The Books: “The Magic Finger” (Roald Dahl)

Next book in my Daily Book Excerpt:

We’re still in the picture book section. The following book was one of my favorites as a kid. My sister Jean gave it to me as a gift a couple Christmases ago, and it was so fun to re-discover it. The book is called The Magic Finger, and it’s by the great Roald Dahl. It’s one of his more violent and disturbing children’s books – there were certain illustrations in it that haunted me as a kid. It’s the story of a little girl who is pretty mild-mannered, easy-going … but when she gets mad? Look out. Whenever she “sees red”, she is no longer responsible for her actions thereafter. She will point at whoever is making her mad – point with her magic finger – and then horrible things begin to happen to that person. A lot of the book highlights man’s cruelty to animals – so many of her magic-finger-tricks have to do with turning people who are cruel to animals into animals – a pretty just revenge, I’d say. The thing to remember is that when she “sees red”, she can’t stop herself. It;s like the Incredible Hulk or something.

People are nasty in this book.

So anyway, I loved this book as a kid.

Here’s an excerpt:

EXCERPT FROM The Magic Finger, by Roald Dahl.

For months I had been telling myself that I would never put the Magic Finger upon anyone again — not after what happened to my teacher, old Mrs. Winter.

Poor old Mrs. Winter.

One day we were in class, and she was teaching us spelling. “Stand up,” she said to me, “and spell kat.”

“That’s an easy one,” I said. “K – a – t.”

“You are a stupid little girl!” Mrs. Winter said.

“I am not a stupid little girl!” I cried. “I am a very nice little girl!”

“Go and stand in the corner,” Mrs. Winter said.

Then I got cross, and I saw red, and I put the Magic Finger on Mrs. Winter good and strong, and almost at once …

Guess what?

Whiskers began growing out of her face! They were long black whiskers, just like the ones you see on a kat, only much bigger. And how fast they grew! Before we had time to think, they were out to her ears.

Of course the whole class started screaming with laughter, and then Mrs. Winter said, “Will you be so kind as to tell me what find so madly funny, all of you?”

And when she turned around to write something on the blackboard, we saw that she had grown a tail as well! It was a huge bushy tail!

I cannot begin to tell you what happened after that, but if any of you are wondering whether Mrs. Winter is quite all right again now, the answer is No. And she never will be.

The Magic Finger is something I have been able to do all my life.

I can’t tell you just how I do it, because I don’t even know myself.

But it always happens when I get cross, when I see red …

Then I get very, very hot all over …

Then the tip of the forefinger of my right hand begins to tingle most terribly …

And suddenly a sort of flash comes out of me, a quick white flash, like something electric.

It jumps out and touches the person who has made me cross …

And after that the Magic Finger is upon him or her, and things begin to happen ….