Roald Dahl RAF pilots blamed the gremlins for all the problems with the aircraft. While at the British Embassy in Washington, Dahl sent a copy to the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt who read it to her grandchildren, and the book was commissioned by Walt Disney for a film that was never made. Dahl went on to create some of the best-loved children's stories of the 20th century, such as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", "Matilda", "James and the Giant Peach", "The Witches", "Fantastic Mr Fox", "The BFG", "The Twits" and "George's Marvellous Medicine". Dahl also had a successful parallel career as the
Roald Dahl 2003 four books by Dahl, led by "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" at number 35, ranked among the Top 100 in "The Big Read", a survey of the British public by the BBC to determine the "nation's best-loved novel" of all time. In surveys of UK teachers, parents and students, Dahl is frequently ranked the best children's writer. In a 2006 list for the Royal Society of Literature, Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling named "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" one of her top ten books every child should read. In 2012, "Matilda" was ranked number 30 among all-time best