Hello Book Lovers!!!
The second book I managed to get read during the 24 Hour Readathon was James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. This is one of my more favoured Roald Dahl stories so it was great to be reunited with these characters again.
If you somehow don't know what James and the Giant Peach is about then its about a little boy called James who's parents were killed by a rhino that had escaped the zoo so he now lives with his awful Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge. They treat him horribly and all James wants is to escape from them.
One day while he is out in the garden, a man comes up to James and tells his about these magic crocodile tongues he has and that they can make you happy again and that they are now James'. James is told to keep them very safe but on the way back up the garden he drops them all over the grass.
In the morning Aunt Sponge notices there is a peach on the peach tree...and this doesn't sound like exciting information, however the peach tree hasn't grown any peaches on it in years. So when they see this peach they get incredibly excited. But then they notice the peach starts to grow until it is so big its taken up nearly the whole garden!
People start to come round to look at the peach and Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge start charging people to look at it so they can make more money. But one night when James is sent out into the garden to pick up all the rubbish people had dropped while looking at the peach, he ends up finding an entrance into the peach itself...so he goes to investigate...and this is where the story really starts.
I really enjoyed this story once again and Roald Dahl's writing never fails to amuse me. He has a way with words that don't just entertain children but people of all ages. The story itself is highly engaging and in a lot of places, very funny.
The characters help bring this story alive and I love how all of the characters are all so quirky and funny. Even Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge who aren't likable characters are still brilliant to read about and because they are so stupid, you can't help but laugh at what they say and get up to.
James is such a lovely boy and always puts everybody else's needs before his own and because of this it is so lovely to see how he develops and gets the ending to the story he deserves.
The illustrations from Quentin Blake are once again fantastic and I don't think Roald Dahl's books would be the same without them. He is an amazing illustrator and a one you don't forget.
Overall this story is highly engaging and perfect for younger readers but also if you want a short story that will have you laughing and get you attached to the characters then I'd highly recommend this one.
Rating /5
4
Happy Reading!!!
xHannahx
