James and the Giant Peach
by Roald Dahl
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Read in December, 2007
recommended to Tifnie by:
Brian
At first I wasn't too sure this was a good chilren's book. Since it starts off with Jamies living with his 2 Aunts. Both of which are evil, they beat, neglect, and punish poor James.
One day James is out in the garden doing work as he always does and discovers his imagination. He falls into a peach and befriends a worm, bug, spider, and other fruit inhabitants. His story continues as he escapes from the evil Aunts in this peach which now has grown quite large. The spiders have spun silk ...more
One day James is out in the garden doing work as he always does and discovers his imagination. He falls into a peach and befriends a worm, bug, spider, and other fruit inhabitants. His story continues as he escapes from the evil Aunts in this peach which now has grown quite large. The spiders have spun silk ...more
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I was surprised (and somewhat disgusted) to learn where the idea for this book originally came from. Years after I read it, I was visiting a fruit ranch in Idaho during peach season. I was going through a very interesting tour of the machine that washes, weighs and boxes the peaches when life as I knew it came to a halt. I was shown a bin of peaches that were not good to sell. Apparently, peaches are ideal breeding grounds for earwigs. YUCK!!! The man telling me this, broke open one of the...more
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Read in October, 2003
James Henry Trotter, whose parents were killed by a stampeding rhino, is stuck with his wicked aunts. His life changes forever when he meets an old man who gives him some magic crystals, which he is supposed to drink. Before he can follow the old man's instructions, he trips and spills the crystals under a withered peach tree.
Soon, the tree grows the most enormous peach ever and the aunts make a bunch of money selling tickets to see it. James finds a hidden tunnel that leads to the cente...more
Soon, the tree grows the most enormous peach ever and the aunts make a bunch of money selling tickets to see it. James finds a hidden tunnel that leads to the cente...more
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Read in May, 2007
I received a beautiful edition of this book as a gift when I was about eight. Somewhere along the line it disappeared, but after listening to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, my son wanted more Dahl books. This is fantastical story that I think is inspiration for the Unfortunate Series of Events books by Lemony Snicket. After the tragic death of his parents, James goes to live with his two horrible aunts who treat him as a virtual slave, including starving him. His life takes a sudden turn for...more
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Read in May, 2004
This is a book about a a young orphan named James. After his parents died, he had to live in the worst conditions with his mean aunts. They made him live in the dirty attic and work for them. On day, a mysterious man came with a bag of green, live,tiny, magical creatures. He said they will put luck upon the first thing they touch , so James couldn't let them out. One day, they fell out on a peach. The peach grew bigger and bigger until the aunts realized they could make a lot of money. One night...more
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Read in January, 1990
We were assigned this book in second grade. Apparently some schools have trouble getting it out there now based on the whole "Rhold Dahl was a raging anti-semetic bastard" issue. I don't see how that weighs on a great children's book, but no matter.
What I remember most was being greatly disturbed by the marriage of the Ladybug to a fireman at the books conclusion. She's a bug. He's a person. How can they be married.... or reproduce? Clearly, she has babies on the brain, as ...more
What I remember most was being greatly disturbed by the marriage of the Ladybug to a fireman at the books conclusion. She's a bug. He's a person. How can they be married.... or reproduce? Clearly, she has babies on the brain, as ...more
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In these book i first did not read i see the movie that was very good. These3 book is ficcion and when i see the movie, from that day that i haded 4 years, til 6 years i think that the animals speack but when i read the book that was somewhere 5 grade, in vacations. I think that if you want to read these Tim you are going to enjoy it, because isn a mix of animals, incects, and a lot of fantasy.these is a book is a little for kids but i shore you that you are going like it. I put a rating of 5 be...more
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I love this book. When I was a kid, my mother's cousin kept me and my cousin for a week in the summer, and my mom left us both a book. My cousin got James and the Giant Peach, and I got Fiona's Bee. We read them, loved them, traded them.
When the movie came out it was the same year my first nephew was born, and my sister named him James. The orphaned boy in the story sings, "My name is James, that's what Mother called me," and I'd cry every time, thinking how sweet my new baby n...more
When the movie came out it was the same year my first nephew was born, and my sister named him James. The orphaned boy in the story sings, "My name is James, that's what Mother called me," and I'd cry every time, thinking how sweet my new baby n...more
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Read in April, 2008
CIP: "A young boy escapes from two wicked aunts and embarks on a series of adventures with six giant insects he meets inside a giant peach."
Young James Henry Trotter, who lives with his dreadful Aunts Sponge and Spiker, finds escape and adventure in the form of a giant piece of fruit and the unexpected inhabitants inside. Not Dahl's best piece of work for the younger set--and some of the humor seems better suited for adults--but a delightful story nonetheless.
Kirkus gave James...more
Young James Henry Trotter, who lives with his dreadful Aunts Sponge and Spiker, finds escape and adventure in the form of a giant piece of fruit and the unexpected inhabitants inside. Not Dahl's best piece of work for the younger set--and some of the humor seems better suited for adults--but a delightful story nonetheless.
Kirkus gave James...more
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I read this book to my kindergarten class every year. It is whimsical and full of magic. A note of warning however...as a teacher and a parent, I felt more comfortable skipping over certain passages containing put-downs and curse words. This book also supports my theory that Roald Dahl hated his family, as Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker would be on CPS's most wanted list. The book is also a bit violent, as the aunts are trampled to death, and the peach at one point is attacked by sharks...However, ...more
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recommends it for:
most people
You know, I was looking at some of the reviews, and they were saying some things about the scariness factor of this book. I personally still liked it, but it made me think. You know, it actually IS sort of creepy that the parents get eaten by a rhino. I never thought of that before. I wish that children's authors could think of a more gentle way to move the parents out of the story, or let them live! I still, however, liked the adventure in this book, and that's pretty much that. Oh yeah, and it...more
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Read in November, 2006
recommends it for:
people who like adventures and stories about making friends
I actually read this book for the first time with my classes at MS 328. I thought it was great because it includes all the best elements of a story---adventure, comedy, drama, and fantasy. James is such a likable character that you find yourself wanting him to succeed at whatever he does.
We also found out that the movie version of this book is very different from the text. The movie maker took a lot liberties especially with the ending of the story. I much prefer the way Roald Dahl wrote the...more
We also found out that the movie version of this book is very different from the text. The movie maker took a lot liberties especially with the ending of the story. I much prefer the way Roald Dahl wrote the...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone
I remember reading this as a child, and I remember thinking that I could taste the peach with both my mouth and my eyes. Such is the wonder of Roald Dahl. Whatever he was like as a person doesn't matter; he knew how to write a story for children. I reread this story last October, and I was amazed to find that he knew how to write a story for adults, too! The adventure was enthralling, the prose was slick, and the characters were a hoot. I must admit, I found myself singing the Centipede's songs ...more
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Read in January, 1987
This is a great book. I first read it in 3rd grade, but I read it again as an adult and still enjoyed it. I remember thinking how delicious the peach must have tasted! Even though there are lots of adventures, the theme is about overcoming hardship in your life. The main character James goes to live with two terrible aunts because both his parents dies, and he escapes by rolling away in a giant peach. As a kid I related to James and felt like I could escape hardships with the adventures of James...more
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Read in January, 1992
I read James and the Giant Peach in 3rd grade because my teacher was going to read it out loud to the class and wanted to know if it was appropriate. I told her that I liked it, but not as much as Matilda, which I had read just before. Though I was not sure if the word "shit" was appropriate for the kindergarteners. I think it was "shit," but maybe "ass" or something like that. She ended up asking me to read it to the class, and she told me I could substitute any wo
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recommends it for:
all people
Roald Dahl is always disapproved of by those who want to ban him, his books, and his children's children's children. Which is why I love him, and always recommend all of his books. However, the beef with THIS particular book is:
"use of word 'ass' and talks about wine, tobacco, and snuff; not appropriate reading material for young children; contains crude language and encourages children to disobey their parents and other adults; contains a foul word and promotes drugs and whiskey"
"use of word 'ass' and talks about wine, tobacco, and snuff; not appropriate reading material for young children; contains crude language and encourages children to disobey their parents and other adults; contains a foul word and promotes drugs and whiskey"
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4 comments
I remember Mrs. Fleming reading this book allowed in 2nd grade and being furious that we couldn't just go on and on and skip math and gym and whatever else and follow this fantastic story. I hate that it like so many other wonderful books has been butchered by the quick-fix, press play culture we live in and is now available as a movie. The movie creates--like all movies do--creates images for children instead of allowing them to imagine the world inside the peach for themselves.
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I was having nostalgia for my adolescence and decided to re-read this one. I've always loved Roald Dahl but I thought I remembered not completely liking this book and upon second reading, I guess my first response still sticks. I like the whole fantasy element to the story, but the constant songs and rhymes are a little trying. Also, I thought that James could have been a more developed character. But still an enjoyable read. I felt like a kid being told a bed-night story.
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My Mom always felt the need to express her distaste for the "mean-spiritedness" present in what seemed like all Roald Dahl's children books, to a greater or lesser degree. This one drew the most criticism. But, I have to admit, I always found the triumph of the meek, downtrodden protagonists and the creative--and, yes, violent--comeuppances of their persecutors to be deeply satisfying. Justice is just so rare in the real world, and even more rarely so simple.
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Read in February, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone
A funny, dark and poetic book. I read this after seeing a documentary about Roald Dahls' life and hearing some of the book's passages narrated within the perspective of his time cramped up in a WWII bomber plane as a bombardier (he was very tall). The peach represents the polar opposite of being in a noisy and clattering war plane, manning a gun and always under the threat of death. The peach is a peaceful, sweet and quiet flying machine.
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