James and the Giant Peach is written by Roald Dahl and was published in 1967. The book is about an orphaned boy named James, who has been miserable ever since his parents were eaten by an escaped rhinoceros. After their deaths, he goes to live with his Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge, who mistreat him. They make James do lots of chores whilst they lazily lie around watching him. James longs to play with other children, but his aunts continue to keep him as a slave, feeding him unpleasant food and placing him in the attic.
James becomes increasingly upset over his treatment and lack of contact with others and during a moment when he is crying, he is approached by a strange but friendly man who gives him some magic crystals. Excited, James rushes back to the house, but trips and falls over, causing the crystals to be spilt onto the floor.
During the night, the crystals cause a peach to grow. The following morning, the aunts become excited by the gigantic peach and use it as a way of making lots of money. They charge visitors who come to look at the peach and even charge double for those who wish to take a photograph of it. James is excited as the house receives lots of visits from children who have come to view the peach, but his aunts cruelly keep him out of the way, preventing him from having any contact with the children.
Later, when all the visitors have gone, Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge order James to go outside to clean up the mess that has been left during the day. James, who is terribly hungry, asks if he can eat first but his aunts refuse, telling him that they are too busy counting their money to make him food. They lock him outside and James is forced to walk around in the dark. Frightened, James wanders around. He notices the peach and is drawn to it. He finds a hole in the peach and discovers upon further investigation that the hole is a tunnel. He climbs inside and begins to explore the peach, tasting it as he does so. He stumbles upon some insects, who have become large as a result of the magic crystals. The group of insects consists of a grasshopper, a ladybird, a centipede, an earthworm, a spider, a silkworm and a glow-worm.
After a conversation with the insects, the spider makes James a bed and he rests for the night. Not long after, the peach begins to roll away, squashing Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge in the process. The peach rolls off a cliff and into the sea and James and the insects find themselves in danger when the peach is attacked by sharks. James comes up with the idea of luring seagulls to the peach and then attaching thread from the silkworm to them, so that when there are enough seagulls, the peach would be lifted out of the sea. The plan works and the peach soars into the sky. Whilst in the sky, James and the insects encounter Cloud-Men, who cause hailstones to appear. The peach then becomes trapped when it breaks through a rainbow. The seagulls later pull it free, but the centipede is left covered in paint, which prevents him from being able to move. He is later cleaned by a gush of water from a cloud.
The peach flies over New York City, where it attracts the attention of many people below, including the President of the United States. The peach lands on top of the Empire State Building and James and the insects are saved by the Fire Department. James is happy as the peach attracts many children who wish to taste it. The story ends with James and the insects living happy lives. James wishes to write a book about his adventures and the last few lines of novel inform the reader that the book that they have just finished reading was written by James himself.
James becomes increasingly upset over his treatment and lack of contact with others and during a moment when he is crying, he is approached by a strange but friendly man who gives him some magic crystals. Excited, James rushes back to the house, but trips and falls over, causing the crystals to be spilt onto the floor.
During the night, the crystals cause a peach to grow. The following morning, the aunts become excited by the gigantic peach and use it as a way of making lots of money. They charge visitors who come to look at the peach and even charge double for those who wish to take a photograph of it. James is excited as the house receives lots of visits from children who have come to view the peach, but his aunts cruelly keep him out of the way, preventing him from having any contact with the children.
Later, when all the visitors have gone, Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge order James to go outside to clean up the mess that has been left during the day. James, who is terribly hungry, asks if he can eat first but his aunts refuse, telling him that they are too busy counting their money to make him food. They lock him outside and James is forced to walk around in the dark. Frightened, James wanders around. He notices the peach and is drawn to it. He finds a hole in the peach and discovers upon further investigation that the hole is a tunnel. He climbs inside and begins to explore the peach, tasting it as he does so. He stumbles upon some insects, who have become large as a result of the magic crystals. The group of insects consists of a grasshopper, a ladybird, a centipede, an earthworm, a spider, a silkworm and a glow-worm.
After a conversation with the insects, the spider makes James a bed and he rests for the night. Not long after, the peach begins to roll away, squashing Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge in the process. The peach rolls off a cliff and into the sea and James and the insects find themselves in danger when the peach is attacked by sharks. James comes up with the idea of luring seagulls to the peach and then attaching thread from the silkworm to them, so that when there are enough seagulls, the peach would be lifted out of the sea. The plan works and the peach soars into the sky. Whilst in the sky, James and the insects encounter Cloud-Men, who cause hailstones to appear. The peach then becomes trapped when it breaks through a rainbow. The seagulls later pull it free, but the centipede is left covered in paint, which prevents him from being able to move. He is later cleaned by a gush of water from a cloud.
The peach flies over New York City, where it attracts the attention of many people below, including the President of the United States. The peach lands on top of the Empire State Building and James and the insects are saved by the Fire Department. James is happy as the peach attracts many children who wish to taste it. The story ends with James and the insects living happy lives. James wishes to write a book about his adventures and the last few lines of novel inform the reader that the book that they have just finished reading was written by James himself.
