Title: James and the Giant Peach
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Alfred A. Knope
Publication Date: 1961
Awards: 1961 Massachusetts Children’s Book Master List
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Gr. 6+

Overview: James Henry Trotter has lived a tough and unfair life; nothing ever seems to go right for him, until one magical and peculiar day. Everything changes for James when he accidentally drops some magic crystals by an old peach tree. The next day James is traveling the world in a Giant Peach with some new life size friends, the Old Green Grasshopper, the Dainty Ladybug, and the Centipede of Multiple Boots. As James goes through many adventures and some close calls with his new friends, he finally feels accepted and happy.

Activity: Students could write a story about what they would do if they came across magic crystals.

Reviewer’s Name: Cailin Eisele