James and the Giant Peach

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It's a hit!

Now I am rating this from my my perspective of when I was in 2nd grade and was reading this in class. I loved it then and thought it was a great an... (show more)

Now I am rating this from my my perspective of when I was in 2nd grade and was reading this in class. I loved it then and thought it was a great and had a lot of imagination (show less)

 

 

by Facebook-användare

No, it's a flop!

I'm sure this was a better book than I gave it credit for. I think I read it about ten to twelve years ago and it just gave me a sad, negative feel... (show more)

I'm sure this was a better book than I gave it credit for. I think I read it about ten to twelve years ago and it just gave me a sad, negative feeling. (show less)

 

 

by Kayla Kerr

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  The next in our daddy-daughter reading series, this one was a ton of fun, though only insofar as the characters really lent themselves to an array of voices. For reasons unknown to me, each character got the following voice treatment:

  Aunt Spiker - A screechy woman
  Aunt Sponge - A "fat sounding" woman with "wet" B sounds
  Wizard - Irish leprechaun voice
  Caterpillar - Cockney accent
  Grasshopper - Kind of a John Wayne accent
  Ladybug - high-pitched girly voice
  Earthworm - a n... (show more)

  The next in our daddy-daughter reading series, this one was a ton of fun, though only insofar as the characters really lent themselves to an array of voices. For reasons unknown to me, each character got the following voice treatment:

  Aunt Spiker - A screechy woman
  Aunt Sponge - A "fat sounding" woman with "wet" B sounds
  Wizard - Irish leprechaun voice
  Caterpillar - Cockney accent
  Grasshopper - Kind of a John Wayne accent
  Ladybug - high-pitched girly voice
  Earthworm - a neurotic New York Jew a la "Saul Rosenberg"
  Glow Worm - an ethereal woman
  Spider - A boisterously "fat sounding" woman

  But beyond the fun of making voices that made Allison crack up, I honestly didn't care too much for the story. Call me pedantic in my literary tastes, but I much prefer a book where the protagonists are actively striving TOWARD something, not merely having things happen TO them. Which is essentially what the whole book is. A man shows up and hands James these magic beans. He drops them and this giant peach grows. He crawls inside and the peach rolls into the ocean. Now he and the motley assortment of creepy crawlies have to fight off sharks, then cloud men, then they have to figure out how to land in New York. Fun and funny scenes, but to me as a reader it just felt like a disjointed "okay NOW what can we throw at them" series of events.

  Still, as a kid read it WAS fun and amusing. And again, all those weird characters lent themselves to funny voices and daddy-daughter giggle fits, which is what you're really looking for in this kind of book anyway.

  Still, as a kid read it WAS fun and amusing. And again, all those weird characters lent themselves to funny voices and daddy-daughter giggle fits, which is what you're really looking for in this kind of book anyway.

  Still, as a kid read it WAS fun and amusing. And again, all those weird characters lent themselves to funny voices and daddy-daughter giggle fits, which is what you're really looking for in this kind of book anyway. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook-användare on Oct 19, 2009 at 02:51PM

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  Dahl has lots of word play ! (" Oh just look at the vermicious gruesome face !") He also provides many fantastic explanations of natural processes , introducing cloud-men to make rainbows , hail and rain . Overall , however and lots of fun . Dahl is always a treat , and his books stand up to the test of time !

   

   

  by Jorika Kloppers on Sep 29, 2009 at 03:38PM

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