James and the Giant Peach summary of Chapters 1 & 2

Chapter 1 introduces the reader to James, Aunt Sponge, and Aunt Spiker. At four years-old,
James lived with his parents in a wonderful house along the sea, until his parents were eaten by
a rhinoceros during a day trip to London. Soon after his parents' death, James was sent to live
with his aunts, bringing nothing with him but a pair of pajamas and a toothbrush. Unfortunately,
Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker are terrible. They beat him and call him names, and he isn't
allowed to leave their little house on the hill.

Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker force James to work hard and lock him up for punishment. From
the top of the hill that the house was perched on, James could see woods, fields, and sometimes
his old house. There was little for James to do in the house or garden, and the only thing that
remained on Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker's unpleasant property was an ancient peach tree that
never grew peaches.

Chapter 2 is set three years after James began living with his aunts, on a day when rather
peculiar, very peculiar, and fantastically peculiar moments occur. James' two aunts watch him
while he chops wood in the heat, each of them bragging loudly about her own beauty,
complimenting her own eyes, hair, clothing, and other bodily features through rhyme. Imagine a
short, fat woman with a permanently grumpy face. That's Aunt Sponge. Now think of a tall, bony
woman who wears glasses at the end of her nose and has a voice that makes you cringe (not to
mention a horrible spitting habit when she talks!) - that's Aunt Spiker.

While James chops wood, he thinks of other children in the world and envies their happiness. At
one moment, he is overwhelmed by his thoughts and begins to cry. When his aunts begin to yell
at him, he begs them to set aside a day to take him to the beach. Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge
threaten to beat James, and James runs away to a corner of the
garden and begins to cry.
James and the Giant Peach Ch.1 & 2
LO: to show understanding of a text.

Who is this story about?

_____________________________________________________________
What happened to James’ mother and father?
_______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
What are Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker like? How do you know?
_______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Draw a picture of Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker.

Vocabulary LO: to build vocabulary through new words in a text. (AF5)

Do you know what these words mean? Write a brief definition for each word. Use a dictionary if
you need it.

terrible ______________________________________________________
perched ______________________________________________________
peculiar _____________________________________________________
cringe ______________________________________________________
envies _____________________________________________________
James and the Giant Peach Chapters 3 - 5

In Chapter 3, James is crying in the corner of the garden when an Old Man appears from behind the
bushes. This is a small Old Man who rests on his cane for support, and he calls James to come closer to
him. When James moves towards the man, the old man reveals a small white paper bag filled with tiny
green things that resemble crystals, each one about the size of a grain of rice. Soon James sees that
the tiny green crystals are moving, and the Old Man tells James that these little items had "more power
and magic...than the rest of the world put together." When James asks what the items are, the Old Man
responds that they are "crocodile tongues boiled up in the skull of a dead witch for 20 days with the
eyeballs of a lizard." After this brief yet confusing explanation, the Old Man gives the bag to James and
tells James that the items are now his.

In Chapter 4, the Old Man gives James special instructions for using the moving magic crystals. James
must pour the little green things into a large jug of water and then add 10 of his own hairs to the
mixture, one by one. As soon as the mixture begins to boil, James is to drink it down, and then magical
things will begin to happen to him. He will no longer be miserable. The Old Man gives one last instruction
before he leaves James - don't let the green things escape, or else they will work their magic upon
somebody else instead!

In Chapter 5, James excitedly runs off with the bag and makes a plan to create the
mixture in the kitchen, in secret from his aunts. In his rush to get to the kitchen
unnoticed, James trips on the roots of the ancient peach tree and the bag breaks. The tiny
green things land on the ground and, as James frantically tries to gather the crystals, they
sink into the ground and burrow into the soil. Devastated, James feels that all of his luck has been lost.
His aunts come over to him and yell at him for being lazy, threatening to punish him by making him sleep
in the water bucket to the well. He is instructed to continue chopping wood immediately, when all of a
sudden he hears a shout that makes him stop and turn.

Why was James crying in a corner of the garden?

______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
What was in the white paper bag?
_____________________________________________________________
Why do you think he Old Man gave James special instructions for the magic crystals?
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
How do you think James felt after he tripped and the contents of the white paper packet fell out?
_____________________________________________________________

Vocabulary LO: to build vocabulary through new words in a text.

Do you know what these words mean? Write a brief definition for each word. Use a dictionary if you
need it.
magical _____________________________________________________
miserable _____________________________________________________
confusing _____________________________________________________
escape _____________________________________________________
resemble _____________________________________________________
James and the Giant Peach Chapters 1 – 5 LO: comparison in a text

Make a list of the differences between James’ old house with his parents and where he lives now with
his Aunts.

Old house New house

Where would you prefer to live if you were James, and why?
______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________

Draw a picture of what you think James’ home with his parents must have been like.
James and the Giant Peach Chapters 6-10
At the beginning of Chapter 6, Aunt Spiker shouts to Aunt Sponge that a peach is growing on the
once-barren tree. Aunt Sponge is shocked. James puts down his yard tools and walks up to his aunts; he
has a feeling that something peculiar is going to happen. His aunts want to eat the peach, splitting it
half-and-half, and they ask James to climb the tree to the tallest branch and get the peach down for
them. When James reaches the top, his aunts yell at him to not eat any of the peach before he brings it
down. But just before James reaches the peach, both of his aunts shout out that the peach is growing!
In no time at all, it has doubled in size.

In Chapter 7, the peach begins to grow uncontrollably. James and his aunts all watch as it continues to
grow, assuming that the now-huge fruit will break the branch and fall to the ground. The branch does not
break, however, and the peach soon settles on the ground and stops growing. At this point it is the size
of a small house and is perfectly ripe. James's aunts look at the beautiful peach and (at Aunt Spiker's
prompting) decide there is money to be made from this strange sight.

In Chapter 8, news of a peach as large as a house spreads across the nation, and Aunt Sponge and Aunt
Spiker capitalize on the opportunity for publicity. They build a fence around the peach and charge 1
shilling per person for admission to see the peach, double if the visitor brings along a camera. While his
aunts are busy making money, James is forced to stay inside his room and simply watch. Aunt Spiker and
Aunt Sponge even become so busy counting their money that they forget to feed James. What makes
the situation even sadder is that James desperately wants to go outside and play with the children who
come to see the peach, since he hadn't met another child in several years.

Chapter 9 opens with James staring out at the peach in the middle of the night, longing to go out and
touch it. He makes his way outside, where the shadows dance around him, and he is tense with fear as he
stares at the peach. It looks like a tremendous silver ball, and James, despite his apprehension, walks
towards it, ready to finally feel it.
As he walks, James has a feeling that something spectacular is about to happen. The garden is alive with
magic. As he places his hand and cheek on the soft fuzz of the peach, he looks down at the ground -
there is a hole in the peach.

James excitedly decides to explore the hole in Chapter 10 - but as he crawls in, he realizes this isn't a
hole, but a tunnel! He begins to crawl along the soggy floor of the peach, inhaling the sweet smell of the
fruit and tasting the juice as it falls from the ceiling of the tunnel. He crawls uphill, and seems to be
approaching the center of the fruit. Suddenly he hits his head on a hard surface, which appears to be a
wall at first.
Upon closer examination, James realizes the grooved and waxy "wall" is actually the pit of the peach.
Within the pit is a small door, and James opens it and crawls in. He is greeted by voices: "Look who's
here! We've been waiting for you!" As he looks up and identifies the speakers, he is horrified and turns
white. He tries to turn around and exit, but nothing but a solid brown wall is now behind him.
James and the Giant Peach 6-10 LO: to identify words and phrases used for imagery.

What words or phrases does the writer use to tell us about:

The size, smell and taste of the peach?

Size___________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
________________________
_____________________________________________________________Smell_____________
______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________Taste_____________________________
____________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________

Vocabulary LO: to build vocabulary through new words in a text.

Do you know what these words mean? Write a brief definition for each word. Use a dictionary if you
need it.

shocked _____________________________________________________
opportunity____________________________________________________
tremendous____________________________________________________
explore _____________________________________________________
soggy _____________________________________________________
James and the Giant Peach Similes Scavenger Hunt LO: to identify language features of a text.

Similes are used as descriptions by comparing a person or object with something else because they have
similar qualities. The words as and like are used to show the comparison.
Go to the different scavenger cards and read through the passages carefully. Write down one simile
that you see in the text. See if you can find 5 or more similes.

______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________
James and the Giant Peach Acrostic Poem
J ___________________________________________________________________

A ___________________________________________________________________

M___________________________________________________________________

E___________________________________________________________________

S___________________________________________________________________

A___________________________________________________________________

N___________________________________________________________________

D___________________________________________________________________

T___________________________________________________________________

H___________________________________________________________________

E___________________________________________________________________

G___________________________________________________________________

I ___________________________________________________________________

A___________________________________________________________________

N___________________________________________________________________

T___________________________________________________________________

P___________________________________________________________________

E___________________________________________________________________

A___________________________________________________________________

C___________________________________________________________________

H___________________________________________________________________
James and the Giant Peach – Diary Writing

People write in diaries to keep an account of what happened to them. Choose one of the
characters from the book and write a diary entry. You can make it as funny or as scary
as you like. It can come from the book or you can make up your own story.

Dear Diary
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Draw a picture of the thing that happened in your diary entry.
James and the Giant Peach

Who is your favourite character in the book? Write a paragraph

about this character and then draw a picture of this character.
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
James and the Giant Peach Marking Rubric

Name ________________________________________
5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point
Content Wow! Above and Very good Shows a lot of Shows some or Very little work
Beyond comprehension comprehension minimal done,
expectation! Your and of story comprehension comprehension
project really understanding of through of story through was not evident,
shows that you the activities. activities. activities. easily
understood the distracted.
story!
Effort Wow! Above and Worked very Worked hard, Worked hard, Very little
beyond hard, good was not easily was sometimes effort evident in
expectations! Your effort in work distracted. distracted. all areas.
work was very neat and neat Seems like you Maybe could
and it seems as presentation in put some effort have used more
though you put final project. into your final effort on final
your best effort project. project.
toward this!

TOTAL /10

James and the Giant Peach Marking Rubric

Name ________________________________________
5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point
Content Wow! Above and Very good Shows a lot of Shows some or Very little work
Beyond comprehension comprehension minimal done,
expectation! Your and of story comprehension comprehension
project really understanding of through of story through was not evident,
shows that you the activities. activities. activities. easily
understood the distracted.
story!
Effort Wow! Above and Worked very Worked hard, Worked hard, Very little
beyond hard, good was not easily was sometimes effort evident in
expectations! Your effort in work distracted. distracted. all areas.
work was very neat and neat Seems like you Maybe could
and it seems as presentation in put some effort have used more
though you put final project. into your final effort on final
your best effort project. project.
toward this!

TOTAL /10
James and the Giant Peach Ch. 11 – 15
In Chapter 11, James becomes acquainted with the creatures who had startled him at the end of Chapter 10.
As he gazes around the interior of the peach, he sees a collection of insects: a grasshopper, spider, ladybug,
centipede, and an earthworm. But were they really insects? James had thought insects were small, but these
insects are very large - the grasshopper alone is as large as a large dog.
As James regards them with fright, the creatures begin to discuss how hungry they are. They seem to focus
ominously on James. They ask him if he is hungry, but he is too scared to offer a response. Suddenly, the
creatures realize that James is afraid that they want to eat him. They laugh uproariously at the idea,
assuring James that he is one of them now and that they've been waiting for him all day.
In Chapter 12, James lends assistance to one of his new acquaintances; he helps the Centipede remove his
boots before bed. The Centipede tells James that they will have to remove 100 shoes, but the others
creatures, particularly the Earthworm, insist that the Centipede is constantly lying and only has 42 legs. As
James helps remove the boots, he listens to the creatures bicker with one another. The Earthworm believes
that no legs is a superior mode of life, while the Centipede insists that more legs are better; this one
creature is also very proud of the fact that he is a pest. The Old-Green-Grasshopper tries to moderate the
conversation, telling the others to calm down. Throughout all of this, James concludes he likes the good-
humored Centipede, despite the Centipede's demanding ways; it is very nice to hear laughter after so many
years of life under Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker.
The Centipede then begins to tell James the story of how he became such a marvelously large centipede. He
was going about his business in the garden under the peach tree, when suddenly a little green thing wiggled
past his nose. Other insects - the Ladybug, Miss Spider, and the Old-Green-Grasshopper - also claim that
they saw the same thing, and James exclaims that he knows what it was: the magic items. The creatures all
say that they ate one, two, or three of the green creatures, and as they are about to complete the story, the
Old-Green-Grasshopper urges them to get ready for bed because they have a long day ahead of them the
next day.
In Chapter 13, Miss Spider gets to work preparing beds for everyone, which she accomplishes by spinning
hammocks out of silk. James continues to work on Centipede's boots for two hours, and by the time he
finishes Centipede has fallen asleep. James must wake the Centipede up so that he, the Centipede, can go to
bed in his hammock. As James settles down in his comfortable sleeping position, the Centipede yells "Lights
out!" to an unnamed person. James looks up and sees that The Centipede is addressing a Glow-worm, who is
attached to the ceiling and has fallen asleep with her light on. Centipede rudely wakes her, and she turns off
her light. As James prepares to go to bed, he realizes how much he likes his new friends. They are not as
terrible as they had once looked, and they are actually incredibly kind and helpful.
James wakes to a series of shouts proclaiming, "We're off!" at the start of Chapter 14. All of the creatures
are moving around excitedly, and it seems as if there were an earthquake taking place. The Ladybug, a kind
and gentle creature, explains to James that they are about to depart forever from the hillside where Aunt
Sponge and Aunt Spiker live. The Centipede is even on top of the peach, using his sharp jaws to cut away the
stem attaching the peach to the tree in the garden - even though no one knows exactly where the peach will
go once released. Soon the peach is free and begins rolling down the hill, and the furniture, creatures, and
James are all slammed against the walls by the momentum.
In Chapter 15, Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker are preparing for the next batch of tourists who have come to
see the peach. After a brief discussion about where James went last night - both of them hoping that James
was seriously injured during his night away from the house - the two women discuss how they are going to
make a fortune. Suddenly they hear an alarming sound. It's the peach! It is rolling down the hill, quickly
gathering speed, and the two aunts try desperately to get out of its way. Yet Aunt Sponge trips over the box
she brought to collect the money, and Aunt Spiker trips over Aunt Sponge. Before they can get up, the peach
rolls over them and with a crunch, both of James' aunts are laid out lifeless on the hillside.
James and the Giant Peach Ch. 11 – 15

Answer these questions using good English sentences.

1. Why do you think the insects are so large?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
2. How do you think the insects know James’ name?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
3. Why does the centipede say he has 100 legs?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
4. What do you think a hammock is?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
5. How do you think the Aunts felt when they saw the peach come rolling
towards them?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Vocabulary
Find the meanings of the following words.

ominously _____________________________________________________
bicker _______________________________________________________
slammed _____________________________________________________
alarming _____________________________________________________
desperately ___________________________________________________
James and the Giant Peach Ch. 16 - 20
In Chapter 16, the peach continues to gather speed. It rushes straight past the people walking up the
hill to see it, and everyone begins diving left or right in order to avoid getting squashed. It rolls across
fields, roads, and towns, taking down anything that is in its way. Suddenly the peach approaches the sea
where James used to live, the sea that he wanted to visit; there is a line of steep, famous cliffs facing
the shore. The sea is described as very dangerous, and it appears that there is no hope for James and
his new friends as they plummet off a cliff and into the water. The peach is submerged but then floats
back to the top, sitting easily on the surface of the sea.
James, and the creatures are recovering from the rough-and-tumble trip from the garden to the sea as
Chapter 17 opens. They had been flung back and forth, and now they are tangled up with one another.
They begin to sort everything out with the help of the Glow-worm's light, then start to speculate about
where they could have landed. They eventually decide to go to the top of the peach and look around, a
much safer than going out the side entrance, since they don't know where they are. Miss Spider busies
herself with weaving a ladder from the floor of the peach to the roof, and the others assist Centipede
as he puts on his 42 shoes. When the shoes are on and the ladder is finished, they all climb to the roof,
excited about what they might see next.
In Chapter 18, everyone is shocked to find that they are in the middle of the sea. The Earthworm
proclaims that they are all finished, destined to drown, at least until James explains the peach is
actually floating. Although the Old-Green-Grasshopper says that everything will be fine in the end,
Earthworm tries to upset the others by insisting they are still in a bad situation - they have no food.
James interrupts again by explaining that the entire ship is food - they can gradually eat the peach, and
they will have no problem surviving for weeks and weeks without destroying the peach as a vessel.
Earthworm, very upset, now says that the problem is that there is no problem! The others joke with him
that he is always looking for something to complain about.
James and the creatures all begin to eat the peach, and find that it is simply delicious. Many of them say
that it is the most delicious thing they've ever tasted, and Centipede bursts into song. He details all of
the delicious things that he has eaten in the course of his life, concluding that this peach is the best of
them all. Everyone is joyous and content.
Everyone has just finished their meal when, at the start of Chapter 19, Centipede spots "black things"
gliding through the water. Earthworm identifies these black shapes as sharks, and while the others
silently agree, they are too afraid to admit it themselves. The characters try to create a false sense of
security by saying they are safe if they stay atop the peach, but suddenly the sharks begin to attack the
peach by eating chunks of it. Desperate, the creatures call out to James and beg him to think of a way
out of the disaster.
In Chapter 20, James announces that he might have an idea of how to escape the sharks, but he is not
sure if it will work - he needs string. Thinking that there is no string onboard, he believes his plan
destined to fail, but the creatures reveal that Silkworm is actually below; James just hasn't seen her
yet. Both Silkworm and Miss Spider are capable of spinning as much string as James needs. He tells them
more about the plan, and reveals that he is going to lure seagulls towards the peach with Earthworm,
then loop strings around the seagulls' necks and tie the strings to the stem of the peach. If he can do
this with hundreds of seagulls, James believes that the birds will lift the peach up into the air with the
power of their wings.
The others believe that the plan is crazy, and Earthworm is horrified that he is going to be offered as
bait. It takes some effort for James to get his point across, but finally at the end of the chapter he
quiets his friends' doubts and explains that the Earthworm doesn't need to die (since he can easily be
pulled out of danger) in order for the plan to be successful.
James and the Giant Peach chp 16-20

1. Why is the journey inside the peach a terrible one for the creatures?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

2. Where do the creatures predict they are located?

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

3. Why does the Centipede not want to go upstairs?

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

4. Write some adjectives to describe the Earthworm.

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

5. What would the creatures have done if James had not been there, do you
think?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

6. Would you like the diet of the Centipede? Why/Why not?

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Vocabulary
Look up these words and find their meanings.

plummet ______________________________________________________
speculate ______________________________________________________
proclaims ______________________________________________________
identifies _____________________________________________________
destined ______________________________________________________
James and the Giant Peach
Write these sentences with the correct punctuation.

1. miss spider spun the next hammock and ladybird got in

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

2. how do you like your bed miss spider asked james

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

3. james worked away frantically at the centipedes boots

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

4. lights out said the centipede drowsily

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

5. is that a glow worm asked james

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Collective nouns. Find a collective noun for these groups of things. Some may have
more than one collective nouns.

A _____________________________ of sharks

A _____________________________ of seagulls

A _____________________________ of tourists

A _____________________________ of mean aunts

A _____________________________ of string
Write a friendly letter to James
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
James and the Giant Peach
Script writing. This story has been made into a stage show and a film. Choose a scene and write your own
script. Work in your group and practice the words as if you are going to perform a show.
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
James and the Giant Peach Chp 21 - 26
Everyone congratulates James on his terrific plan in Chapter 21. James comforts Earthworm and tells
him that he will not be pecked to death - James will be watching him the entire time. Time is of the
essence, as the passengers see 90 to 100 sharks attacking the peach. James orders everyone to their
stations, and it is clear that he is the captain now. Everyone is ready to listen to whatever he tells them.
In Chapter 22, James' plan is ready to be put into action. Half of Earthworm's body is perched atop the
peach, with James hidden just below the surface, waiting for the first seagull. The other creatures are
down below in the peach, ready to pull the Earthworm down as soon as James gave the cue. James also
holds a string of silk in his hands, and when the first seagull comes in to eat Earthworm, James calls for
the others to pull Earthworm down and loops the silk around the seagull's neck.
James and his companions continue this process over and over. Slowly they put silk ropes around the
necks of 500 seagulls, but the peach still has not risen out of the water. The sharks can sense that they
are about to lose their prey, and they begin attacking more ferociously. Everyone can feel the peach
slowly sinking into the sea. Silkworm and Miss Spider don’t think that they can produce any more silk, but
James urges them to keep trying. They manage enough to rope in a 501st seagull, and as James ties the
silk around the gull's neck the peach lurches upwards, but the escape isn't yet assured. With the 502nd
seagull, the peach takes off towards the heavens like a balloon.
In Chapter 23, everyone celebrates and dances as the peach flies into the air, safe from the sharks.
Miss Spider volunteers to inspect the damage from the sharks, and when she returns she reports that
there is barely any damage at all. None of the characters believes this, thinking that some sort of magic
must have healed the peach, but the narrator briefly interrupts the story and explains that sharks have
difficulty biting into large, round objects because of their protruding noses.
Then, they see a ship, the Queen Mary sailing below them to America. From the ship, the Captain and the
rest of the crew can see a giant round ball hovering overhead, and they mistake it for a secret weapon.
Using binoculars, the Captain reports that a boy in trousers, a giant ladybug, a colossal green
grasshopper, a mammoth spider, and an enormous centipede are on the top of the peach. His crew begins
to think he is crazy, and they call for the ship doctor to inspect him. Just then, the peach passes behind
a cloud and the crew never sees the giant sphere again.
Everyone on the peach is very happy as, in Chapter 24, the seagulls carry the peach further and further
into the sky. The Old-Green-Grasshopper offers to play music for everyone, and he uses his body as a
musical instrument. Everyone loves the music, and James is incredibly surprised at what a talented
musician the grasshopper is.
Then, in Chapter 25, James and his friends begin to learn more about one another. James learns that
earthworms process all the soil in the fields, that ladybugs are bought in bulk to help farms succeed, and
that Miss Spider is frustrated with the public's dislike of her species. James also learns that the
Centipede is widely considered a pest by society.
In Chapter 26, the Centipede begins singing and dancing, then he falls off the edge of the peach.
Everyone is startled to see him tumble down, and they believe they will never see the poor Centipede
again. Yet James jumps to action and orders Silkworm to begin spinning, even though she is tired; he
then takes Silkworm's rope and leaps down to rescue Centipede. Before he leaves the peach, James
instructs his friends to begin pulling on the rope when they feel three tugs. Soon James is gone, and the
others believe that both James and the Centipede have been lost forever. Suddenly they feel three tugs
and pull the two of them up. They are both soaking wet, and Centipede tells everyone that James swam
around the ocean until he found and rescued him. Old-Green-Grasshopper tells the other passengers
that the peach has continued to ascend, and Miss Spider suggests moving downstairs. Yet Old-Green-
Grasshopper believes it would be best for everyone to stay up top and keep watch, and that is exactly
what they decide to do.
James and the Giant Peach chp 21-26

1. Why is the Earthworm so worried?

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

2. How many seagulls did it take to lift the peach out of the sea? Why do you
think it was so many?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

3. Why did Miss Spider not fall off the peach when she went underneath it?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

4. Why do you think the crew called the ship’s doctor to see the Captain?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

5. Why do you think the creatures were talking about themselves in Chapter 25?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

6. How do you think the creatures feel about James after he rescues Centipede?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Vocabulary
Look up these words and find their meanings.

essence ______________________________________________________
ferociously_____________________________________________________
volunteers_____________________________________________________
pest _____________________________________________________
ascends ______________________________________________________
In Chapter 27, the passengers on the peach take note of everything around them as they float higher
into the sky. As they go up, they see strange, tall, wispy white things that look like they are made of
cotton-wool and candy floss and thin white hairs. Everyone is a little nervous when they first see these
shapes and the passengers try to hide and keep quiet, but James and his companions soon realize that
the mysterious wispy things - identified as the Cloud-Men - are making hailstones and showering them
onto the world them, in practice for the winter.
Suddenly, the raucous Centipede begins taunting the Cloud-Men, even though the others try to quiet him.
The effect of his yelling is immediate: The Cloud-Men launch an attack on the peach. They begin
throwing hailstones and James instructs everyone to lie down. All of them can hear the hailstones
whipping past their heads and smashing into the peach. The projectiles also hit Ladybug on her shell and
Centipede on the nose. James instructs everyone to dive into the tunnel to avoid further injury. When
they try to light the space, they realize that Glow-worm's light has been broken. Fortunately, the noise
of the hailstones ceases and they all climb back up the tunnel. Now, James and his friends discover that
there are no more Cloud-Men in the area.

In Chapter 28, the passengers look up at the beautiful sky once again, and this time they see an arch in
the distance. They fear that there are Cloud-Men surrounding the arch, and they are correct! Cloud-Men
are painting the arch, and upon closer inspection, James and his friends realize that these Cloud-Men are
creating a rainbow. The rainbow is supported by a series of ropes, and the Cloud-Men are preparing to
lower it down onto earth. Miss Spider realizes that the peach is flying straight into the rainbow and is on
course to collide with it. She is correct: the rainbow crashes into the peach and crumbles into several
pieces.
The Cloud-Men are outraged, and one of them grabs onto to one of the seagull ropes and begins climbing
towards the peach. To make matters worse, James's seagulls are now tangled in the ropes that held the
rainbow. Thinking fast, James has Centipede cut the rope that the giant Cloud-Man had attached himself
to; as soon as the rope is clipped, the fearsome Cloud-Man is lifted straight into the air. Stunned at this
sight, the other Cloud-Men let go of their ropes and the peach is freed from the tangled mess. But out
of anger, the Cloud-Men began throwing all the paint and tools at their disposal at the peach, and
Centipede is covered in purple paint.

As Chapter 29 begins, everyone assesses the damage that has been done to Centipede. The poor
creature is coated in fast-drying paint, which has left him unable to speak or walk. While the creatures
suggest possible solutions to his plight, Miss Spider tells the story of how her grandmother had died.
The unfortunate elder spider got stuck in drying paint on the ceiling of the evil aunts' house, and Miss
Spider and her other family members brought her food every day. They successfully kept the
grandmother spider alive for several days, until Aunt Sponge spotted the spiders and swept the
grandmother to her death with a long-handled mop.

The characters hear a voice yelling "On with the faucets!" in the first few lines of Chapter 30.
Suddenly, water begins pouring from the sky, and everyone lurches for anything that they can hold onto.
James and the others believe that this is the end of their journey and that everyone will be thrown off
of the peach by the surging water. Just when the passengers think that they are finished, the seagulls
manage to pull them through the storm and the water stops. As they assess the damage, they find that
Centipede is shouting with glee - the paint has all been washed off! To celebrate, Centipede ends the
chapter with a song and dance.
At the beginning of Chapter 31, Ladybug realizes that the seagulls have started to fly faster and
faster. They are moving quickly through the air, and as the peach pursues its course, James and his
companions are exposed to more of the Cloud-Men's realm. They see where the Cloud-Men eat, sleep,
play, and conduct their family lives. James and his companions also learn more about how the Cloud-Men
orchestrate specific natural phenomena, such as cyclones, tornadoes, and blizzards.

Chapter 32 brings the dawn, and Centipede shouts that he sees land below. The passengers all peer over
the side of the peach and look down at the world below, commenting on how enormous it all seems. The
cars look like ants, and giant buildings are visible. Based on their previous experiences, the passengers
don't believe that they are looking at England. When James sees a skyscraper, he shouts that they must
be in America - they have crossed the Atlantic Ocean overnight!
James and his friends then start to think about how they will make their way back down to earth. James
has the idea of gradually cutting the seagull strings that have kept the peach in the air. He believes that
if the strings are cut one-by-one, there will be a calm and controlled descent to the ground.

In Chapter 33, pandemonium begins to break out down below, in New York City. The people believe that
the hovering peach is the biggest bomb in the history of the world, and they think it's poised to explode
at any given moment. The mayor of New York calls the President of the United States, who summons his
admirals and generals. Across the nation, everyone becomes worried that death is near.

Back up above, James instructs Centipede to cut one of the strings attached to the seagulls, which
Centipede does at the start of Chapter 34. Centipede then moves along from string to string, but the
peach doesn't seem to be sinking much. Although the other passengers are confused, James reminds
them that they had lost a lot of juice during the hailstone attack earlier in the night - now the giant
fruit is much lighter. When the peach begins sinking at a slow, gradual pace, James instructs Centipede
to stop.
The companions are all content with their plan to reach the ground, when all of a sudden an airplane
makes a tremendous zooming noise above them. They look up and realize that the airplane has cut
through the remaining seagull ropes, and suddenly the peach is falling at an alarming rate. The creatures
begin to panic, and everyone turns to James for help, but this time James has no answers. He only tells
his friends to shut their eyes and wait for the inevitable - death.

In the very brief Chapter 35, the peach is plummeting to the earth. James and his friends cling
frantically to the peach, convinced that they are doomed. They believe that the peach will splatter on
the ground and explode instantly. From below, the people of New York City are shocked to see the
biggest bomb in the world fall out of the sky. In their fright and terror, many of the pedestrians begin
to pray.

In Chapter 36, James has accepted what he believes to be his impending death, and he begins saying
goodbye to his newfound friends. He is looking down at the skyscrapers below him, some of which have
flat tops and others of which have pointed tops, and he believes that death is imminent. Yet the peach is
falling directly above the pointed top of the Empire State Building, and within a moment the peach has
struck the building. The pointed top of this skyscraper drives right through the peach, making a
squelching sound.

The people of New York City spend Chapter 37 attempting to make sense of the object on top of the
Empire State Building. They are now aware that this strange object isn't a bomb, but they still have no
idea that it is a peach. Policemen hold their guns at the ready and call for the inhabitants of the object
to show themselves. When Centipede, Old-Green-Grasshopper, and Miss Spider emerge, everyone is
terrified and many speculate that the peach has come from Mars.
The police officers have no idea what the correct course of action is. Many of them even faint because
they are so fearful of the creatures inside of the peach. They feel pressure from the crowd to take
action, but they still don't know what to do. All at once, James emerges from the peach. The crowd is
shocked that a young boy had been inside all along. James calls out to the people and tells them not to be
afraid, but the people of New York are still wary of the creatures that accompany James.
Breaking into song, James explains that all his companions are harmless and friendly. He begins with
Centipede, describing his sweet and gentle soul, and then he moves on to describe Earthworm and the
many ways that his species has been helpful to humans. As for Old-Green-Grasshopper, James sings his
praises of the Grasshopper's musical abilities. James then praises Glow-worm's cleverness and her
ability to provide light. He also sings a verse about Miss Spider, urging the audience to never kill a
spider. James goes on to compliment Ladybug's beautiful and kind nature and Silkworm's high-quality
silk.
Just five minutes later, James finds himself telling his story to a group of officials; these officials
quickly come to regard the passengers of the peach as a group of heroes! They Mayor insists on having a
ticker-tape parade for all of them. James and his friends sit in an open limousine, and the peach, hoisted
up by giant cranes and placed on a huge truck, follows its onetime crew. Peach juice leaks from the hole
where the Empire State Building had pierced through, and the mayor's limousine skids along behind.
While the procession is underway, a young girl runs up to James and asks if she can have a piece of the
marvelous peach, and James responds that yes, everyone can have some. Thousands of children jump all
over the peach and began eating away. They come from all directions, all savoring the delicious taste of
the giant fruit. James, who had believed there couldn't possibly be this many children in the world, is
ecstatic, and he believes that this of joyful children is the most wonderful thing in the world. By the end
of the parade, the peach has been completely eaten, and only the brown stone in the middle remains.
The journey ends here, but the travelers all live on and become rich and successful. Each of James's
friends finds a respected, prominent job that suits his or her talents and interests. And the peach stone
is set up as a famous monument in New York City, but it is not only a monument - it is a famous house,
too. James goes to live inside this house, and anyone can knock on his door and ask to be shown around.
Sometimes one of James' friends comes to visit, and tourists can talk with these other passengers of
the peach. Hundreds of children come to the house every week, and they always ask James to tell them
his story. They ask him so many times that James decides it would be a good idea to write a book, and he
does. As Dahl's final line explains, the book that James wrote is the book that the reader has just read.