How long should it take a 7 year old to read Roald Dahls "The Witches" and "James and the Giant Peach"?

My 7 yr old reads at about the same speed. Some kids are more advanced in certain subjects. If he is really interested in reading then I think you need to encourage him. Take trips to the library each week for new books. Be sure to talk to his teacher about it to make sure he is being challeneged at school. Kids get bored easily if a subject is too easy.

Well, I don't know about The Witches but I do know that James and the Giant Peach might take a 7 year old (that's 1st to 2nd grader) a little while to read. If they are gifted or if they just have a passion for reading it might take a significant less amount of time. I taught 2nd grade for 4 years and gave my gifted bilingual class a whole six weeks to read James and the Giant Peach at home. Of course all kids have different abilities. Some children are very fast readers with good comprehension and some take a bit longer. If your son read both of the books at that time with good comprehension of both of them I would say fluency is pretty high...considering James and the Giant Peach is a 4th to 5th grade level book.

Sounds like he's a great reader!

No there is no normal speed. Some kids are slow readers and others are fast readers. They all read at their own pace.

Sounds like reading comprehension is hir forte!

Most teenagers cannot digest that much reading in that amount of time.

Thats quite advanced.