The BFG vs The war in the air: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fiction
The BFG
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This book is a great book for all ages. It is a fantasy/adventure book.The BFG stands for 'Big Friendly Giant'. He isn't like other giants, instead of going out to different countries to eat children he catches dreams.…
The war in the air
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Following the development of massive airships, naive Londoner Bert Smallways becomes accidentally involved in a German plot to invade America by air and reduce New York to rubble. But although bombers devastate the…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The BFG highest: The BFG 4.2 · The war in the air 3.6.
- The BFG is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 6 for The war in the air.
- The BFG has the widest readership — 539397 ratings behind its score.
- The war in the air runs the darker storyline; The BFG stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The BFG | The war in the air | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (539397) | 3.6 (1270) |
| Hardcover | 4.1 (530) | 2.5 (1) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (19) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (683) | 4.0 (42) |
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Reception
| The BFG | The war in the air | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 539397 | 1270 |
| Editions | 136 | 54 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 198443 | 2172 |
| Reading it now | — | 258 |
| Written reviews | 13942 | 139 |
| Wikipedia attention | 10574 | 1417 |
| Pages | 207 | 375 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The BFG or The war in the air?
The BFG has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The BFG 4.2/5, The war in the air 3.6/5).
Which is shorter to read: The BFG or The war in the air?
The BFG is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The BFG (207 pages, ≈ 3 h 50 m); The war in the air (375 pages, ≈ 6 h 57 m).
Which is harder to read: The BFG or The war in the air?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The BFG: Light; The war in the air: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
The BFG: 5 film adaptations; The war in the air: no film adaptation on record.