'James and the Giant Peach' og 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'

When poor James Henry Trotter loses his parents in a horrible rhinoceros accident, he is forced to live with his two wicked aunts, Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker, who treat him horribly. Years pass, but one day James meets a wizard who understands his situation and gives him a sack of tiny glowing-green magic crystals that he promises will bring him happiness. However, James accidently spills the crystals onto the ground near a peach tree in the garden and the tree becomes enchanted. Due to the enchantment, a certain peach grows to the size of a large house, and one night James discovers a juicy, fleshy tunnel that leads to a hollow stone in the middle of the peach. Entering the stone, James discovers a band of anthropomorphic insects, also transformed by the magic. He quickly befriends the insect inhabitants of the peach, and they set out together on an adventure which takes them from England to New York where they eventually split up, but remain friends for life.

James Henry Trotter is a seven-year-old orphaned boy and also the main character of the book. James is something of a dreamer, but he is, nonetheless, a clever and ever-resourceful boy who manages to save himself and the lives of his new friends on numerous occasions throughout the story.