James has quite an adventure once he breaks free from those despicable aunts. Love Centipede with his shoe obsession and the NYC adventures. No wonder this is a classic.

What I was hoping would be a magical tale that reminded me of my childhood turned out to be an incredibly dull but also problematic book by Dahl - yet again!Things I liked - the idea that we shouldn't kill insects and bugs because we are scared of them, and there is a nice moment with the Spider who laments the loss of her family.Things I disliked - the portrayal of the Aunts and all the fat-shaming that it entailed. They're awful people, but there's a recurring element of Dahl's works where he ...

I read this so many times as a child and I was always so fiercely jealous of James. James is a dreamer. He has a boring life and one day he gets the opportunity to experience something weird and surreal. Everyday breaks away from mundanity and becomes something exciting and unusual. James makes friends with interesting insects and explores places he has never seen. A giant peach takes him there. His dreams become reality.This is certainly a story that could make any child (or adult too) fall in ...

A bad trip on the fun dip.From what I remember from the movie I saw during rainy-day recess in first grade, there's giant fruit, several oversized scary bugs and green glowy wormy things. It was so surreal and scary to me at the time that I've avoided the movie ever since.As I (finally) read the book, my scattered childhood memories fell into place. And my initial impression remains essentially the same: A really bad trip on the fun dip. “I'd rather be fried alive and eaten by Mexicans.” Honest...

ENGLISH (James and the Giant Peach) / ITALIANO«Until he was four years old, James Henry Trotter had a happy life. He lived peacefully with his mother and father in a beautiful house beside the sea. There were always plenty of other children for him to play with, and there was the sandy beach for him to run about on, and the ocean to paddle in. It was the perfect life for a small boy» The problem arises when his parents get eaten by a rhino! However, this regrettable and sad incident marks the be...

Book Review James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl is a very creative story built for everyone of all ages to enjoy. I think of it as a cross between 3 things: (1) Dr. Seuss, (2) Jack and the Beanstalk and (3) Harry Potter. 4 of 5 stars to this lovely keepsake!I had to read this book, when it's my namesake, James. But the similarities end there. James' parents have passed away and he lives with his awful aunt and uncle. A mysterious man gives him a package which helps him grow this g...

As always, Roald Dahl spins the most fantastic wonderful tales for children and James and the Giant Peach is up there with his greatest ones. It is also a wonderful animated film. Don't deprive your children of fantastic stories such as this one - there are one in a million!

I'm going to be completely honest here. I didn't like this book. Usually, if I don't care for a book, I keep schtum about it here. Not only is it not as much fun to talk about books I didn't like, but bad-mouthing other author's books is pretty rude. But, given that Dahl has passed on, and a fair number of people ask me for book recommendations for their kids. I figured I'd chime in with my opinion about this one. I recently read it with my son, and while it wasn't *awful,* it was just... Meh. I...

James and the Giant Peach - B A N N E D!Recently I joined the Banned Books group and one of the group reads for this month was James and the Giant Peach. I'm sure there are many GR readers who have read a Roald Dahl book and/or seen a movie adaptation of one of his books. If you have, then you would know that Dahl has consistently written stories that entertain children with morals and life lessons that even adults can appreciate. So why was this book banned? Let's first take a look at what Jame...

When I was in third grade, the first great crush of my life, Scott Murphy, stood up on the picnic table outside of the trailer that housed my third grade class and instead of reading his lines -- James' words -- from his paperback copy while we were all trying to rehearse the chapter we were supposed to present to the entire class the next day, he performed the most passionate version of "Paradise City" by Guns N Roses that I have ever seen.To this day, I love Gun N Roses, I love Scott Murphy, a...