Considering Dahl's famous works, such as James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG, his age group has always been that of the maturing child, who is old enough to read the stories himself and to have been exposed to basic ideals of adult humor and themes. The books listed are of decent length and reading level, such that death and crime are just as well understood as say, a big friendly giant farting as he drinks his fizzy drink. Therefore, the same target audience is ripe for a twist on their former standby fairytales. They can start to understand the comedy in satire. They can still remember and appreciate the rhyming couplets of the stories, and enjoy this fresh brand of humor that will prepare them for the more complex stories and jokes of their adult futures.
I completely agree with what you said about Dahl catering adolescents how are beginning to appreciate the comedy in satire. Even though his primary audience is still a youthful one, the youth of the 20th century matured much faster than the youth of previous generations. Dahl seems to be introducing them to the reality of the real would by mixing some of these realities with the fairy tale would children appreciate.
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