After the tourists have gone, James is assigned to clean the rubbish around the peach and finds a hole inside it. He crawls in, through a tunnel, and he finds himself in a room, in the enlarged peach pit. There, he meets Centipede, Miss Spider, Old Green Grasshopper, Earthworm, Ladybug, Glowworm, and Silkworm who become his friends. A chance encounter with a slightly creepy and definitely odd (and quite frankly, suspiciously pedophilic if the quotes are taken out of context) old man leads to a new sort of adventure: Come right up close to me and I will show you something wonderful.James is gifted with a bag of pure magic. Only he manages to spoil his chance at happiness by spilling the bag... James soon learns that within that gigantic peach are some extremely large and peculiar new friends. And soon, his drab and dreary world takes on a whole new light. We are now about to visit the most marvelous places and see the most wonderful things! 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! Here's the thing, before this book, I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to my boy. *That* was an interesting book. Charlie was in a bad place. He was a sympathetic character. He *wanted* something for himself. He strove for it. And when he got it, we, the readers, were delighted.

In James and the Giant Peach, more than seventy changes were made, such as removing references to Sponge as fat (including writing an entirely new poem), changing queer to strange, removing references to skin colour (such as "his face white with horror", "looking white and thin", and the Earthworm's "lovely pink skin"), and changing Cloud-Men to Cloud-People. [14] [15] Original text Determined to find a better life, the insects bite the great peach free from its tree and launch into an amazing journey to freedom. Their travels are accompanied by much humour and plenty of ridiculous rhymes along the way in true Roald Dahl style. Perfectly illustrated by Quentin Blake. So, a couple of month ago I got gifted a whole box of Roal Dahl's books by somebody who knew very well he was my favourite author when I was a child. So, obviously, I decided to re-read all his books. And the more I read them, the more I become convinced that I don't really like Roald Dahl. I mean, his ideas are bizarre and funny but after a while they just become repetitive. Also, he's mean!! I would sincerely think twice before giving his books to a kid... a b c Dellatto, Marisa (20 February 2023). "Roald Dahl Books Get New Edits—And Critics Cry Censorship: The Controversy Surrounding 'Charlie And The Chocolate Factory' And More". Forbes. Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. ISSN 0015-6914. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023 . Retrieved 27 February 2023.

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I recently read it with my son, and while it wasn't *awful,* it was just... Meh. It was just a series of vaguely interesting events loosely connected by not much of anything. 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! 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. I even remember wanting to only eat and drink peach stuff for a while, and since it was the 90's I had to have my Snapple Peach Iced Tea. So why, you may wonder, are you going on reading this author if you know he is despicable? Two reasons: one, Quentin Blake (the illustrator), and two... I have to admit... deep down... I still love good ol' mean Roal Dahl 😈

When comparing the book to the vague memory of the movie, I am pleased to announce that the peach really was as large as I remembered, the bugs are actually delightfully charming and (at last) I know why the glowy green worms were so important. Cummins, Anthony (15 January 2023). "Bret Easton Ellis: 'James and the Giant Peach changed my life' ". The Guardian. Jones, Kenneth (21 October 2010). " James and the Giant Peach, the Musical, Blossoms with the Help of Pilobolus, Oct. 21". Playbill . Retrieved 12 September 2016. After establishing himself as a writer for adults, Roald Dahl began writing children’s stories in 1960 while living in England with his family. His first stories were written as entertainment for his own children, to whom many of his books are dedicated. How many seagulls would really be needed to carry Dahl's Giant Peach?" The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 November 2019.

Kudos, Mr. Dahl for introducing me to reading and the love of books. I hope to bring another generation of readers up to see the wonders of your storytelling abilities. I also really loved that there was a reference in the story to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The peach crashes into a chocolate factory causing a stream of chocolate to swarm the streets! It was awesome! I remember not really liking James and the Giant Peach all that much when I was a kid but I still thought it was an ok book. On re-reading though, eh, no - it’s not very good at all! Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. Quentin Blake (illustrator). Shipped from UK, will dispatch next working day.