Roald Dahl

Lane Smith

When James Henry Trotter accidentally drops some magic crystals by the old peach tree, strange things start to happen. The peach at the top of the tree begins to grow, and before long it's as big as a house. Then James discovers a secret entranceway into the fruit, and when he crawls inside, he meets a bunch of marvelous oversized friends -- Old-Green-Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybug, Miss Spider, and more. After years of feeling like an outsider in the house of his despicable Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker, James has finally found a place where he belongs. With a snip of the stem, the peach starts rolling away, and the exciting adventure begins!

James and the Giant Peach

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.

Meagan Fischer 

I feel like I liked the movie more than the book.

Andrew John Kinney

Read this to my sons, and loved it myself. There was also and excellent cartoon made of it.

Quentin Blake

James's aunts call him names, beat and starve him and make his life a misery. If only his parents hadn't been eaten by an escaped rhinoceros, he wouldn't be in this mess. But one day he meets a man who gives him a bag of magic crocodile tongues and so begins the adventure of his dreams.

Marloes

Dahl's books continue to bring me joy while reading them. Do I think his books are standing the test of time? No, no, I don't. There's a lot of fat shaming and abuse trickling through his stories, and in our current day and age, I wouldn't want to see language like that in stories any more. However, these books are out in the world and if anything, there's something to be learned from it.

Lauren Tabor

Sian Wadey

At Weston Rhyn Primary School Roald Dahl is the current display in the library. Every time I go in there for volunteering a smile appears on my face and I try my best to persuade the children to let me read them a little bit of any of his books. But alas, I did not succeed, so I decided to read one myself and James and the Giant Peach was the one I picked.
I remember the film with fondness and as soon as I entered Dahl's incredible world the childlike feeling of glee rushed back to me.
The way James and his insect friends are described are vivid and each character is interesting and unique. I particularly liked the Centipede and his 42 pairs of boots. The book is also educational, informing children about the different characteristics of insects, while making them funny. I also enjoyed the different songs.
As a twenty-one year old, revisiting Roald Dahl was a joy and I aim to read more, hopefully to inspire the children next time.

Milo Jean

How cute! 

I realized earlier in the month that I had never read anything by Roald Dahl and so I decided to start with listening to this audiobook. 

It was an adorable little adventure and I’ll definitely check out more of his famous works.

Grace O'Callaghan

Another enjoyable read by Dahl. I can’t say that I’ve ever not enjoyed one of his story, but perhaps I’m growing out of them.

James lives a horrible life with his two aunts who treat him like dirt. That is until one day a mysterious man gives George something to him that will change his life forever (I don’t know what the something is, green wiggly things?). That is until James drops them near a peach tree and a giant peach grows off the tree. He then meets some oversized bugs and they go on an adventure on the peach.

This was quite dark I have to say, flattening your evil aunts with a giant peach? That’s pretty brutal if you ask me. It was a fun and odd journey, but I was left a little disappointed. It didn’t really seem like there was a point to the story. It just seemed a bit unnecessary. Yes it was slightly whimsical and magical, but there was never an overall message.

A weird and dark read. If you’re looking for some a quick and quirky book, this is for you.

James and the Giant Peach Unabr CD Low Price

Jennifer Merchant

Tom Turner

I was surprised to find that James and the Giant Peach was the first Dahl children's book to be published. I'd always assumee it to be Danny the Champion of the World. What I'm guessing is that Danny was the first children's book he wrote, but wasn't punished until he'd become successful. My goal is to read them in publishers order you see.

Memory is an interesting thing. I do remember reading this book as a child, but there is a whole section I didn't remember, which was about Cloud-men, which I found fascinating.

You can tell this is an early Dahl, for though it has some whimsy, it wasn't fully formed here, it was only really at the end that you started to get the word play that Dahl is known for. But it's still a masterpiece all the same!

Destiny J Tamayo

*2.5* 
I enjoyed this book quite a bit but it wasn’t anything that really stood out for me.

Jaya Baudart-Gehlawat

Erin 

Anyone who says this book is not entertaining and enjoyable has clearly never been a child.

James and the Giant Peach is a favourite tale of the most marvelous adventure by Roald Dahl. ***Now with Quentin Blake's illustrious illustrations in magnificent full colour!***An enormous escaped rhinoceros from London Zoo has eaten James's parents. And it gets worse! James is packed off to live with his two really horrible aunts, Sponge and Spiker. Poor James is miserable, until something peculiar happens and James finds himself on the most wonderful and extraordinary journey he could ever imagine . . . "A true genius . . . Roald Dahl is my hero" David Walliams ***with an exciting look into Roald Dahl's world***Roald Dahl, the best-loved of children's writers, was born in Wales of Norwegian parents. After school in England he went to work for Shell in Africa. He began to write after "a monumental bash on the head", sustained as an RAF pilot in World War II. Roald Dahl died in 1990.Quentin Blake is one of the best-known and best-loved children's illustrators and it's impossible now to think of Roald Dahl's writings without imagining Quentin Blake's illustrations.

The audiobook has some wonderful sound effects that really enhance the experience. That being said, I did feel a bit bored at times and found myself on several occasions wishing it would move faster, but I think that's a result of this being for children, not adults. It's still incredibly fun and entertaining, and wonderfully whimsical, however.

Andrew Reeves

Toypipi

François Declercq

Mal 

James und der Reisenpfirsch.

Lena Schönfuß

From the World's No. 1 Storyteller, James and the Giant Peach is a children's classic that has captured young reader's imaginations for generations. One of TIME MAGAZINE’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time After James Henry Trotter's parents are tragically eaten by a rhinoceros, he goes to live with his two horrible aunts, Spiker and Sponge. Life there is no fun, until James accidentally drops some magic crystals by the old peach tree and strange things start to happen. The peach at the top of the tree begins to grow, and before long it's as big as a house. Inside, James meets a bunch of oversized friends—Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybug, and more. With a snip of the stem, the peach starts rolling away, and the great adventure begins! Roald Dahl is the author of numerous classic children’s stories including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, and many more! “James and the Giant Peach remains a favorite among kids and parents alike nearly 60 years after it was first published, thanks to its vivid imagery, vibrant characters and forthright exploration of mature themes like death and hope.” —TIME Magazine

James and the Giant Peach

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