The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 10 books · 1961 to 1988

Roald Dahl

Children’sMiddle-grade fantasyFunny books

Roald Dahl wrote gleefully wicked children's books in which clever children triumph over horrible adults: Charlie Bucket wins a tour of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, Matilda takes on the monstrous Miss Trunchbull, and Sophie is carried off by the Big Friendly Giant.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip. Most of his children's books stand alone; leads are charted per book. The BFG is first mentioned as a bedtime story in Danny the Champion of the World.

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Who appears in which book

Click a name to follow that character from book to book, or a book title to see its cast.

LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
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Roald Dahl books in order

Each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

Charlie Bucket

2 books · Set in Willy Wonka's factoryFunny booksMiddle-grade fantasy
  1. 1Charlie and the Chocolate Factory1964With Charlie BucketBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator1972With Charlie BucketBuy on Amazon

Standalone

8 books · Mostly set in Roald Dahl's EnglandFunny booksMiddle-grade fantasy
  1. 1James and the Giant Peach1961With James Henry Trotter · Set in the Atlantic and New YorkBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Fantastic Mr Fox1970With Mr FoxBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Danny, the Champion of the World1975With DannyBuy on Amazon
  4. 4The Twits1980With Mr and Mrs TwitBuy on Amazon
  5. 5George's Marvellous Medicine1981With George KrankyBuy on Amazon
  6. 6The BFG1982With The BFG and SophieBuy on Amazon
  7. 7The Witches1983Buy on Amazon
  8. 8Matilda1988With Matilda WormwoodBuy on Amazon

Characters

14 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

Charlie Bucket

Standalone leads