James And The Giant Peach

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Why is friendship important? For example, why are good friends important to have in a difficult situation?

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Answer question invites students to explore the novel’s central theme of The Strength of Love, Friendship, and Trust to Overcome Adversity. Dahl’s protagonist James has a difficult life; after the sudden death of his loving parents, James is forced to live with his aunts, who are neglectful and abusive to James. Dahl contrasts James’s life with his aunts with his new friends that he meets inside the peach: different insects that live in the garden. Working together, James and his friends navigate their unusual circumstances, ultimately by trusting each other in difficult situations and creating a bond that lasts even after their adventure ends.

• This article from Ngozi (2021) explores the “Effect of Literature in The School Library on The Social Development of Empathy and Friendship Skills of Children.” (Note: this is a teacher-facing resource and is not for students.)
• Astor International School offers four perspectives on teaching James and the Giant Peach in the classroom in “