James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
We finished our second reading of Dahl‘s story about James Henry Trotter and his amazing adventure on board a giant peach. The story is quite amusing and holds the interest of young and old. That should be clear. We’ve read the book twice already…
After losing his parents to a rampaging rhinoceros on the streets of London, James has the misfortune of having to live with his nasty aunts. He’s treated very badly and has no contact with anyone. The magic happens when he’s sent out into the garden one night and happens upon a wizard who passes him a bag of green crystals, promising happiness. In his excitement, James drops the bag under a peach tree in the garden. The next morning, a peach the size of a small house has appeared, housing a number of huge insects in the peach stone. James makes a number of new friends and is told that he’s taken his time: the adventure is about to begin.
The insects get the peach on the roll, causing both aunts to be squashed in the process and dropping over the cliffs of Dover into the ocean. James, the centipede, grasshopper, ladybird, spider, earthworm, glowworm and silkworm eventually make their way across the ocean to New York. Of all places, the peach ends up on the spike of the Empire State Building, causing alarm to the city’s inhabitants. On their wondrous journey, our friends encounter sharks and cloud men, whilst completing most of the distance flying along with seagulls pulling the peach attached by silk strings through the heavens.
Each of the insects has a distinct personality, ranging from the caring (the ladybug) to the mischievous (the centipede). By reading one or two chapters a night, we are assured a reasonable attention span, and the ability to recount what happened in the preceding chapters. As with all of Dahl‘s books, the wacky illustrations are a welcome sight to those too young to read fluently.
Next, we’ll be reading the adventures of the Fantastic Mr. Fox on the Kindle.
Mr. Fox will be making his appearance in the cinema shortly, so we’ll be getting a sneak peek at the story.
