James and the Giant Peach

[Motherof8]

Do you think "James and the Giant Peach" is a good book for children? My son has just read "Matilda" written by the same author.

[Calidore]

Absolutely. I read that, Willy Wonka, and Danny, the Champion of the World all numerous times in early grade school. He'll love it.

[kiki1982]

I absolutely loved Matilda when I was younger (I must have read it about 5 times or more), then read The BFG at last 3 times.
I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory/I] as the very first English book in my free time.
Years later, in my twenties, I read it again with a much better knowledge of English and English people. Strange to think that the types Dahl puts forward in those parents and children still suit [I]exactly the types of children that walk the UK now.
Thinking about it, the used car salesman in Matilda is also the very image you see on Rogue Traders or i Eastenders.

Never read anything but those three, but my classmates seemed to love them anyway.

Those books will be amongst the first I'll ever buy.

[kiki1982]

double post - weird computer

[TheFifthElement]

All Roald Dahl books are great for kids. My daughter particularly likes The Fantastic Mr Fox, The Enormous Crocodile and The BFG which is fun if only for the cool language and the way he mixes up his words. What's great about Dahl is that he never, ever talks down to children. And his books are fun to read too.

If you haven't come across them, I would also recommend The Moomintroll books by Tove Jansson. They're a lot of fun. Finn Family Moomintroll and Comet in Moominland are especially brilliant. They should be obligatory reading for kids.

I'm curious Motherof8, are you actually a mother of 8?

[kev67]

I read James and the Giant Peach several times as a boy. I liked it.

[TurquoiseSunset]

When I was 9 or 10 a teacher read George's Marvellous Medicine to us (in Afrikaans) and I was hooked. I read regularly before that, but Roald Dahl books turned reading into a passion for me. After GMM, she read The BFG too. I went to the library and got Charlie and the Chocolate factory and read it four times (the first time I borrowed it...I have read it countless times since). After that it was Matilda, James and the Giant Peach and Witches (a little scary back then), and all I can say is, thank you Roald Dahl!

So, yes, I think your son will love James and the Giant Peach. ;)

[bIGwIRE]

My daughters love all of Roald Dahl's books. James and the Giant Peach has a few scary parts, so if he is a really sensitive boy I might recommend a different one, or suggest reading it with him, but he should love it.