James and the Giant Peach
by Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake (Illustrator)
James lives his two horrible aunts, wishing that he could get away. A mysterious stranger gives him a bag of magic, but James accidentally drops the bag near an old peach tree, and the tree absorbs all the magic creating a giant fruit. The giant peach propels James into a new adventure that will take him farther than he ever dreamed and get rid of his awful aunts once and for all.
I have read this book before only once, but this second time I enjoyed it much more than the first time. Somehow I was more enchanted by the whimsy, and less concerned with there being a coherent story line. The plot is a bit chaotic, but now I don’t mind that so much. It’s just so imaginative and fun!
James is so resourceful and smart! I really love the way the other characters look to him as their leader, and he always thinks clearly in the midst of a crisis when everyone else is panicking. He’s sweet and kind, and it’s no wonder that all the other characters love and respect him.
This book is a delight, and I love how wild and imaginative the adventure is. Anything can happen in a Dahl book!
Luminous Libro 
I remember really liking this one when I was a kid, and I enjoyed the movie too. It cracks me up how the evil aunts live in the movie and show up at the end for a final showdown but in the book the giant peach crushes and kills them right off the bat. 😛