James and the Giant Peach

Winston
English, Period 6
September 12, 2009
 

 Last summer I read a book called James and the Giant Peach by Roald
Dahl. I picked this book after reading The BFG also written by Roald
Dahl. I also went on to read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I
happened to like Roald Dahl's stories so much that I began reading all
the famous books that he had written during his career. The one that
happened to stand out to me was obviously James and the Giant Peach.
The main reason why I picked this book was because I enjoyed many
thrills and adventures that young James had encountered throughout the
book. I also enjoyed reading about the controversy that James's
friends, the centipede and the earthworm happened to share such as the
many arguments and the constant bickering. Personally, I really liked
how Roald Dahl expressed his humor and gore throughout this book.  

 The story of James and the Giant Peach began when an old man gives
poor little James a bag of green crystals and detailed instructions. He
tells James that many fortunes will await him if he performs the magic
spell correctly. At the moment, James was desperate for fortunes after
having to live with his smell, snot nosed aunts for nearly 3 long
years. As he's running back towards the house he accidently spills the
bag of magic crystals as he watches his fortunes sink away into the
soil. Just so happens that in a matter of seconds a peach magical
ly
appears on top of the peach tree that never happened to grow any
peaches. Moments later, the peach magically expands to the size of an
entire house. The following evening while James is outside cleaning the
lawn, he decides to explore the mega – sized peach. He happens to
locate an entrance on the south side of the peach. Once he enters, he
encounters the many creatures that just so happens to be mega – sized
insects. He meets many characters such as Centipede; who is a arrogant
jerk. He also meets Mrs. Spider and Ladybug who are absolutely kind and
loving. There is also Grasshopper who is very courteous and is a famous
musician. Last but not least, there's Earthworm who is stern and
controversial. James is welcomed and is soon is considered part of the
family. The next morning the peach is cut loose and James is off on an
adventure along with his new friends. From there, they encounter many
treacherous obstacles yet run by many amazing adventures. As you read
this book you will enter a story that includes courage, bravery, doubt,
curiosity and enthusiasm. You will also read about the many challenges
that the group face. One of the greatest obstacles that they face is
escaping a massive shark attack while stranded in the middle of the
ocean. It was a moment of risk, cooperation and teamwork. It was the
moment in the story where James and his friends had to remove all their
0Acontroversy to step up to the plate, to work together and to design a
well coordinated plan to save their lives. That was one of the many
challenges that stood out in the book.

 There was a point in the book where James mentioned that his life
finally had some purpose and meant something. He stated, '' I have
finally walked out the dark and shallowness in my once forgotten
life.'' This quote was the most important to me because I believed that
it was the turning point in young, adolescent James Henry Trotter's
life. I finally looked at his life in another perspective and in a
bright way. He finally realized that he had started a brand new life
away from his harsh, abusive aunts and now with his loving and free
spirited friends. It was also was a major turning point in the story
because James started being happy and began to think about living with
his friends forever. This idea enlightened him to the very ideas of
surviving the long dangerous journey and how to avoid disaster. I
believe that if James had been down in the gutters at the moment of
disaster he would of panicked and led his friends to the dark path of
demise. His new attitude toward life completely changed the way he
thought, acted and made decisions.

 According to my opinion I would rate James and the Giant Peach 5
peaches. I would use 5 peaches as being the best book and 1 peach=2
0for
being the worst. I used the peach rating system simply because the
peach was the main theme for the book. I would give 5 peaches because
it got my adrenaline pumping from the beginning of the book and I
believe it was such an intriguing novel. I absolutely loved it.  

 I would recommend this book to children 8-13 years old becomes of its
age appropriate reading level. I would also recommend this book because
it provides children with imagination and a hint of unexpected magic.
Last but not least, I thought the book was a thriller and lures
children's curiosity. My only warning is that there was strong dialogue
throughout the book inappropriate for younger children without parental
supervision and guidance.

-----Original Message-----
From: happywinston@aol.com
To: blaircarroll.millikanreads@blogger.com
Sent: Sat, Sep 12, 2009 11:22 pm
Subject: Book Review Blog - By Winston Liang

Dear Mrs. Carroll,

Please find attached my book review blog. Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Winston Liang

English, Period 6

Mrs. J Huff