Book review
I read this many times as a child; it was one of my favourite Dahl books. James lives with his two repulsive, unloving aunts having been orphaned at the age of 4 (his parents were trampled by a rhinoceros). Dahl is not afraid of subjecting his characters to awful life events and although I was a sensitive soul as a child, I wasn’t scared or traumatised by this section of the book – in fact I was simply furious that his aunts, Spiker and Sponge, could be so needlessly cruel to James.
Thanks to some magic, James’ life is transformed in a most unexpected way and he sets off on an adventure on a giant peach (which crushes his horrible aunts to death as it rolls over them – hurrah!). He befriends a grasshopper, a centipede, an earthworm, a spider, a glowworm, a silkworm and Mrs Ladybug (all also made giant by the magic). These are his very first friends and they are wonderful characters – years later I can still recall the grasshopper (a kindly grandfather figure) playing music to James, the kindness of Mrs Ladybug and the dry humour in the earthworm’s negative outlook in life.
James begins the story as a lonely child and so he appeals to most children, who at some time or another will have experienced feeling sad or alone. There are a few occasions where James has to use quick-thinking to save himself and his new friends and as a reader you are willing him on. The ending of the story is a satisfying conclusion; he settles in New York City, (a place he always wanted to visit) and has plenty of friends.
The book is a colourful adventure story and will inspire young readers. It is also an excellent springboard for related activities – I have read about activities such as designing a house from an unusual object (James lives in the peach stone at the end of the book) to finding ways to make a real peach fly (in the story, James tethers a flock of passing seagulls using rope weaved from the silkworm’s silk and the spider’s web). Highly recommended for children between the ages of 8 and 10, although it will be enjoyed by a much wider age range than that.
- Goodreads rating – 4.02
- SUMMARY – Hannah