James and the Giant Peach — Roald Dahl

READ A BANNED BOOK • “We are now about to visit the most marvelous places and see the most wonderful things!”

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This Dahl story was challenged by parents in a bunch of American states for so many odd reasons. Some were against it because of the vocabulary (the words “ass” and “idiot” are used at one point) while others disagreed with the mannerisms of the spider that could be interpreted as sexual (e.g. she licks her lips) and the fact that the characters seem to repeatedly revel in violence and punishment (usually against very cruel adults). All in all, it was decided that the story of James and his anthropomorphic pals flying away from a couple of evil aunts on a magical giant peach wasn’t appropriate for young children.

I listened to the audiobook last week and my main thoughts are that yes, there is violence and a bit of cursing but I really don’t buy the argument that these elements should lead to censorship. When we censor children’s lit it seems we fail to consider how a child is actually reading the story - we read it as grown-ups and draw unjust conclusions through that lens. As a kid, all I remember loving about the book is the kindness James shows to his new friends and the fact that he rightfully challenges and wants to escape abusive authority figures. Dahl exaggerates in his prose to make the story engaging and relatable to kids. James just wanted to have some fun and make friends! It’s really not that deep to a child, in my opinion.