Like many great books and stories, there is a plot, characters, theme, irony, and every other literary term we were taught in class of English in high school. The placement and choice of such things, however, is what separates good books from bad ones. Without theme, characterization, diction, and the many other parts that make up a book, there would be no feeling for the story and certainly no excitement to continue reading. Roald Dahl included all of the above, bringing his children's stories to life. Through characterization and conflict, Roald Dahl gives the reader insight into the characters and excitement for reading. Roald Dahl, born in Llandaff, Wales, on 13 September 1916, was the son of Harald and Sofie Dahl. From the beginning of his life Roald had bad luck, with the deaths of his father and older sister, Astri, when he was just three years old. His mother was then left to raise six children. Dahl's mother, however, became an inspiration and role model for him, on which he based his grandmother in his children's story, The Witches on his mother (Roald Dahl's biography "Childhood"). Dahl's schooling took place at St. Peter's Preparatory School in Weston-Super-Mare, United Kingdom. School wasn't one of Dahl's favorite things to do, but it served as a purpose for him to find some of the characters in his children's book, such as “Ms. Trunchball” from Matilda. After St. Peter's, Dahl completed his education at Repton at the age of fourteen. After finishing school here, Roald moved on to something bigger and better, the Public Schools Exploring Society, which went to Newfoundland. He then started working for Shell as a salesman in Dar es Salaam. (Roald Dahl Biography "War and Adventures") Roald Dahl's writing career began when a friend of ...... middle of paper ...... invited children to read and made them love him. Works Cited"Characterization." Collins English Dictionary: Complete and Unabridged Tenth Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. March 29, 2011. Web.Dahl, Roald. Matilda. New York, NY, USA: Puffin, 1990. Print.Jo. "Matilda - Roald Dahl «The notebook of books." The book notebook. Network. March 25, 2011."Roald Dahl Biography "Childhood"" Roald Dahl - The Official Website. Penguin Group, Inc., December 3, 2003. Web. March 29, 2011."Roald Dahl Biography "War and Adventure"" Roald Dahl - The Official Website. Penguin Group, Inc., December 3, 2003. Web. March 29, 2011. "Roald Dahl Biography "Husband and Father"" Roald Dahl - The Official Website. Penguin Group, Inc., 03 December 2003. Web. 29 March 2011. "Roald Dahl Biography "The Story Continues"" Roald Dahl - The Official Website. Penguin Group, Inc., December 3, 2003. Web. March 29 2011.