James and the Giant Peach

Dahl, Roald. (1961). New York: Random House, Inc. ISBN: 375-91424-2

PLOT SUMMARY

A young boy is orphaned when his parents are killed by a rhino that escaped from a zoo in London. He is sent to live a miserable life with his two aunts. When a mysterious man gives him a bag full of magic that accidentally escapes James in the garden, a peach grows into tremendous size. James escapes his aunts by climbing into the peach. Inside he meets several insects that, too, have grown to tremendous proportions. When the peach rolls down the hill and away from the aunts' house, James begins a journey that will take him to somewhere better than where he was.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

As one of my favorite books of all time ever since the second grade, James and the Giant Peach still has a draw that always makes me feel satisfied at the end. I never tire of reading the descriptions of eating the juicy peach even though I don't like eating them myself. I love James' adventurous spirit and curiosity about his new friends. Each new situation is more fantastical than the next, but Dahl is sure to take it right back down at the end when all the new friends settle into a new home together inside the peach pit. Making sure James is happy at the conclusion of the story, surrounded by friends is important because it is the same sort of feeling that is important to young kids.

READER'S ANNOTATION

A group of friends--a boy and six insects--embark on an adveture inside a giant peach that lands in the ocean, floats for days, and eventually ends up airborne carried by a flock of seagulls. Together they will find a place where they can be happy with who they are and with each other.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Roald Dahl was born in Wales in 1916. He grew up with many siblings raised by his mother. He excelled in sports, but was not very good in school. The first fifteen years of his writing career he wrote mainly short stories for adults. He did not start writing children's books until after 1960 once he already had kids of his own. James and the Giant Peach was first published in the US in 1961, then in the UK in 1967.

GENRE

Fantasy

CURRICULUM TIES

English

Compare and contrast the book from the movie. What changes had to be made, elements eliminated or added to bring it to the big screen? How would you have changed it or made it so that it was true to the story?

BOOKTALKING IDEAS

What would you do if you had the choice of living a miserable existence with your two aunts, or be surrounded by a bunch of insects, one of them a 6 foot tall centipede? If you had nothing to eat but peaches all day everyday, would you still go with the insects?

READING LEVEL/INTEREST AGE

8 and over

CHALLENGE ISSUES

none

CHALLENGE DEFENSE IDEAS

Know library policy

WHY INCLUDE THIS BOOK?

This book is a classic that appeals to both boy and girl tweens.