are dedicated.

Roald Dahl is now considered one of the most beloved storytellers of our time. Although he passed away in 1990, his popularity continues to increase as his fantastic novels, including James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The BFG, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, delight an ever-growing legion of fans.

Learn more about Roald Dahl on the official Roald Dahl Web site: www.roalddahl.com