Which Roald Dahl book won the 1983 Whitbread Children’s Book Award?

Roald Dahl’s book that won the 1983 Whitbread Children’s Book Award was The Witches.

The Witches was published in 1983 and follows an unnamed boy who discovers a secret society of child-hating witches. His grandmother explains how to identify them, and the boy becomes involved in a plan to stop their leader, the Grand High Witch.

The novel received the 1983 Whitbread Children’s Book Award, one of the major British literary prizes of the period. Its award history is sometimes mixed up with Dahl’s other celebrated children’s novels, especially Matilda, which was published in 1988 and received different honors.

The book also became the basis for film adaptations, including a 1990 film directed by Nicolas Roeg and a 2020 film directed by Robert Zemeckis. The story’s dark premise and comic style have made it one of Dahl’s most discussed works.