James and the Giant Peach By: Roald dahl

1. James and the Giant PeachBy: Roald dahl

2. Author Biography: Roald Dahl Few authors of children’s books have been as prolific or successful as Roald Dahl (1916-1990). His novels have been read and enjoyed by countless children the world over and include such classics as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Danny the Champion of the World, James and the Giant Peach and Matilda. Shortly before his death, the top five selling children’s books in Great Britain were all authored by Dahl. Born to Norwegian immigrants, Roald Dahl hailed from Llandaff, Wales. Despite losing his father when he was only four, Roald claimed to have had a most happy and eventful childhood. Although not a particularly good student, Roald did excel at athletics. Dahl was married to the famous actress, Patricia Neal, for many years and they had five children together. The couple were, however, divorced after thirty years of marriage. Roald began his writing career as a short story writer, and didn’t pen his first children’s novel until 1961 – James and Giant Peach. This was followed by several bestsellers. Roald Dahl passed away in 1990 at the age of 74. In Great Britain the anniversary of Dahl's birthday on September 13thhas become widely celebrated as Roald Dahl Day.

3. VocabularyChapters 1-10

4. vast • Adjective • very great in extent, size, amount, degree, or intensity • The vast desert went on for miles.

5. nuisance • Noun • an annoying or troublesome person, thing, or way of doing something • The screaming little boy was a nuisance.

6. miserable • Adjective • extremely poor or unhappy • The sick girl was sad and miserable.

7. ramshackle • Adjective • looking ready to fall down • The ramshackle house was torn down.

8. desolate • Adjective • showing the results of abandonment and neglect • The empty lot was desolate, and not used by anyone.

9. ancient • Adjective • having existed for many years • The ancient pyramids are a great part of history.

10. despair • Noun • utter loss of hope • The people were filled with hopelessness and despair after the hurricane.

11. spellbound • Adjective • held by or as if by a spell • The audience was spellbound by the magic show.

12. towered • Verb • reached, or rose to, a great height • The new building towered over the older ones.

13. seething • Verb • to be upset or in a state of great excitement • The mean person left me seething with anger.

14. murky • Adjective • very dark or gloomy • The cave was dark and murky.

15. Strategy Focus: Characterization Good readers will understand the characters of the story.Describe in detail the characters below.

16. Group questions Directions: Discuss these questions in a small group. As a group come up with one answer for each. 1. If James was so mistreated by his aunts why did he stay? What are the advantages to his decision to stay? 2. What caused the old man to choose James to bestow the magic upon? 3. If you were James would you choose a life with your aunts or a life on your own? Why?

17. Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hintof what is to come later in the story. Foreshadowing often appears at the beginning of a story or a chapter and makes the reader developexpectations about the coming events in a story. Has the author providedany foreshadowing so far in this novel?

18. Strategy Focus: Characterization Good readers will understand the characters of the story. Describe in detail the characters below. Use pages 26-31 to help.

19. Chapters 11-20 Vocabulary

20. bolt • Verb • to move rapidly or run away • The frightened boy was ready to bolt through the open door.

21. primly • Adverb • formally precise or proper in behavior or speech • “I am wearing my best dress,” the girl said primly.

22. ambled • Verb • walked or moved at a slow pace • The old man ambled around the town looking for something to do.

23. lurch • Noun or verb • a sudden jerking, swaying, or tipping movement • The car gave a lurch forward as the driver let off the brake.

24. gaped • Verb • stared with mouth open in surprise or wonder • The boys and girls gaped at the giant peach.

25. serenely • Adverb • in a peaceful manner • She stared serenely at the works of art.

26. chaos • Noun • complete confusion • Chaos was caused by the fire alarm going off.

27. aghast • Adjective • struck with terror, amazement, or horror • The aunts looked aghast as the peach rolled down the hill.

28. pandemonium • Noun • a wild uproar • Pandemonium broke out when the man began dropping $100 bills off the building.

29. coaxing • Verb • influencing by gentle urging, special attention, or flattering • The mother was coaxing her child into eating the broccoli.

30. martyr • Noun • one who sacrifices life or something of great value for a principle or cause • The earthworm would become a martyr if he gave his life for his friends.

31. Chapters 21-30

32. exhorting • Verb • influencing by words or advice • The teachers were exhorting their students to study every night.

33. tethered • Verb • fastened or held by a rope or chain • The horse was tethered to the hitching post.

34. teeming • Verb • to become filled • The stream was teeming with fish.

35. inferior • Adjective • of little or less importance, value, or merit • The Dallas Cowboys are inferior to the Saints.

36. astonished • Verb • to strike with sudden wonder or surprise • The people were astonished when the space shuttle landed on the moon.

37. stealthy • Adjective • slow, deliberate, and secret in action or character • An owl on the hunt becomes silent and stealthy.

38. imbeciles • Noun • fool or idiot • The people were acting like imbeciles with all their yelling and fighting.

39. infuriated • Adjective • furious or enraged • I am infuriated by your poor choices.

40. enthralled • Adjective • held by as if by a spell • The boys were enthralled by the tiger show.

41. flabbergasted • Adjective • astonished or dumbfounded • That answer left me flabbergasted.

42. deluge • Noun • an overflowing of water; a flood • There was a deluge of water on the road.

43. Chapters 31-39

44. sinister • Adjective • especially evil or bad • The evil scientist had a sinister plan forming in his mind.

45. melancholy • Adjective • depressed in spirits, sad • The lady was in a melancholy mood after her dog died.

46. cellar • Noun • A room below the surface of the ground • We kept our winter clothes in the cellar of our house.

47. summon • Verb • to call or send for in order to meet • I will summon the police to come to the crime scene.

48. stupor • Noun • a condition of greatly dulled or completely suspended sense or feeling • The people of the city stood in a stupor as they watched the peach fall to the ground.

49. pinnacle • Noun • a high pointed peak • The peach landed on the pinnacle of the Empire State Building.

50. commotion • Noun • noisy excitement and confusion • There was a lot of commotion in the crowd because they didn’t know what was happening.