James and the Giant Peach
by Roald Dahl · Grade 3-5 · Ages Ages 7-10
James Henry Trotter lives a lonely life with his two unkind aunts. Then something magical happens in the garden: a peach grows bigger and bigger, and James discovers new friends and the start of a strange adventure.
Key vocabulary
Peculiar means strange or unusual. A purple-striped frog would look very peculiar!
Enormous means very, very big. An enormous peach might be as big as a house.
Wretched means very unhappy or awful. A rainy day with no dry socks can feel wretched.
Marvelous means wonderful or amazing. Finding a secret door in a tree would be marvelous.
Astonishment is a feeling of great surprise. You might stare in astonishment if your cookie started talking.
Desolate means empty, lonely, and sad-looking. A quiet playground with no children can seem desolate.
Glistened means shone with tiny sparkles of light. Wet leaves glistened after the rain.
Gigantic means huge. A gigantic umbrella could cover a whole picnic table.