James and the Giant Peach Award-winning author by Roald Dahl (author) (UK edition)

Author/Illustrator

Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was born in Llandaff, South Wales on September 13th 1916. His parents were Norwegian, and were called Harald and Sofie. He went to Repton school, in Derbyshire, and left school in 1933.

His first job was in Africa, with the Shell Oil Company. In the second world war he fought as a fighter pilot, and was badly injured when his plane crashed. After the war he worked in America, and soon started writing stories.

His very first children’s book, written in 1943 was called The Gremlins. Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the President of the USA liked it so much he was invited to the White House and became friends with the President, Franklin D Roosevelt.

He wrote a number of books and short stories for adults, many of which were televised as the hugely popular Tales of the Unexpected.

But it was as a children’s author that he found greatest fame and satisfaction, saying “I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers…Books shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful.” Millions of fans around the world agreed and have chuckled and gasped at his amazing stories. His mesmerising stories, written in sizzling, sparkly language, will lead you into adventures you’ll never ever forget!

From 1945 until his death, he lived at Gipsy House, in Buckinghamshire, where he wrote his famous children’s books. He died in hospital in Oxford, on November 23rd, 1990. His books have continued to be read and loved, and have been made into a number of hit films, including Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You can even visit the Roald Dahl Museum in the village where Dahl lived for most of his life.

In 2009 the Roald Dahl Funny Prize was established in his memory.

Reviews

1. zach edwards
   on 14 November 2012

   aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

   i love this book !!!!!! not my all time favrourite but still great.

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What kids think

1. FantasyArtemisSkythar
   on 21 March 2014

   I love this book because it is a adventure and fantasy and I like fantasy books. I would a point this book to people who like Roald Dahl books. This book is about a boy called James Henry Potter, he lives with his to lazy, greedy and most mean and horrible aunties, they make him do everything and poor James is a orphan. So this is a very good book ,so please give it a go.

2. Cheerforevers
   on 9 March 2014

   This is about a boy called James who gets stuck inside a giant peach.

3. crazykitty
   on 8 March 2014

   Love this book its weird how out of evetything u would chose a peach a giant peach. I think roald dhal has a very good imagination

4. Rumaitha12
   on 8 March 2014

   This book is ok however i found it boring at some points.

5. AngelofDeath
   on 8 March 2014

   Funny book but I felt pity on James when he was with his aunts

6. Sushi21
   on 7 March 2014

   I read this book at school. I felt sorry for James when he was with horrible aunts but the story was interesting.

   5out of 5

7. Macarw
   on 6 March 2014

   I liked it because James has the right ideas at the right time.

   5out of 5

8. shelly0750
   on 5 March 2014

   This is hilarious it helps children build up their imagination I love it the bugs all have their own unique personalities it’s a 5 star.

9. rslnkrmt2552
   on 5 March 2014

   a good story by Rick Riordan (the story which intoduced me to him)....which marvellously describes the adventures of James with his magical insect friends…

10. Venera2
    on 4 March 2014

    Really heart warming!

11. matilda74
    on 18 January 2014

    nice book.it is good to try it

    5out of 5

12. TacoFace338
    on 21 April 2013

    James and the Giant Peach is a good story. The best part to me was when James discovered the peach. I thought it was very well written. If you are a kid 8-9 then I suggest that you read it.

13. fluffy07
    on 15 March 2013

    I like it

14. thunderball72
    on 9 March 2013

    Great book!Love it!

15. powerpush22
    on 7 March 2013

    This book is amazing an dthe aunts are horrid and I think they are cruel.

16. Helloioioi
    on 7 March 2013

    this is an awesome book.

17. samcharlie123
    on 7 March 2013

    Hilariously funny, it made me laugh loads!

    4out of 5

18. Sherlock25
    on 6 March 2013

    A good book, not one of my faves bits its but okay

19. lap312i
    on 6 March 2013

    i like the cover

20. rockstar101
    on 6 March 2013

    good book

21. jesjen
    on 5 March 2013

    This is a great book that anyone can enjoy. Another one of Roald Dahl’s delicacies. It’s so good, there’s a movie

22. ninjastickman
    on 5 March 2013

    This story about how a boy called James got to travel on the sea in a giant peach is unforgetable.

    5out of 5

23. Paradise56
    on 5 March 2013

    this book was fun to read and after reading this book i wished i had found a giant peach it is a adventures book

    5out of 5

24. Too-Amazayn
    on 5 March 2013

    Roald Dahl is just too cool, his imagination and brilliant story telling makes for amazing and simply timeless books. who knew that a family of bugs and a peach would bring such adventure if super-sized

    4out of 5

25. pawprint2
    on 4 March 2013

    This is a great read

26. natashakrywald
    on 4 March 2013

    i love this book especially james!

27. lmdrld
    on 4 March 2013

    This is about a boy called James who finds a giant peach with creepy craw lies.

28. bouncybunny
    on 4 March 2013

    I watched the film first so I wanted to read the book .I liked the book because I liked the aunts I felt sorry for james about his parents but thought the aunts were funny I liked it that the author gave the bugs a human personality and made them seem like real people

29. lulillyno
    on 21 February 2013

    It was very adventurous and astonishing we loved it. very funny too. It was amazing that a little boy could go through so much confusing stuff at once.

    5out of 5

30. dude1234
    on 21 February 2013

    its good

31. Jenny352
    on 22 November 2012

    I love this book.Great illistrations and… well just a great story.It was unbelieveable when they 500 seagulls to carry the peach and it was also unbelieveable when the the peach landed on top of the empire state!!! Unbelieveabubble!!!

    5out of 5

32. kicky105
    on 6 March 2012

    This book wasn’t great. It didn’t make me believe the characters like some books do – they just annoyed me a bit and it was a bit repetitive. It was hard to keep going to the end because I wasn’t enjoying it!

    2out of 5

33. salimisra
    on 5 March 2012

    this is a great book which i read in class whith the techer when i was in year 6

    5out of 5

34. smileitsfriday
    on 4 March 2012

    This is a really great idea for a book! A giant peach… cool! * * * * *!

35. migit1
    on 4 March 2012

    great book and i like how there are insects in it!

36. la1397
    on 4 March 2012

    When I recieved the roald dahl series for christmas one year, this was one of the books i thought I’d enjoy the least. And I was completely wrong, because i enjoyed it loads. I thought the storyline was really funny, and the description of each of the different creatures was just amazing. I loved it, and i’d reccomend it to anyone.

37. lids
    on 2 March 2012

    another classic did you know it was going to be a cherry!!!!!!

38. angelslater
    on 1 March 2012

    i think this is one of my favourite books of roald dahl as is such a cool adventure and i wish i could be james and travel around with a pile of giant bugs! as long as they were all friendly.

39. flossy1998
    on 26 February 2012

    I watched the film like millions of times, the film is amazing but I have not read the book

40. Hanna-2002
    on 13 January 2012

    This book is really cool, James is a really brave person since he traveled in a peach with other insects.

    In my opinion this book was about friendship and helping each other to survive even thought it was hard to live in a peach( furniture was falling sometimes) they tried their best

41. booksrcul
    on 18 September 2011

    Brill.

    3out of 5

42. Jihomn292
    on 16 March 2011

    its a really cvool book,my teacher is reading it as our read aloud.Im rating 3 stars because i havent finshed the book yet.

    3out of 5

43. angiestarr007
    on 4 March 2011

    loved this book great and action packed

44. osnapitzsafa
    on 1 March 2011

    I hate Aunt sponge because she is cruel. I love the idea of the giant peach, amazing. I love this book so much. 5 stars.

    5out of 5

45. Missymessy
    on 24 February 2011

    Entertaining and strange, what else goes better in a Roald Dahl book! Highly recommended, totally different to what I expected, better than the film by far!

    4out of 5

46. wimpy01
    on 29 January 2011

    I loved it like all the other Roald Dahl books.

    5out of 5

47. fish12
    on 22 January 2011

    I found it strange, because James creeped into a giant peach, he meet some interesting insect.

    5out of 5

48. sledz1355
    on 17 January 2011

    I like this book

    5out of 5

49. Dazzdazz
    on 21 December 2010

    A Roald Dahl Classic! My all time favourite Roald Dahl book! This story is just Genius! Different books about Completely different things!

50. Cleosly
    on 5 December 2010

    This book is great!!!

    5out of 5

51. cheeky
    on 27 November 2010

    this book is fantastic

    5out of 5

52. rachellen1
    on 13 November 2010

    I loved it

    4out of 5

53. bookgirl201036
    on 7 November 2010

    I thought james and the giant peach is a Rhol dahl classic.

54. glittergirl
    on 15 October 2010

    james and the giant peach is a bit scary when all theas giant inseacs come up and when the sharcs start eating the peach. but a bit hearleras when the peach was floting in the are. but a nother littel thing is all oth clawed men wher thowing haleyul stons.

55. Greta2009
    on 23 September 2010

    Ilike this book it is funny when the animals talk

56. connr
    on 30 April 2010

    i seen this

    5out of 5

57. PIXE
    on 5 March 2010

    I think this book is very funny I enjoyed it loads

    Roald dahl is a grat ather

58. jackman2k10
    on 28 February 2010

    “James didn’t know where the little man came from. He was just there, thrusting a faintly glowing bag at James. ‘Here! You take it! It’s yours!’ With a promise that the bag of ‘little green things’ is magic and will free James from life with his horrible, cruel aunts, Sponge and Spiker, the little man is gone––and James is dizzy with joy. But in his excitement James drops the bag, and the magic is lost, sucked into the ground around the old peach tree. Would things never go right for James?

    But then he feels it. Something is going to happen. Aunt Spiker spots it first: a peach growing high in their single peach tree. Growing and growing till it’s as big as fat Aunt Sponge, and then as big as their house! All greedy Sponge and Spiker can think is that the remarkable peach will make them rich. But James knows. ‘Something else, something stranger than ever this time, is about to happen to me again soon.’”

    5out of 5

59. timmim
    on 22 September 2009

    James and the giant peach is great! All the roald dahl books are great. It is a realllllly good book. I would recommend it to anyone aged 5-9 in particular but people older will still enjoy it.

    A great book.

    5out of 5

60. chocolate45
    on 6 September 2009

    James and the giant peach is the perfect book for roald dahl fans and whoever thought you would here about a boy friends with giant insects floating on a giant delicious peach!!!!

    I will say i liked it by 4/5.

    New member of scholastic,

    Cats87xxxx

    4out of 5

61. henry11
    on 2 September 2009

    This is the best book i have read and i will never forget this story.

    5out of 5

62. saf234
    on 8 August 2009

    Great book but better on dvd but stil recomend i would give this book 95/100.

    5out of 5

63. darwin123
    on 3 November 2008

    funny and you can’t take your eyes of of it !!!!

    4out of 5

64. wormy01
    on 21 September 2008

    I thought it was good but i have to say i have read better ones,,,!!

    4out of 5

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